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Word of mouth (WOM) is a powerful tactic for reaching unexplored markets and attracting new customers. In spectator sports, WOM has a great impact on game attendance and helps sports teams increase their fan bases.
March 3, 2023
by Ye Lei
Word of mouth (WOM) is a powerful tactic for reaching unexplored markets and attracting new customers. In spectator sports, WOM has a great impact on game attendance and helps sports teams increase their fan bases.
Therefore, it is important to understand under what conditions and through what process the WOM of existing fans can influence the decisions of potential fans.
In a recent study, Dr. Yong Jae Ko and his colleague investigated how a recommender's fan status influenced potential fans’ decision to watch a recommended game.
The researchers looked at the idea of resident prototypicality, which they defined as the degree to which a WOM recommender is seen as representative of a community's residents. In particular, people who possess the essential traits of a community’s resident are thought to have high resident prototypicality, also are seen as exemplary residents.
Two studies were done by the research team. And in total, data were collected from 452 participants.
The results showed that potential fans think that existing fans are very typical if most residents support the team. Furthermore, potential fans are more likely to watch a recommended game if they think the individual who suggested it is a very typical local resident and they have a strong connection to the local community.
This study provides unique insights for sports teams and practitioners. Sports teams can use this information to acquire new fans. Specifically, the authors noted:
Sports teams can promote such referral [WOM] programs through local networks. For example, they may reach out to a local neighborhood association or chamber of commerce to help them identify prototypical community members who have an extensive network and play leadership roles in the community. After identifying such residents, the teams can conduct promotions targeting this specific audience because our findings suggest that prototypical residents influence potential fans’ consumption intentions.
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Read the full article here:
Asada, A., & Ko, Y. J. (2023). Word-of-mouth effectiveness in new fan acquisition: A mediating role of resident prototypicality. Sport Management Review, 26(1), 93–113. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14413523.2021.2018838
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