Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Antecedents and consequences of emotional attachment to sport teams brands

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the proliferation of professional teams in the highly competitive sports industry, team brand managers have been looking for ways to reinforce emotional attachment and loyalty to a team brand and to increase the dissemination of positive information about the team brand among fans. This paper aims to provide insight by investigating the effects of team brand experience and team brand personality on emotional attachment towards the sport team brand, as well as the impact of emotional attachment on loyalty towards the sport team brand and positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Data were collected using online questionnaires from 472 Canadian fans of professional teams in the National Hockey League. The results showed that sport team brand experience is a significant predictor of both cognitive and affective dimensions of fans’ emotional attachment, namely investment and dividend, respectively. Sports team brand personality, on the other hand, has a significant effect on dividend solely. Investment, the cognitive dimension of emotional attachment, influences both sports team brand loyalty and positive eWOM while dividend, its affective dimension, affects eWOM only. This research thus extends our understanding of the determinants and consequences of consumers’ emotional attachment to sports brands and its relationship to other relevant concepts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abosag, I., S. Roper, and D. Hind. 2012. Examining the relationship between brand emotion and brand extension among supporters of professional football clubs. European Journal of Marketing 46 (9): 1233–1251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apostolopoulou, A., and J.M. Gladden. 2007. Developing and extending sports brands. In The Marketing of Sport, ed. J. Beech and S. Chadwick, 186–209. Harlow: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batra, R., A. Ahuvia, and R.P. Bagozzi. 2012. Brand love. Journal of Marketing 76 (2): 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, H.H., N.E. Sauer, and P. Schmitt. 2005. Customer-based brand equity in the team sport industry: Operationalization and impact on the economic success of sport teams. European Journal of Marketing 39 (5/6): 496–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, H.H., N.E. Stokburger-Sauer, and S. Exler. 2008. Brand image and fan loyalty in professional team sport: A refined model and empirical assessment. Journal of Sport Management 22 (2): 205–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettman, James R. 1979. An Information Processing Theory of Consumer Choice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biel, A.L. 1993. Converting image into equity. In Brand Equity and Advertising, ed. D. Aaker and A. Biel, 67–82. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biscaia, R., S. Ross, M. Yoshida, A. Correia, A. Rosado, and J. Marôco. 2016. Investigating the role of fan club membership on perceptions of team brand equity in football. Sport Management Review 19 (2): 157–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouhlel, O., N. Mzoughi, D. Hadiji, and I.B. Slimane. 2009. Brand personality and mobile marketing: an empirical investigation. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, Open Science Index 29, International Journal of Economics and Management Engineering 3 (5): 462–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. 1979. The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2 (04): 637–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brakus, J.J., B.H. Schmitt, and L. Zarantonello. 2009. Brand experience: What is it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Journal of Marketing 73 (3): 52–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braunstein, J.R., and S.D. Ross. 2010. Brand personality in sport: Dimension analysis and general scale development. Sport Marketing Quarterly 19: 8–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, B.A., and A.C. Ahuvia. 2006. Some antecedents and outcomes of brand love. Marketing Letters 17 (2): 79–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Çelik, S., and Y.V. Topuz. 2021. The effect of brand love on the electronic word-of-mouth and repurchase intention. International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing 12 (4): 357–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chieng, F., P. Sharma, R.P. Kingshott, and R. Roy. 2022. Interactive effects of self-congruity and need for uniqueness on brand loyalty via brand experience and brand attachment. Journal of Product & Brand Management 31 (6): 870–885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dellarocas, C., X.M. Zhang, and N.F. Awad. 2007. Exploring the value of online product reviews in forecasting sales: The case of motion pictures. Journal of Interactive Marketing 21 (4): 23–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolbec, P.-Y., and J.C. Chebat. 2013. The impact of a flagship vs. a brand store on brand attitude, brand attachment and brand equity. Journal of Retailing 89 (4): 460–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, B., M. Mudrick, G.P. Greenhalgh, C.W. LeCrom, and J. Drayer. 2015. The tie that blinds? Developing and validating a scale to measure emotional attachment to a sport team. Sport Management Review 18 (4): 570–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S. 1998. Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research 24 (4): 343–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funk, D.C., and J. James. 2001. The psychological continuum model: A conceptual framework for understanding an individual’s psychological connection to sport. Sport Management Review 4 (2): 119–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funk, D.C., and J.D. James. 2004. The fan attitude network (FAN) model: Exploring attitude formation and change among sport consumers. Sport Management Review 7 (1): 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funk, D.C., and D.L. Pastore. 2000. Equating attitudes to allegiance: The usefulness of selected attitudinal information in segmenting loyalty to professional sports teams. Sport Marketing Quarterly 9 (4): 175–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gladden, J.M., and G.R. Milne. 1999. Examining the importance of brand equity in professional sports. Sport Marketing Quarterly 8 (1): 21–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Suárez, M., and M. Veloso. 2020. Brand experience and brand attachment as drivers of WOM in hospitality. Spanish Journal of Marketing 24 (2): 231–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, G.T., and S. Wert-Gray. 2012. Customer retention in sports organization marketing: Examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance. International Journal of Consumer Studies 36 (3): 275–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heider, F. 1946. Attitudes and cognitive organization. Journal of Psychology 21: 107–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heider, F. 1958. The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hennig-Thurau, T., K.P. Gwinner, G. Walsh, and D.D. Gremler. 2004. Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing 18 (1): 38–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holbrook, M.B., and E.C. Hirschman. 1982. The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings, and fun. Journal of Consumer Research 9 (2): 132–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huaman-Ramirez, R., and D. Merunka. 2019. Brand experience effects on brand attachment: The role of brand trust, age, and income. European Business Review 31 (5): 610–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hung, H.-Y., and H.-T. Lu. 2018. The rosy side and the blue side of emotional brand attachment. Journal of Consumer Behaviour 17 (3): 302–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iglesias, O., J.J. Singh, and J.M. Batista-Foguet. 2011. The role of brand experience and affective commitment in determining brand loyalty. Journal of Brand Management 18 (8): 570–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismagilova, E., N.P. Rana, E. Slade, and Y.K. Dwivedi. 2020. A meta-analysis of the factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour. European Journal of Marketing 55 (4): 1067–1102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Japutra, A., and S. Molinillo. 2019. Responsible and active brand personality: On the relationships with brand experience and key relationship constructs. Journal of Business Research 99: 464–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, M.L., J.M. Averbeck, Z. Zhang, and K.B. Wright. 2013. Credibility of anonymous online product reviews: A language expectancy perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems 30 (1): 293–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D.J., and C.E. Rusbult. 1989. Resisting temptation: Devaluation of alternative partners as a means of maintaining commitment in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57 (6): 967–980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. (2020) We want to keep the conversation going”: The NHL’s guide to engaging with Gen Z. 5 January, https://www.sportspromedia.com/analysis/nhl-heidi-browning-digital-strategy-gen-z-social-media/, accessed 25 February 2022.

