Internationalisation and branding strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Hinson ◽  
Ellis Osabutey ◽  
John Paul Kosiba ◽  
Frederick O. Asiedu
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
English Premier League

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse how professional football clubs have attained success with internationalisation and branding strategies in foreign markets. Design/methodology/approach Based on an inductive approach, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyse the perceptions of Ghanaian fans of four English Premier League teams. Findings The findings of this study highlight that the strength of professional football brand equity is jointly determined by the level of brand awareness, brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, increasing competition in international markets require professional football clubs to clearly define their marketing strategies to improve how fans perceive them. Originality/value This paper is one of the few studies to use country-of-origin paradigm and signalling theory to explain football brand equity building, thereby extending the earlier work of Chanavat and Bodet (2009). Its empirical focus on Africa is also unique and provides evidence to suggest that global marketers have the opportunity to capitalise on market expansion opportunities in developing economies.

scholarly journals Professional football clubs retail branding strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Szymoszowskyj ◽  
Mathieu Winand ◽  
Dimitrios Kolyperas ◽  
Leigh Sparks
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Distribution Channels ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Branding Strategies ◽  
Retail Branding

Purpose While some football clubs are recognised as popular brands, little is known about the way they leverage their brand in their merchandise retailing. To address this gap the purpose of this paper is to investigate retail branding strategies used by professional football clubs through brand equity and supply chain management. In particular, it analyses the type of product merchandised, the reasons for selling certain products and the ways through which football clubs merchandise, including their partners in distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was undertaken involving content analysis of 22 Scottish professional football clubs’ websites and annual reports, and semi-structured interviews with seven football clubs retail managers and four supply chain partners. Transcribed data were coded and thematically organised through an inductive process using the qualitative data analysis software NVivo 10. Findings Three types of merchandise have been identified: basic, fashion and short season. Building brand equity is considered the main motive for retailing merchandise. Some football clubs use intermediaries or outsourcers to respond to sudden consumer demands and to ensure high levels of service, whereas others have an integrated supply chain which allows for greater control. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to the discussion on the role of retailing in football club brand equity. It suggests initiating intermediaries in the distribution channels to build brand equity thus enabling clubs to become more responsive to consumer demand. Originality/value This is the first paper to look at retail branding strategies of professional football clubs.

Understanding players' transition from youth to senior professional football environments: A coach perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Øystein Røynesdal ◽  
Tynke Toering ◽  
Henrik Gustafsson
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Premier League ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Team Environment ◽  
Fitting In ◽  
English Premier League

The aim of this study was to explore: (a) sociocultural features of a first team environment perceived to influence a player's progression, (b) the ways in which young players should manage these features and (c) how coaches operate to assist young players during specific phases in the youth-to-senior transition. Semi-structured interviews with eight elite development coaches in English Premier League football clubs generated two higher order categories: fitting in with standards of first team environment (e.g. handling social dynamics in the first team group) and facilitating shared perception of transition across key stakeholders (e.g. communicating with first team staff). Together, these findings indicate the need for young players to navigate between conforming, adapting to and breaking with specific features of the first team environment to successfully progress in the youth-to-senior transition to professional football.

International orientation of professional football beyond Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114
Author(s):  
A. Carolin Fleischmann ◽  
Martin Fleischmann
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Orientation ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
European Football ◽  
English Premier League ◽  
Home Region

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how professional football clubs from the English Premier League, German Bundesliga and Spanish Primera División use digital media to expand their international reach in emerging football markets (EFM) outside of Europe. Based on the EPRG framework and Rugman’s home-region hypothesis, the aim is to broaden the perspective where “sports go global” for a further understanding of actors’ international orientation in the digital sphere. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on data from desk research and a qualitative survey, comprising information on international digital media activities of 58 European clubs. Cluster analysis is used to identify different international orientations with regard to digital media activities. Findings The data provide evidence that clubs differ strongly in their orientations towards EFM. While some global players that provide digital media content in several EFM languages and attract a large share of Facebook followers from EFM exist, other clubs focus on their home region. League-specific differences become apparent. Originality/value This study determines the international online orientations of European football clubs by combining two previously separated research streams in football management studies: internationalisation and digital media activities. Most clubs with a strong EFM fan base choose polycentric, multi-language digital media strategies, followed by geocentric, standardised approaches. By offering a novel angle on internationalisation in professional football, this study contributes towards optimising clubs’ international online strategies for EFM, which are markets that promise high growth rates.

