Sports-events, tourism and destination marketing strategies: an Australian case study of Athens 2004 and its media telecast

The focus of this study was the media telecast of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The study explored the efficacy of the Australian telecast in developing positive perceptions and attitudes of Greece as a tourist  destination and was origin-based—in that a survey was undertaken of a sample of Australian residents (n = 350). Participants were segmented based on their post-consumption perceptions of Greece. Four segments were identified and labelled—'extremely positive' (n = 75), 'highly positive' (n = 153), 'positive' (n = 83) and 'negative' (n = 29). Statistical differences were found between the segments based on whether attitudes towards Greece had improved as a result of their consumption of the media telecast of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (Athens 2004). To gain insights into this phenomenon, open-ended responses provided by segment members were then analysed.

Across the sample, 38.7% of respondents indicated that their overall attitude towards Greece as tourist destination changed as a result of their consumption of the telecast of Athens 2004. Considering that the attitudes of participants in the current study improved, not as a result of first-hand experiences at the destination, but as a result of their vicarious experiences of the destination through consumption of a media telecast of a special event, the results provide insights to the efficacy of this particular telecast in developing positive attitudes with regard to Greece as a tourist destination. The results of this study could be used a benchmark for future event-related destination marketing strategies. Similarities and differences emerged between the segments with regard to the reasons as to why members of each of the clusters attitudes towards Greece as a tourist destination had improved as a result of their consumption of the telecast. While their responses appeared to be similar, the frequency in which the concepts emerged for each of the segments varied intensity. The key issues that emerged for the four clusters were the appearance of Greece; culture and history of Greece; capacity, or 'hostability', of Greece to stage the Athens 2004; and infrastructure in Greece.

Event-related destination marketing : a case of Athens 2004

The focus of this study was the media telecast of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The study explored the efficacy of the telecast in developing positive attitudes towards Greece as a tourist destination. A random sample (n=351) of Australian residents were surveyed. Across the sample, 38.7% of respondents indicated that their overall attitude towards Greece as tourist destination changed as a result of their consumption of the telecast of Athens 2004. Further analysis was undertaken and four segments were identified based on postconsumption perceptions of Greece. Statistical differences were found between the segments with regard to the changes in their overall attitude. To gain insights into this phenomenon, open-ended responses provided by segment members were then analysed. The results provide insights to the efficacy of this particular telecast in developing positive attitudes with regard to Greece as a tourist destination.

Tourist benefits research : old and new issues and uses in a cultural tourism context

Benefits sought and gained by tourists are relevant to developing tourist markets for cultural attractions and experiences as this paper will demonstrate. The main objectives of this paper are to identify benefit variables commonly used in tourism marketing, their purpose of use, and associated issues by reviewing existing empirical research of tourism benefits and specifically examining the applications to date in cultural tourism contexts. For the benefits most commonly found in tourist benefit research and of relevance to tourists’ cultural experiences, a benefits typology from the allied area of leisure (Driver & Bruns, 1999) is applied to categorise these benefits and develop a conceptual typology for consideration. Research propositions for future research of tourists’ cultural experiences are also proposed including new uses for benefit variable dimensions.

Cross-cultural research issues in developing international tourist markets for cultural events

Cross-cultural issues and research are fundamental to much tourism marketing and especially to developing international tourist markets for cultural events and festivals. With increasing globalization aided by developments in travel and information technology, growing international tourist markets present potentially significant and increasing market opportunities for cultural events throughout the world. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, in order to attract tourist markets, events and festivals need an understanding of these markets and the relevant marketing theories, practices, and strategies. Understanding tourists’ motivation and behavior is essential to identifying attractive tourist market segments in the first instance and then to developing appropriate marketing strategies to attract these segments. Within this environment, the importance of cross-cultural issues and research to tourism marketing and the development of tourist markets are apparent, and yet cross-cultural tourism research to date has been limited. Cross-cultural tourism research in relation to cultural events is even more limited. Cross-cultural tourism marketing research also presents some unique challenges, numerous environmental and methodological problems, and associated costs. These numerous problems, challenges, and costs may in their own right prevent cross-cultural issues and problems from being investigated. Some of these problems can also make the results of some of the existing crosscultural research suspect. Such problems could well account for the limited amount of cross-cultural tourism marketing research that has been undertaken, even though the potential benefits from such research can be great. This article examines the use and application of cross-cultural tourism research by cultural events. It also outlines some of the unique challenges, issues, and problems that need to be addressed in future crosscultural tourism marketing research to improve its application, use, and findings, and ensure the benefits outweigh the costs.

