Claas Christian Germelmann

Co-destruction of value by spectators: the case of silent protests

Research question: This exploratory paper aims to introduce the concept of value co-destruction in the field of sport management and research. We asked whether all groups of spectators at a sport stadium experienced value co-destruction in the same way. Moreover, we analysed how the prior expectations of the various stadium spectator groups influenced their experience of value. Our definition of value co-destruction comprises not only an actual decline in value experienced, but also the negative deviation from the expected enhancement of well-being. Research methods: Value co-destruction was investigated at two German Bundesliga football games during the 2012/2013 season. Spectators of both games deliberately refused to cheer. As a result, the entire stadium remained silent for 12 minutes at the beginning of each game. We conducted qualitative interviews with different types of spectators. This allowed us to measure value co-destruction at the individual level, in line with service-dominant logic. Spectators were interviewed either before or after the game, or during half-time. Results and Findings: Our results show that value co-destruction is one of many different possible outcomes of the interaction between actors in a sport stadium. Like co-creation, co-destruction mainly depends on the value expectation: interactions in the stadium that co-create value for one actor can co-destroy value for another. Our findings indicate that this holds true specifically for stadium atmosphere as one of the most important value dimensions of spectators. Implications: For sport management practice, we thus recommend assessing the positive or negative value effect of the interaction processes that contribute to stadium atmosphere individually for each actor.

We love to hate them! Social media-based anti-brand communities in professional football

Social media has promoted anti-brand communities, which build around the shared aversion to a specific brand. The purpose of this paper is to investigate social media-based anti-brand communities and their effects on the sports team brand in question.,The authors conducted a netnographic study of Facebook-based anti-brand communities that oppose a professional football team.,The netnographic study reveals characteristics and drivers of Facebook-based anti-brand communities that oppose a professional football team. The research further identifies co-destructive behaviours of anti-brand community members that harm the sports team brand and even its sponsors. However, the findings also reveal that anti-brand communities may play a positive role in sport, as they strengthen the relationship between fans of the opposed brand and this brand and foster rivalry among football fans.,This research establishes the relevance of social media-based anti-brand communities for sports brands. Recommendations are made for team sport brands with regards to how to deal with the phenomenon of anti-brand communities.,While the previous research on anti-brand activism focused on either offline movements or movements using traditional websites, this research is the first to investigate the pivotal role of social networking sites for anti-brand activism. The paper further uncovers unique motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral patterns of fans that meet in communities opposing not only the rival team, but also the brand associated with the team. Findings show ways to better understand and deal with such anti-brand communities in sports.

The ties that bind us: feelings of social connectedness in socio-emotional experiences

Purpose This paper aims to focus on similarity cues that may strengthen bonds among crowd members and that serve as “glue” between individual group members in the context of collective football-viewing events. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 is a qualitative field study that focused on the subjective socio-emotional experiences of event visitors, whereas Study 2 tested the hypotheses quantitatively. Findings The qualitative pre-study revealed a variety of discrete emotions that consumers experienced through the course of consumption. Apart from individualistic emotions, respondents reported feeling common bonds with fellow crowd members. Respondents used a variety of emotion terms to express this experience. Moreover, we found different types of similarity cues which strengthen feelings of connectedness among crowd members in a football-watching scenario. Collaborative actions and team identification, as a sports-specific variable, foster a feeling of social connectedness, which in turn directly positively affects consumer enjoyment. Research limitations/implications Experiencing a feeling of social connectedness may serve as a starting point for a long-term relationship with the service itself or with associated brands. Future experimental studies might isolate the antecedents of a feeling of social connectedness and, thus, enhance the understanding of consumers’ emotional states during the course of hedonic consumption. Practical implications Service providers should encourage consumers to perform collaborative actions, as consumers potentially infect others and start a ripple effect. Originality/value This paper differs from existing work on crowds, in that the authors focus on similarity cues as antecedents of feelings of connectedness among group members.

“Give and take”: how notions of sharing and context determine free peer-to-peer accommodation decisions

ABSTRACT Building on social exchange theory and value co-creation, the present paper investigates how obligations and expectations of reciprocity as well as value-in-social-context shape preferences for or against free accommodation sharing. Applying a grounded theory approach, we propose a novel theoretical framework linking the notions of mutual giving and taking as asset or burden to the contextual characteristics of travelers’ accommodation decisions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of and decisions in favor of true sharing accommodation options. Based on our framework, we derive propositions to stimulate further research and provide implications for actors in the paid accommodation market.

State of the Art der Imagery-Forschung und ihre Bedeutung für den Handel

Seit fast zwanzig Jahren wird die Bedeutung der Imageryforschung, die sich mit der Entstehung und Wirkung von Gedachtnisbildern beschaftigt, fur das Marketing, insbesondere fur die Werbung und die Positionierung von Marken diskutiert (Kroeber-Riel 1986; Ruge 1988).