  • Kang, C., G. Bennett, and J.W. Peachey. 2016. Five dimensions of brand personality traits in sport. Sport Management Review 19 (4): 441–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, J., A. Manthiou, N. Sumarjan, and L. Tang. 2017. An investigation of brand experience on brand attachment, knowledge, and trust in the lodging industry. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 26 (1): 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K.L. 1987. Memory factors in advertising: The effects of advertising retrieval cues on brand evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research 14 (December): 316–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kempf, D.S., and R.E. Smith. 1998. Consumer processing of product trial and the influence of prior advertising: A structural modeling approach. Journal of Marketing Research 35 (3): 325–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, I., and Z. Rahman. 2017. Brand experience and emotional attachment in services: The moderating role of gender. Service Science 9 (1): 50–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krosnick, J.A., and R.E. Petty. 1995. Attitude strength: An overview. In Attitude strength: Antecedents and consequences, ed. R.E. Petty and J.A. Krosnick, 1–24. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, H.H., G.T. Trail, and D.S. Anderson. 2005. Are multiple points of attachment necessary to predict cognitive, affective, conative, or behavioral loyalty? Sport Management Review 8 (3): 255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladhari, R., N. Souiden, and D. Dufour. 2017. The role of emotions in utilitarian service settings: The effects of emotional satisfaction on product perception and behavioral intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 34: 10–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., Y. Kim, and B. Heere. 2018. Sport team emotion: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Sport Management Review 21 (4): 363–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann, D.R., K.L. Keller, and J.U. Farley. 2008. The structure of survey-based brand metrics. Journal of International Marketing 16 (4): 29–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loureiro, S.M.C., T. Gorgus, and H.R. Kaufmann. 2017. Antecedents and outcomes of online brand engagement: The role of brand love on enhancing electronic-word-of-mouth. Online Information Review 41 (7): 985–1005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacInnis, D.J., and V.S. Folkes. 2017. Humanizing brands: When brands seem to be like me, part of me, and in a relationship with me. Journal of Consumer Psychology 27 (3): 355–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malär, L., H. Krohmer, W.D. Hoyer, and B. Nyffenegger. 2011. Emotional brand attachment and brand personality: The relative importance of the actual and the ideal self. Journal of Marketing 75 (4): 35–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matzler, K., S. Bidmon, and S. Grabner-Kräuter. 2006. Individual determinants of brand affect: The role of the personality traits of extraversion and openness to experience. Journal of Product and Brand Management 15 (7): 427–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R.R., and P.T. Costa Jr. 1997. Personality trait structure as a human universal. American Psychologist 52 (5): 509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, J.K., and D.R. John. 2010. Got to get you into my life: Do brand personalities rub off on consumers? Journal of Consumer Research 37 (4): 655–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C.W., D.J. MacInnis, J. Priester, A.B. Eisingerich, and D. Iacobucci. 2010. Brand attachment and brand attitude strength: Conceptual and empirical differentiation of two critical brand equity drivers. Journal of Marketing 74 (6): 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patwardhan, H., and S.K. Balasubramanian. 2011. Brand romance: A complementary approach to explain emotional attachment toward brands. Journal of Product and Brand Management 20 (4): 297–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel, R.W., and K.E. Reynolds. 2004. A model for consumer devotion: Affective commitment with proactive sustaining behaviors. Academy of Marketing Science Review 5 (1): 1–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P.M., S.B. MacKenzie, J.Y. Lee, and N.P. Podsakoff. 2003. Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology 88 (5): 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rauschnabel, P.A., and A.C. Ahuvia. 2014. You’re so lovable: Anthropomorphism and brand love. Journal of Brand Management 21 (5): 372–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, S.D. 2006. A conceptual framework for understanding spectator-based brand equity. Journal of Sport Management 20 (1): 22–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy P., K. Khandeparkar, and M. Motiani. 2016. A lovable personality: The effect of brand personality on brand love. Journal of Brand Management 23 (5).