Cultural experience tourist motives dimensionality : a cross-cultural study

This empirical research of tourists’ cultural experiences aims to advance theory by developing a measurement model of tourists’ motives towards attending cultural experiences for samples of Western and Asian tourists visiting Melbourne, Australia. Drawing upon Iso-Ahola’s (1989) seeking/avoiding dichotomy theory for tourist motivation dimensions, the hypothesized dimensions primarily included escape and seeking-related dimensions, and some hedonic dimensions because of their relevance to aesthetic products (Hirschman & Holbrook, 1982; Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982), which are the context for this study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to crossvalidate the underlying dimensionality structure of cultural experience motives. A four-factor model was extracted from the EFA consistent with some theoretical formulations and was retained in the CFA. Specific cultural language group differences for the motive dimensions were also hypothesized between Western and Asian tourist samples, and within the Chinese- and Japanese-speaking Asian tourist samples, but not within the different cultural groups of English-speaking Western tourists. These cross-cultural hypotheses were tested for the motive dimension measurement model using invariance testing in CFA. The findings for the motive dimensions differing by cultural group were not as expected. Significant cultural differences between Western and Asian tourists were not found, but a new finding of this study was significant differences between English-speaking tourists in their motives for attending cultural experiences. Marketing implications of these findings are also presented.

Customer-focused CRM: a marketing challenge for organizations

The article explains that CRM is all about building longterm business relationships with customers. It is best described as the blending of internal business processes: sales, marketing and customer support with technology. Research indicates that poor project planning, weak and
incomplete business cases, cost and complexity of the technology, lack of.technological skills, lack of system integration and lack of senior management involvement in the CRM process are among the many factors that inhibit the successful adoption ofCRM in companies. The article presents a framework for customer centric CRM.

"Beyond number crunching" : applying qualitative techniques in sport marketing research

Valid and reliable research is pivotal to successful sport marketing strategy. Market research may be gathered via either quantitative or qualitative means. This paper explores the theoretical background and practical applications of qualitative research techniques. It explains the appropriate context for qualitative approaches, and discusses sampling procedures with particular emphasis on the powerful but simple technique known as theoretical sampling. In addition, it clarifies and explores data analysis procedures. The purpose of this paper is to provide sport market research practitioners with a model for implementing qualitative methodologies in sport marketing campaigns.

Cause related marketing: can the arts afford not to participate?

Cause related marketing is a new way for for-profit organizations to increase their sales while appearing to enhance their focus on social responsibility. The key for private-sector organizations is to build partnerships with a worthy, notable cause and for them to promote that cause in a carefully structured commercial venture designed to enhance both organizations' financial viability. Over the last 2 decades the focus has shifted from the worthy cause of the arts, to issues of health and social need. The answer proposed in this paper is to broaden the definition of worthy cause to include needy non-profit arts and thus, return cause related marketing to its roots. This paper identifies the direction of rapid change in attitudes to arts marketing in just over 2 decades and indicates the possibilities of participating in cause related marketing activities as a result of this change.

An examination of the joint venture market entry option in China : a case study of an Australian company's international marketing experience in China

There is a widely held view in the literature that foreign companies looking to invest in the China market should opt for joint ventures rather than wholly foreign-owned enterprises for many reasons, ranging from a smaller capital commitment to utilising the market knowledge of local Chinese partners. This paper examines this issue in the light of the experience of the Foster's Brewing Group which established three joint ventures in China only to reject this form of market entry option within a few years. The paper looks at some of the reasons behind Foster's rejection of the joint venture option and proposes some key guidelines that foreign companies should follow if they are to successfully establish joint ventures in China.

A model of web use in direct and online marketing strategy

There has been less than a decade of rapid diffusion of the Internet and related technologies into the commercial world, with resultant changes in business processes, business structure and financial valuations of adopting businesses. Advocates and critics of new online business models are still addressing the relationship between online or electronic marketing using the Internet (Net) and marketing and financial outcomes. There remains a need for empirical research into specific aspects of online marketing strategy beyond click-through analysis, Web audience analysis and scrutiny of website properties to mention the most widely examined elements. This paper discusses conceptualizations underpinning development of a model of Web use in marketing strategy. The aim of the paper is to aid both business practitioner and academician alike in connecting direct and online marketing using the Web with performance outcomes

Museum and performing arts marketing: the age of discovery

Trends in museum and performing arts marketing from 1975 to 1994 were analyzed and suggested that a third period was emerging; the data in this article confirm that claim. Among the latest arts marketing articles, there is a significantly greater focus on marketing strategy than on the other two categories--marketing as culture and marketing as tactics.

E-marketing in perspective: a three country comparison of business use of the Internet

Presents an inter-country comparison of the business use of the Internet as part of a competitive marketing strategy. Firstly, examines online marketing strategy, reporting that the professed benefits from Internet use are mostly illusory, particularly for the small business sector. Next, describes a survey of 400 businesses in Australia and New Zealand plus a questionnaire survey of 140 business-to-business marketing organizations in the UK and compares the results in terms of the strategic function, marketing communication function, marketing logistics function and relationship management function. Discovers that there are both similarities and differences in the way the three countries use the Internet. Reports that the major difference is in the strategic use of the Internet to gain competitive advantage, improve cost-effectiveness and relationship management, with Australian and New Zealand firms using the Internet to communicate with local firms and maintain relationships at a local level to support sales made through traditional channels.