The financial impact of the financial fair play policy on Spanish football

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Fernández-Villarino ◽  
J. Andrés Domínguez-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Law ◽  
Compliance With The Law ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThis study aims to explore how responsible corporate behaviour, specifically self-imposed financial regulatory control, might subsequently be reflected in the financial performance of companies subject to such regulation.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors aim to explore how financial compliance in the form of the Economic Control Regulation (ECR) has impacted on the financial performance of professional football clubs in Spain. To this purpose, the authors adopted a quasi-experimental before and after study design. This type of design assesses the object of study before and after a specific event in order to determine whether this event has had any effects on the object. In this case, the event was the coming into effect of the ECR in the fiscal year of 2012, and the object hypothetically affected was the clubs’ economic performance.FindingsThe authors can confirm that in general terms and for the whole set of clubs analysed, the ECR has had a strong and positive effect on financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, the authors wish to establish a link between the idea of “compliance” and that of “responsible corporate management practice”. It is not just a matter of compliance with the law. The fact of complying with certain laws could, in general terms, or from the point of view of common sense, be qualified as “responsible behaviour”. However, under the contemporary concept of corporate responsibility, compliance with the law is a behaviour that must be taken for granted. Responsibility, therefore, would entail going beyond such expected behaviour to one that exceeds the environment's expectation of the corporate actor.Practical implicationsWhat extent improvements in financial performance have also boosted social performance. Confirming such a positive effect endorses the argument that ethical improvements in corporate culture have a general effect on business sustainability in its different aspects: economic, social, environmental and in governance.Social implicationsThe authors may foresee that the culture of compliance will spread from the finance departments to other management areas. Its connection with ethical business practice is directly linked to the more complex concept of the “citizen company”. There are suggest interesting bases on which professional football clubs might move from a traditional profit-oriented company model towards a more contemporary one oriented towards relationships of integrity with the sport's environment. This study shows that the ECR has been a starting point for the development of Spanish professional football clubs towards this type of “citizen company”.Originality/valueIt was a single-sector study whose principal value lies in the verification of whether responsible economic management (the main consequence of applying the ECR) had any effects on company profits, financial results and other important indicators. In addition to fostering responsibility, this new management model involves a special innovation, as it is based on self-regulation (i.e. on regulations not imposed by national or supranational states), designed and implemented to ensure the sector's viability.

scholarly journals International new ventures market expansion through collaborative entry modes

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 890-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pushyarag N. Puthusserry ◽  
Zaheer Khan ◽  
Peter Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Entry Mode ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
International New Ventures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Entry Modes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role that different collaborative entry modes play in how international new ventures (INVs) expand into international markets.Design/methodology/approachThe paper’s arguments are based on the INVs and social network literatures. In order to investigate the entry modes adopted by British and Indian small and medium information and communication technology (ICT) firms into each other’s markets, the paper outlines the results of qualitative semi-structured interviews with the key decision makers of ten British and ten Indian ICT firms.FindingsThe findings contribute to the relatively under-researched area of how INVs enter foreign markets through collaborative entry mode. The findings suggest that INVs utilize both equity and non-equity modes of collaboration to expand their international operations. The findings also indicate that financial and non-financial resources always limit the market expansion and internationalization of such companies. Against this background, the INVs rely on building collaboration as one of the safest methods for foreign market expansion and successful internationalization. The collaborative entry mode is enhanced by entrepreneurs’ prior experience, social ties and knowledge of the foreign market.Research limitations/implicationsSet against the backdrop of an ever-increasing trend of internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the paper offers important implications for understanding the conditions and factors behind the choice of collaborative and non-collaborative entry modes by INVs in particular and SMEs more broadly.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the few studies that have examined the role of collaborative entry modes choice adopted by INVs from two of the largest economies – the UK and India.

scholarly journals A network model approach to enhance knowledge sharing for internationalization readiness of SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Domitilla Magni ◽  
Roberto Chierici ◽  
Monica Fait ◽  
Kelly Lefebvre
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Regression Technique ◽  
Managerial Perspective

PurposeBuilding upon the insights of the resource-based view and internationalization theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role networks play in SMEs' readiness for internationalization. By investigating three different types of knowledge sharing, namely economic-setting, market-specific and customer-specific, the study analyzes their effect on SMEs' readiness for internationalization.Design/methodology/approachThe four research hypotheses derived by from the analysis of the literature have been investigated by applying the multiple regression technique. By means of an online survey, 300 valid questionnaires were collected and information from a sample of Italian SMEs belonging to 11 agro-food consortia have been analyzed.FindingsThe results suggest that SMEs' readiness for internationalization could be supported by sharing customer-specific, market-specific and economic-setting knowledge with other firms operating within the same agro-food consortium. Additionally, data analysis highlights a negative relation between the risk perception in the process and readiness for internationalization, suggesting the importance of knowledge sharing in reducing the criticality issues of being a newcomer entering international markets.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical perspective, this study aims to fill the gap in knowledge management and international relationship marketing literature. Since proposes a combination of different kinds of knowledge that contribute to reducing the criticalities SMEs must face by identifying useful information to be conveyed within the network. From a managerial perspective, the study provides useful insights for the agro-food sector, highlighting how experiential and network knowledge constitutes a pre-condition for managing internationalization complexity and discovering opportunities on foreign markets.

scholarly journals The internationalization of African fintech firms: marketing strategies for successful intra-Africa expansion

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zara Hammerschlag ◽  
Geoff Bick ◽  
John Manuel Luiz
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Venture Capital Investment ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Strategy Adaptation

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how African fintech firms adapt their marketing strategies for successful market expansion into new African countries.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study is qualitative in nature and utilizes semi-structured interviews at 14 African fintech firms.FindingsThe study reveals that, during intra-Africa expansion, firms adapt their marketing strategies by working with local people, prioritizing customer education, creating personal relationships with customers, adapting their communication strategies and pricing strategies and using social media. The strategies that have been most effective involve including the community in the marketing process, prioritizing relationships, segmenting customers geographically, educating customers about products, using local distribution partners and having a flexible approach to strategy adaptation.Practical implicationsIt has been argued that technological innovation in Africa in areas such as financial services is a critical driver of its future development, because of the opportunity it presents to promote financial inclusion. Through an increase in venture capital investment on the continent, technological innovations in financial services have grown exponentially, and this study contributes to the understanding of the marketing strategies employed to gain market traction.Originality/valueThis study proposes that African fintech firms adopt a bottom-up, value proposition-driven marketing strategy to successfully navigate the environment. The proposed framework provides a lens through which to understand the components of successful strategy adaptation in Africa, against the backdrop of the unique market challenges inherent in this emerging market continent.

Scoring goals in multiple fields

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Parganas ◽  
Roman Liasko ◽  
Christos Anagnostopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Profit Maximization ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Team Sports ◽  
Football Clubs

Purpose Professional football clubs currently strive for a number of concurrent goals, ranging from on-field success to profit maximization to fan expansion and engagement. The purpose of this paper, theoretically informed by the social penetration theory, is to analyze the economics behind such goals and examine the association between team performance, commercial success, and social media followers in professional team sports. Design/methodology/approach A data set relating to 20 European professional football clubs that combines financial (revenues and costs), sporting, and digital-reach measures for three consecutive football seasons (2013/2014 to 2015/2016) was used. In addition, to elaborate on this data in terms of a descriptive study, the study constructs a range of correlation statistical tests and linear modeling techniques to obtain quantitative results. Findings The results indicate that all the three main sources of club revenues (match-day, commercial/sponsorship, and broadcasting) are positive drivers for Facebook followers. Staff investments (staff costs) are also positively related to Facebook followers, albeit to a lesser extent, while higher-ranked clubs seem to follow a constant approach in terms of their revenues and cost structure. Originality/value This study seeks to bridge the communication and sport economic research, providing evidence that Facebook followers are part of the cyclical phenomenon of team revenues and team performance. In doing so, it initiates a debate on the relationship between the digital expansion of a football club and its sports and financial indicators.

Facets of business-to-business brand equity: mixed-methods approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 754-769
Author(s):  
Priyanka Sharma ◽  
Raghu Nandan Sengupta ◽  
J. David Lichtenthal
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Common Structure ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight various aspects of business-to-business brand equity (B2BBE) and explain relative impact of marketing/advertising, research and development (R&D), human resource and distribution network to build compelling business brands that display better firm performance. Design/methodology/approach A total of 51 in-depth semi-structured interviews with distributors and industrial buyers revealed different facets of B2BBE. Generalized method of moments (GMM) was applied on a large-scale panel data set of industrial firms to estimate the effects of firms’ R&D, advertising/marketing, distribution and staff training (proxy to sources of B2BBE) on sales. Findings First, varying levels of product application criticality and end-customer brand stature reflect four distinct organizational purchase requirements, namely, assured performance, prestige, brand leaders and commodity. Second, a taxonomy of five sources of B2BBE (prominence, solutions, accessibility, relationships and network strength) manifests buyers’ interactive experience during the purchase cycle. Third, it illustrates the positive short-term effect of all explanatory variables coupled with the positive long-term impact of R&D on sales. Practical implications Features like B2C brand image, clear and precise product information, credit/flexible payment terms, distributor image, add-on services to the core product and upstream–downstream referrals characterize strong brands. GMM model results help managers, in budget allocation. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in proposing a comprehensive B2BBE framework based on triangulation; deployment of a common structure to simultaneously investigate distributors and industrial buyers, to discover whether their philosophies reinforce/undermine industrial branding strategies; and suggesting the use of GMM model to arrive at actionable insights.

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