Artemisia Apostolopoulou

Destination Personality, Affective Image, and Behavioral Intentions in Domestic Urban Tourism

The collective influence of destination personality and affective image on overall image formation of a domestic urban destination and subsequently its influence on tourists’ behavioral intentions were examined in this study. The sample consisted of 361 urban tourists and included both past visitors and nonvisitors of the urban destination under study. Data analysis confirmed the influential role of destination personality and affective image in the formation of overall destination image in both samples. In turn, overall image was a mediator of the relationships of destination personality and affective image with tourists’ behavioral intentions (i.e., intention to revisit the urban destination and intention to recommend the destination to others). Analysis of the data supported a two-factor solution of the destination personality construct, with the personality traits of sincerity and excitement emerging in the domestic urban context to influence past visitors’ and nonvisitors’ overall destination image perceptions.

Olympic Sponsorship Activation and the Creation of Competitive Advantage

The present study explores the leveraging activities of the Grand National sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and attempts to apply a resource-based view in their assessment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven of the ten Grand National sponsors and through a systematic review of secondary sources. The more active sponsors invested in and utilized a number of leveraging methods, including advertising, sales promotions, and special events. Furthermore, they seemed superior to the less active sponsors in the use of their tangible and intangible resources as well as the capabilities of their organization. On the other hand, the less active sponsors appeared to have missed the opportunity to utilize their Olympic sponsorship to gain a competitive advantage. This article concludes with suggestions to companies investing in sport sponsorship for effective exploitation of acquired sponsorship rights.

Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands

Purpose – The present research involves corporations that served as Grand National Sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and aims to explore whether a strategic approach was employed in the acquisition and management of their Olympic sponsorship.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study analysis was employed, for which data were collected through semi‐structured interviews. The study sample included seven of the ten Grand National Sponsors that signed agreements with ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Data analysis was organized around five themes inspired by the existing literature.Findings – With the exception of two firms, the majority of the Grand National Sponsors reported no clear or measurable objectives and limited consideration to strategic or brand‐related initiatives in their decisions to invest in the national Olympic sponsorship program. However, they did report plans to invest resources to leverage their rights, even though in most cases no specif...

Real Women Watch Football: Gender Differences in the Consumption of the NFL Super Bowl Broadcast

The present study explores the role gender plays in the consumption of sport broadcasting, specifically, the National Football Leagues (NFL) Super Bowl broadcast. Data were collected from self-identified, serious NFL fans and casual or non-NFL fans alike using an online survey. Results indicate that female viewers held more positive attitudes toward the “entertainment” elements of the broadcast (e.g., celebrity singing the national anthem, the MVP Award presentation) than male respondents. Female respondents also held more favorable attitudes toward the entertainment value of the Super Bowl halftime show. Female and male respondents also differed in their motives for watching a NFL game broadcast.

Destination Image Components and Word-of-Mouth Intentions in Urban Tourism: A Multigroup Approach:

The purpose of this study was to explore differences among three distinct groups, namely local residents, past tourists, and prospective tourists, in their perceptions of cognitive, affective, and overall image of a city destination and their future behavior. Analysis of data generally confirmed previously established structural relationships of cognitive and affective image, overall destination image, and word-of-mouth intentions. However, differences were identified among the three groups in terms of their destination image perceptions and their behavioral intentions to engage in word-of-mouth communications. Specifically, residents who engaged in word-of-mouth were primarily influenced by the cognitive and affective destination image components, while tourists relied on overall image perceptions.