Dynamics and drivers of customer engagement: within the dyad and beyond

The purpose of this paper is to extend existing engagement research in two directions: first, it operationalizes the dynamic nature of the engagement process within a customer-brand dyad and, second, it tests the interrelationships with other network actors in a triadic network setting.,A 2×2 experimental design models the iterative nature of the engagement process based on repeated measures at three points in time, considering the contextual effects of connections with other customers and crowding-in effects based on monetary incentives.,This research demonstrates that in a utilitarian service setting, customer engagement does not emerge per se in the dyadic interaction between the customer and the brand. For high levels of engagement behavior to occur, incentives and ties to other network actors are essential. Further, the findings suggest a non-linear relationship between engagement behavior and its antecedents and consequences: engagement behavior must overcome a certain intensity threshold to unfold its effect.,Further research is needed to explore the dynamic nature of the engagement process in experiential and interactive service settings, and more complex network settings that may involve more actors and more complex relationships.,By facilitating connections between customers and compensating for low intrinsic interest, managers can facilitate actual engagement behavior even in utilitarian service contexts. Once engagement behavior has been triggered, an increased engagement disposition, higher satisfaction, higher involvement and higher loyalty follow.,This study empirically tests the dynamic nature of the engagement process within and beyond the dyad, and has revealed a non-linear pattern of customer engagement behavior within its nomological network.

When Brand Representatives Act as Sales Associates : Mechanisms and Effects of Native Selling and its Disclosure

Johanna Held is Research Assistant and Doctoral Student at the Chair of Marketing, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95444 Bayreuth, Germany, Phone: +49/921-556145, E-mail: Johanna.Held@ uni-bayreuth.de. Maximilian Stieler is Research Assistant and Doctoral Student at the Chair of Marketing, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95444 Bayreuth, Germany, Phone: +49/921-556136, E-mail: Maximilian. Stieler@uni-bayreuth.de. Claas Christian Germelmann is Professor of Marketing at the University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95444 Bayreuth, Germany, Phone: +49/921-556130, Fax: +49/921-55-6132, E-mail: C.C.Germelmann@ uni-bayreuth.de. *Corresponding author Laurence Ashworth is Associate Professor at The Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business, Goodes Hall, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6, Phone: +1/613-5333206, E-mail: lashworth@ business.queensu.ca. When Brand Representatives Act as Sales Associates: Mechanisms and Effects of Native Selling and its Disclosure

Medienberichte und Vertrauensverlust von Spendern in Krisen von Spendenorganisationen

Ausgelost durch einen anonymen Brief vom 24. Mai 2007 an Heide Simonis, die damalige ehrenamtliche Vorsitzende von Unicef Deutschland, gerat die deutsche Sektion von Unicef in die schwerste Krise seit ihrer Grundung im Jahr 1953. Als schlieslich im Februar 2008 Heide Simonis als Vorsitzende von Unicef Deutschland zurucktrat, berichten die Medien auch uber die Wirkung der Krise auf das Spenderverhalten: Seit Beginn der offentlichen Diskussionen um die Probleme von Unicef hatten im Februar 2008 bereits 5.000 Dauerspender ihre Unterstutzung aufgekundigt (F.A.Z. vom 5.2.2008), und im April 2008 musste Unicef bereits den Verlust von 37.000 der 200.000 Fordermitglieder und einen Einbruch der Spendeneinkunfte um sieben Millionen Euro hinnehmen (Bornhoft 2008). So nimmt es kein Wunder, dass der neugewahlte Geschaftsfuhrer als Ziel fur den Weg aus der Krise vorgibt, „Unicef so auf[zu]stellen, dass alle Spender und Partner so schnell wie moglich wieder unsere wichtige Arbeit fur Kinder […] unterstutzen“ (o. V. 21.4.2008).

Demand Side Analysis of Microlending Markets in Germany

In developing and transition economies, microlending has become an effective instrument for providing micro businesses with the necessary financial resources to launch operations. In the industrialized countries, with their highly developed banking systems, however, there has been ongoing debate on the question of whether an uncovered demand for microlending services exists. The present pilot study explores customer preferences for microlending products in Germany. Among the interviewed business owners, 15% reported revolving funding needs and an interest in microloans. We find that potential recipients of microloan products are retail business owners, foreign business owners, and persons who had previously received private loans. Furthermore, financial products should feature rapid access to short-term loans.

Einzelhändlermarken — Retail Brands, Store Brands, Category Stars und Category Killer

„Vermarkte das Handelsunternehmen als ‚Marke‘“ — so lautet die Formel, die Handelsunternehmen anwenden sollen, um dem extremen Verdrangungswettbewerb im Handel zu entrinnen und sich von der Konkurrenz abzugrenzen (Morschett 2002, S. 277). Handelt es sich bei dieser Formel, die eine Ubertragung der in der Konsumguterindustrie entwickelten Konzepte der Markenpolitik auf Handelsunternehmen empfiehlt, um neuen Wein in alten Schlauchen oder tatsachlich um eine Innovation im Handelsmarketing? So macht Morschett (2002, S. 278) zurecht darauf aufmerksam, dass im Handelsmarketing eine Vielzahl von Aspekten zur Profilierung und Differenzierung von Unternehmen unter dem Stichwort „Store Image“ untersucht worden ist. Morschett (2002, S. 278) favorisiert fur die strategische und operative Planung von Handelsunternehmen dennoch den Ausdruck „Handlermarke“, definiert eine solche in Anlehnung an Liebmann/Zentes (2001, S. 87) „als Verkaufsstelle eines Handelsunternehmens, die mit einem Markenzeichen versehen ist [...] deren [...] wesentlicher Bestandteil [...] im Erfolg — im Sinne der Anerkennung durch den Konsumenten — zu sehen“ ist, und hebt hervor, dass im Unterschied zum „Store Image“-Konstrukt der Begriff „Handlermarke“ (im Englischen: Retail Brand) zusatzlich den Bekanntheitsgrad des Unternehmens, die Aktualitatsdimension des Konzeptes und eine starkere Berucksichtigung der Konkurrenz beinhalte.