SPORT CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Transcription

1 SPORT CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Sp Soc Int J Ph Ed Sp Special Issue Iftime Dragoș Adrian 1 1 Vaslui County Mini Football Association, Vaslui, Romania andu_iftime@yahoo.com, Abstract Without any doubt, sport has become a major consumer market, either we discuss about practicing any kind of sport at professional or amateur level, or we are just interested by a competition, sport organization or an athlete as a regular consumer. From this last perspective, we can distinguish between two types of behaviors, respectively the spectator and the supporter or fan. Each of these two typologies has its own characteristics which define, in a significant manner, the consumer behavior. A correct understanding and management of this phenomenon, of the factors that influence the attitudes and the decisions taken by the respective consumer, of the display manner for the consumer behavior have a major importance from the management and marketing point of view. This paper focuses on the football consumer and describes, first of all, the main characteristics of each of the typologies mentioned above from this perspective, presenting also the reasons for their transition from passive supporter to fan. Another issue we approach in the current paper refers to the changes appeared in the consumer behavior when the market segment is represented by those supporters whose teams are either relegated or liquidated, which is a global phenomenon in the football area. Having in mind this aspect and taking into consideration the influence of media (TV, press, Internet, social media etc), some individual benchmarks that influence those consumer s behavior are identified within the context of the general typologies previously mentioned. These influences help the consumer to obtain benefits or satisfaction similar to those already lost. The findings may be used in further research focused on that particular market segment and could provide the necessary support data for further development of proper techniques and tools for reshaping and changing the respective consumer behavior. Keywords: supporter, fan, attitude, motivation, affiliation. 1. Introduction Sport is, without any doubt, a market with global dimensions and branches. The products resulted are diversified and must be accessible to a vast AND constantly changing potential market if we consider its human and financial resources engaged as well as the sought experience and satisfaction. It is an absolute truth that at the center of the sporting activity is the supporter- the final consumer of the sporting product. He is the one who buys tickets to sporting events or t-shirts with favorite players, flags and other memorabilia that represent the favorite team. It s the supporter who attracts sponsors and builds up TV audiences. The sports or even the general newspapers assign important space to report sportive events due to the increased interest shown by the sport passionate. The sports industry finds its strength into the supporter s passion which, regarded from this perspective, becomes the catalyst of the sporting activity. Sport stimulates and develops to its consumer s emotional reactions which are unique on the consumer s behavior patterns. The need to identify and to understand the typologies of the sport consumer behavior is no longer a preoccupation of the market researches only. The construction of the specific emotions, their identification and valorization in order to create extra value for the buyer as well as for the sporting organization are key elements in defining the management and marketing strategies and policies for the professional sporting organizations. Whereas the consumers of the majority of the goods and services identify their value based on an economic evaluation in which the utility obtained, the price and accessibility are defining elements, the value that fans draw from their participation to a sporting event is much more than a simple economic decision. In fact, when clubs determine its fans to focus on the price to be paid, they focus on the wrong part of the equation; the main objective to be followed by the sporting organizations is to transform customers into fans and not into consumers, in the traditional sense of the word. This represents one of the major differences between sporting marketing and the marketing of other goods and products. The current paper intends to approach the sporting consumer behavior and to review the main research in this field, being aware of the fact that a correct understanding of this concept, of all its valences that underlie its creation and evolution, lead the sporting organization towards a complete and accurate foundation of the marketing strategies and tactics and to provide advantaged for all the participants. Thus, all the immaterial benefits that sport, on an exceptional and almost unique manner, provides to the consumer, respectively a well-being, healthy condition, the reinforcement of the spirit, the development of the social interaction opportunities as well as on the sense of identity, the feeling of belonging through emotional affiliation, all these constantly generate spectators, consumers, income and, especially, provide quality to the sporting act. These issues are more important when certain situations appear and require the need to 160