  • Schade, M., R. Piehler, and C. Burmann. 2014. Sport club brand personality scale (SCBPS): A new brand personality scale for sport clubs. Journal of Brand Management 21 (7–8): 650–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, B.H. 1999. Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense. New York: Feel, Think, Act, and Relate to Your Company and Brands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, B.H., J. Brakus, and L. Zarantonello. 2014. The current state and future of brand experience. Journal of Brand Management 21 (9): 727–733.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serra Cantallops, A., J. Ramón Cardona, and F. Salvi. 2018. The impact of positive emotional experiences on eWOM generation and loyalty. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC 22 (2): 142–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M.J. 1982. Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research 9 (3): 287–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, M., D.J. MacInnis, and C.W. Park. 2005. The ties that bind: Measuring the strength of consumers’ emotional attachments to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology 15 (1): 77–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trudeau, S., and S. Shobeiri. 2016. The relative impacts of experiential and transformational benefits on consumer-brand relationship. Journal of Product & Brand Management 6: 586–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsiotsou, R.H. 2013. Sport team loyalty: Integrating relationship marketing and a hierarchy of effects. Journal of Services Marketing 27 (6): 458–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M.C.H., and Y.Y. Tang. 2018. Examining the antecedents of sport team brand equity: A dual-identification perspective. Sport Management Review 21 (3): 293–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whelan, S., and M. Wohlfeil. 2006. Communicating brands through engagement with ‘lived’ experiences. Journal of Brand Management 13 (4–5): 313–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao, Q., R. Chen, and X. Xu. 2015. Consistency between consumer personality and brand personality influences brand attachment. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal 43 (9): 1419–1427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, X., and C. Yuan. 2019. How consumers’ brand experience in social media can improve brand perception and customer equity. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 31 (5): 1233–1251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusof, J.M., and S. Ariffin. 2016. The influence of self-congruity, functional image, and emotional attachment on loyalty. Procedia Economics and Finance 37: 350–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zajonc, R.B. 1971. The concepts of balance, congruity, and dissonance. In Attitude Change, ed. P. Suedfeld, 63–85. Chicago: Aldine-Atherton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarantonello, L., and B.H. Schmitt. 2010. Using the brand experience scale to profile consumers and predict consumer behavior. Journal of Brand Management 17: 532–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zikmund, W., S. D’Alessandro, H. Winzar, B. Lowe, and B. Babin. 2020. Marketing research. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Riadh Ladhari & Emna Zaaboub

  2. École de Gestion, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, Boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada

    Soumaya Cheikhrouhou

  3. Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3C3, Canada

    Miguel Morales

Authors
  1. Riadh Ladhari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Soumaya Cheikhrouhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Miguel Morales
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Emna Zaaboub
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Soumaya Cheikhrouhou.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ladhari, R., Cheikhrouhou, S., Morales, M. et al. Antecedents and consequences of emotional attachment to sport teams brands. J Brand Manag 29, 454–469 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-022-00285-7

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-022-00285-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation