The aim of this thesis is to transfer Muniz/O'Guinn's brand community concept to the sports market. Looking at the previous conception and definition of brand communities, those communities around the brands of sports organisations appear to be an ideal example. Hardly any other industry arouses so much interest and is of such great importance in the everyday life of customers with regard to the product or service and creates a more solid basis for social identification, interaction and emotional bonding than sports. The research question can be formulated as follows:
To what extent can the concept of brand community be applied to sports brands and their surrounding community? What are the opportunities and risks of applying and adapting the concept to the sports industry for sports brand management?
After a detailed theoretical derivation of the term "brand community" with reference to the concepts from marketing (branding) and sociology (consumer community) that constitute it, this work transfers the concept to the specificities of the sports market. Scientific studies on the management of sports brands as well as on community fan behaviour and sports consumption will be used. In a critical appraisal, the advantages and disadvantages of the brand community concept are evaluated and corresponding opportunities and risks for the use in the management sports brands. It is a choice between increased customer loyalty, enlarged brand value and efficient marketing on the one hand and counterproductive consumer behaviour, reduced brand value and uncontrollable marketing on the other hand.
In the end, this work comes after a detailed exploratory research to the conclusion that the Brand Community concept has great potential for the management of the brands of sports organisations. Although there are other research is needed to adapt the model even more specifically to the specificities of to the needs of the sports market. But already it provides the manager of sports brands undreamt-of opportunities to exploit the close connection between sports consumers to make more efficient use of the sports brand and the strong surrounding community and to capitalize on it.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Research question
1.2 Current status of research
1.3 Structure of the thesis
2. Branding and Communities – Theoretical Basis
2.1 Brand management
2.1.1 The meaning of a brand
2.1.2 Brand equity
2.1.3 Relationship marketing
2.2 Community and Consumption
2.2.1 Definition and evolution of the community concept
2.2.2 Constitution of communities
2.2.3 Consumption-centred communities
3. Brand Community – A Definition
3.1 Constituting a community around a brand
3.2 Core commonalities
3.2.1 Shared consciousness
3.2.2 Rituals and traditions
3.2.3 Moral responsibility
3.3 brand.comm
3.4 Strengths and weaknesses
4. Team Brand Communities – A Symbiosis
4.1 Team Brands – Brand management in the sports marketplace
4.1.1 Integrated sports marketing communication
4.1.2 Branding in the sports marketplace
4.1.3 Models of brand equity in the sports marketplace
4.2 Communities in the sports marketplace
4.2.1 Individual sports consumption
4.2.2 Communal sports consumption
4.3 Brand communities in the sports marketplace
4.3.1 Consciousness of kind
4.3.2 Rituals and traditions
4.3.3 Moral responsibility
5. Potentials and Pitfalls of Team Brand Communities
5.1 Potential competitive advantages
5.1.1 Customer loyalty and its benefits
5.1.2 Enhanced brand equity
5.1.3 Marketing efficiency
5.2 Pitfalls of the brand community concept in the sports marketplace
5.2.1 Counterproductive consumer behaviour
5.2.2 Uncontrollable brand development
5.2.3 Conflicts with sports marketing particularities
5.2.4 Anti-brand community
5.3 Interim conclusion
6. Final Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This thesis explores the applicability of the brand community concept to the sports marketplace, aiming to determine whether the theoretical framework of brand communities can be transferred to team brands. It specifically investigates the potential benefits and pitfalls that arise when sports organisations attempt to leverage community dynamics for long-term brand management and increased brand equity.
- Theoretical foundations of branding and community sociology.
- Analysis of core commonalities in sports brand communities (consciousness of kind, rituals, and moral responsibility).
- Integration of sports marketing strategies with brand community concepts.
- Evaluation of managerial potentials and pitfalls, including counterproductive consumer behaviour and anti-brand communities.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Constituting a community around a brand
The relationship between a brand and its consumer has always been of special interest for marketers. According to Keller, the ultimate relationship and level of identification that customers can have with the brand is characterised by a strong, intense and deep psychological bond and a high level of activity deriving from this loyalty. When consumers feel – added to this strong customer-brand connection – a kinship or affiliation with other people associated with the brand such as fellow brand users or employees of the company, they tend to form a brand community.
When Muniz/O’Guinn introduced the concept of brand community, they investigated the significant intersection of ‘brand’ as a defining entity of consumer culture and ‘community’ as a core sociological notion: “A brand community is a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among admirers of a brand.” Brand communities seem to be the most recent manifestation of research regarding postmodern human association. Evolving from the idea of consumption communities, they are specialised by being centred on a branded good or service. Of particular relevance, especially regarding consumer behaviour, is the contemporary commercial, mass-mediated, and globalised environment, in which members don’t necessarily have to be physically proximal to each other to develop strong interrelational bonds. Thus, brand communities are constituted as largely imagined communities liberated from geography with a mass-mediated sensibility having explicitly commercial nature. Crucial for their existence is the strong loyalty and commitment of their members to both the central brand and the group as a whole.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research question regarding the transferability of the brand community concept to sports and provides an overview of the current research status.
2. Branding and Communities – Theoretical Basis: Reviews fundamental literature on brand management, consumer-based brand equity, and the sociological evolution of community and consumption-centred groups.
3. Brand Community – A Definition: Establishes a formal definition of brand community based on Muniz/O’Guinn, focusing on shared consciousness, rituals, and moral responsibility, while introducing the digital concept of brand.comm.
4. Team Brand Communities – A Symbiosis: Applies the theoretical brand community framework to the sports marketplace, examining how sports organisations use these dynamics to build emotional connections and fan identification.
5. Potentials and Pitfalls of Team Brand Communities: Evaluates the strategic advantages and dangers of brand communities in sports, highlighting aspects such as customer loyalty versus counterproductive consumer behaviour and anti-brand communities.
6. Final Conclusion: Summarises the main findings and provides recommendations for future research on the intersection of sports marketing and brand communities.
Keywords
Brand Community, Sports Marketing, Team Brands, Brand Equity, Relationship Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Shared Consciousness, Rituals and Traditions, Moral Responsibility, Fan Identification, Digital Revolution, Social Identity, Competitive Advantage, Sports Spectatorship, Anti-brand Community
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this work?
The work investigates the application of the brand community concept—a framework originating in sociology and general marketing—to the specific sector of professional sports team branding.
What are the primary themes covered in this research?
The research themes include the theoretical definition of brand communities, the identification of social components in sports consumption (such as group experience and rituals), and the strategic management of brand equity through communal fan relationships.
What is the main research question?
The study asks whether the brand community concept can be successfully transferred to team brands and identifies the specific potentials and pitfalls involved in this adaptation.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study uses an explorative approach, conducting a comprehensive state-of-the-art literature review of branding, sociology, and sports marketing research to derive a conceptual framework.
What does the main part of the thesis treat?
The main part provides a detailed analysis of brand community characteristics—consciousness of kind, rituals, and moral responsibility—and maps these onto the unique environment of professional sports organisations and fan behaviour.
How can this work be described in terms of keywords?
Key terms include brand equity, team brands, sports marketing, relationship marketing, consumer behaviour, and communal sports consumption.
Why is the concept of 'brand.comm' relevant to this study?
Brand.comm represents the digital intersection of brand and virtual communities, illustrating how modern technology enables sports teams to maintain interactivity and personal relationships with fans on a global scale.
What is the distinction between 'die-hard' and 'fair-weather' fans?
Die-hard fans show strong, lasting commitment despite team success or failure, acting as core members of a brand community, whereas fair-weather fans tend to support the team primarily when it is winning, which poses a challenge for long-term community integration.
- Citation du texte
- Norman Arnold (Auteur), 2010, Team Brand Communities. Potentials and Pitfalls of the Brand Community Concept in the International Sport Brand Management, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/516533