Meanings and Functions in Olympic Consumption: A Study of the Athens 2004 Olympic Licensed Products

Abstract This is an exploratory study of the meanings and functions of one aspect of Olympic consumption, the purchase of Olympic licensed products. More specifically, the present study attempted to examine the value Olympic licensed items hold for their owners by uncovering the meanings attached to those items. Using the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games as the setting, 280 consumers responded to questions regarding their reasons for purchasing Olympic licensed products as well as how they intended to use those products. Furthermore, an effort was made to assess what those products meant for their owners. The findings of this study point to the highly symbolic meanings embedded in the consumption of Olympic licensed products. The symbolic meanings revealed centered around three main themes: the Olympic Movement, national identity, and national political history and achievement. To a lesser extent, experiential and functional meanings attached to Olympic licensed items were also identified.

Implementation of a multi‐brand strategy in action sports

Purpose – The present study aims to explore the efforts of a core action sports company (Board Sports Company (BSC)) to employ a multi‐brand strategy and to focus on the identity and reach of the seven distinct brands operated under the parent company. The study seeks to identify benefits and limitations of the multi‐brand strategy, as seen by company employees.Design/methodology/approach – In a single‐case design study approach, a global, private action sports company, recognized as a leader in authentic action sports footwear and apparel, was selected for study. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews with key company employees and an extensive review of secondary sources.Findings – The adoption of a multi‐brand strategy with the operation of seven distinct brands has allowed BSC to expand to mainstream audiences, while strengthening its core target markets. Through aggressive consumer segmentation practices and the strategic utilization of a variety of distribution outlets, BSC remains competitive ...

Capturing the meanings of sport licensed products

Abstract The current two-part study investigated the meanings embedded in sport licensed products and aimed to develop and test the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to capture those meanings. Data analysis resulted in the development of the five-factor 17-item Meanings of Sport Licensed Products (MSLP) scale that was found to be a reliable and valid instrument. It is suggested that sport licensed items present value through their aesthetic appeal and their contribution to sport consumers’ experience, socialization, personal history, and sense of locality. Regression analysis showed that the MSLP are a significant predictor of future behavior, specifically sport consumers’ willingness to recommend these products to others and their intention to buy them again in the future. Understanding how consumers choose certain products and why those products become important to them could lead to more effective strategies for the development, promotion, and sale of sport licensed items.

Participant-based brand image perceptions of international sport events: The case of the Universiade

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify dimensions of brand image of an international sport event. Athletes and official team delegates participating in the 2009 Summer Universiade held in Belgrade, Serbia, were interviewed. Data analysis revealed five core event image dimensions: competition, emotional, social, cultural, and organizational. These themes related to past research but showed a more balanced interplay between the competition and socio-cultural images of the event. Implications for event and tourism marketing include the communication of certain imageries to key consumer groups as well as the provision of experiences that reinforce or alter event imagery.

Building a sponsor’s equity through brand personality: perceptions of fans and rivals

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of perceived fit and brand personality as means of building the brand equity of the sponsor in a basketball sponsorship setting both for team fans (fans) and fans of a rival team (rivals).,The sponsorship deal between Microsoft (X-BOX), a global software company, and Panathinaikos BC, a popular basketball team located in Athens, Greece, was selected for this examination. Empirical data were collected through self-administered questionnaires from 222 fans and 271 rivals. Structural equation modeling was run to test the research hypotheses.,Results provided evidence that brand personality mediates the effect of fans’ perceived fit evaluations on brand equity variables. No mediation of brand personality was found for rivals, as perceived fit did not significantly affect either positively or negatively any of the brand equity variables for those study participants.,The timing of data collection, which took place a short period after the sponsorship deal was announced, the low degree of rivalry reported as well as the fact that sponsorship activation initiatives were not taken into consideration are seen as limitations of this study. Suggestions for future research that would address each of these limitations are offered.,The study contributed theoretically to sport sponsorship literature by introducing the concept of brand personality as a means to enhance sponsors’ brand equity in a basketball sponsorship setting for both team fans and rivals. Interesting managerial implications have emerged for marketing managers of both sponsors and sponsees.,This is one of the very few studies that propose a process by which sponsors can deal with rivals’ negative associations, uncovering opportunities that may exist for companies in sponsoring competing teams.