Investigating the role of fan club membership on perceptions of team brand equity in football

Researchers have suggested that brand equity is vital for professional sport teams by focusing on the examination of sport fans in general. The current study aims to examine the differences in team brand equity perceptions between fan club members and nonmembers, and the predictive role of brand equity dimensions on behavioral intentions. Data were collected from fans of a professional football league (n = 2287) with an adapted version of the spectator-based brand equity scale. The results gathered through a confirmatory factor analysis provide evidence of fair psychometric properties of the measurement scale. A multi-group CFA analysis showed factorial stability of the model in both groups, while the latent mean comparisons revealed significant differences in the dimensions of brand mark, social interaction, commitment, team history, organizational attributes, team success, head coach, management, stadium, and internalization. In addition, a multi-group SEM analysis revealed that the relationships between brand equity dimensions and behavioral intentions are not significantly different among the groups. Social interaction, team success and internalization were the significant positive predictors of behavioral intentions among the overall sample. These findings highlight the importance of studying different types of consumers and suggest managerial implications, such as the need for clubs to establish reciprocal relationships with fans in order to increase their levels of internalization and contribute to increased behavioral intentions.

Nokia- The surprising success of textbook wisdom

What is the secret behind Nokia’s phenomenal success in mobile phones? More generally, how to succeed in a turbulent high technology market? Historical and comparative studies bring understanding not only about past phenomena, but also insights about current and coming ones. In this paper we compare Ford and General Motors in the 1920s and 1930s with Motorola and Nokia in the 1980s and 1990s. The insight from this comparison is how reinvention of the product, category, relative to the market incumbent’s market conceptualization, is a recipe for success. Nokia’s success in the 1990s was based on following the guidelines pioneered by General Motors in the 1920s: market segmentation, embracing the latest technological advances, and brand management in the pursuit of consumer repurchases. The article tells how Nokia addresses both GM’s legacy and changes in the business environment. At the end of our paper, we disuss the generalizability of our findings.

Gestão de marcas e arranjos produtivos: A marca «vinho do Porto»

A gestão da marca, enquanto elemento distintivo organizacional, progressivamente, merece atenção especial no mundo dos negócios. Ativo intangível de especial significância cuja gestão profissional é essencial para a construção de sinergias com os objetivos organizacionais e implementação de estratégias de negócio. Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar características inerentes à gestão da marca “Vinho do Porto”, destacando a perspectiva da “marca-país” e relevância da gestão desta como vantagem competitiva, para o produto e país de modo geral, particularmente, num ambiente em que as externalidades positivas são estimuladas, no âmbito do arranjo produtivo. A coleta de dados baseou-se na observação – durante período de vivência em Portugal por um dos autores –, informações levantadas em Institutos relacionados ao Vinho do Porto, empresas comerciantes, e obras publicadas sobre o Vinho. A análise baseou-se em referencial relacionado à gestão de marcas, publicidade, posicionamento e clusters. Destacam-se os esforços das empresas na divulgação da marca no mercado global, Institutos envolvidos e até mesmo do governo, por se tratar de um produto não só gerador de muitos empregos diretos e indiretos, mas um efetivo instrumento de difusão da marca-país/Portugal, além fronteiras.