2 substitute consumption and to generate a new behavior, capable to provide the individual similar benefits to the lost ones. 2. Material and method The methodology used in the current study includes investigation and data collection methods, such as biographical study and observation. Literature review Sports product characteristics In the consumer s typology, the sport consumer holds a special chapter. This personalized typology of the consumption is a result of the unique characteristics sport has in the vast area of the economical activities and, mostly, of the relationship approach inside the sport industry. Sport is a special type of product which, yet, operates on a business context that requires professionalism and responsibility [21]. Various studies approached the problematic of sport consumer behavior from the attitudinal and motivational perspective of its formation and exhibit, and ranked the consumer s typologies according to different motives, among which it s the manifested degree of passion and involvement of the individual, or the factors that determine a certain behavior (economical, geographical, socio-psychological etc). The starting point in studying the sport consumer behavior is the definition of the sport industry product. The sports product is defined as a good, service or any other combination between the two categories meant to produce benefits to a spectator or sponsor participant [17]. With this approach, the sports products provided by the organizations could be separated into tow categories: the basic product and the derived from the basic products or the sports related products. The basic product is represented by the game, the event or the sporting competition itself. The uniqueness of the sport endorses to its products the specifics characteristic for services: intangibility, inseparability between production and consumption, outage and heterogeneity. The derived products or the related products are results of the primary or basic products. There are numerous studies which analyze the differences between these two product categories, with a clear separation of them. In fact, the uncertainty regarding the final result of the game as well as the manner the competitors participate in order to achieve a certain result lead to the fact that the basic product, the game itself, is very difficult, almost impossible, to control [1],[18]. This is the reason why the derived products and services become determinant in the process of creation of the consumer s perception regarding the framework for producing and consumption of the sporting event. For example, the stadium marking signs which facilitate the access to and from the tribunes, the scoreboard, the catering, the comfort and visibility provided by the seating place, the activities unfolded prior and during the game, the parking conditions etc., all these elements contribute to the augmentation of the excitement and satisfaction degree of the consumer. Sport Consumer Starting from these defining considerations regarding the sports products, we can correctly identify the sport consumer and his dominant features. The sport consumer is regarded as an individual or a group of individuals who use a sports or sport - related product or service in exchange for a direct or indirect payment [21]. This is an elusive definition which explains only the transactional part of the sport consumption. The experience of the last years puts any sporting organization into the position of changing the marketing strategies approaches towards the valorization of the relationship with the client, without neglecting the actions of attracting new clients. Therefore, who are the sport consumers? Sport consumers display a large rank of values, attitudes and behaviors [17]. Some researches consider that there are four main groups of individuals involved into sporting activities: athletes, spectators, sponsors and consumers [13] while others identify three main groups defined as primary clients: fans, sponsors and media [2]. Each of them makes a payment to the sporting organization in exchange of tickets (fans), the communication rights (sponsors) or the TV broadcasting rights (media channel or specialized agencies). The classification continues from the organization s partner point of view, with secondary clients (administrative authorities, agencies, investors etc.) and, thus emphasizing the manner the relations around the clubs are created and maintained on different levels. Shank [17] regroups sport consumers in three main categories: spectators, participants and sponsors. Other authors take into consideration the consumer s connection to the specific activities and divide them into four categories [21]: - the consumers of sporting goods are the individuals who, in general, buy a physical product related to sport (sporting gear and apparel, books, newspapers, magazines, nutritional supplements, games, souvenirs, licensed products etc.) - the consumers of sporting products are the individuals who use an experience or a service related to sport, apart from of their attendance or televiewing of a sport event (education thru and for sport, recreational services, services for health maintenance in the gyms, swimming pools etc., sports bets) 161

3 - supporters, spectators and fans are the individuals who exhibit an active interest on sporting competitions, especially at professional level. They can attend directly the specific events or can watch the competitions on TV or in the Internet. All these consumer categories overlap and no clear line can be drawn between them. Thus, we could certainly affirm that the volunteers of a sporting event can be also fans in the same manner in which the consumer of sporting goods or services projects for himself a healthy, sporty lifestyle and maintains the relationship with the sport activity while referring to favorite athletes or sports. In the classic approach, the sport consumer was the spectator attending the sporting event live, on the sporting arena. The actual consumption trends are developed, yet, around media channels and, consequently, the spectators from the stands are numerically exceeded by those who watch the sporting events on TV or Internet, from any corner of the world. Moreover, the sponsors became reliable partners for the sporting organizations and, while they bring their significant contribution to the organization s budget, certainly they can be assimilated to clients. In fact, the major clubs generate their incomes from three main sources on an approximately equal ratio: from cash on the match day, from TV broadcasting rights and from their commercial relations with the sponsors. Even more, a debate is raised along the idea that the advertisers are, in fact, those who buy the TV audiences and, consequently, they could be considered as consumers for these goods and services.no matter the chosen approach, there is a unanimous recognition regarding the classification of the final consumers for sports products with reference to the spectator, on one hand, and to supporters or fans, on the other hand. They represent the receptors of the specialized information and they access the sporting events, directly or through media channels. Eventually, they are the target of the advertisers and the promotional messages are directly addressed to this category. Delimitation between spectator and fan Setting up a clear distinction between the terms spectator and fan has always been a constant preoccupation for the researchers on their attempts to define the fan term in the clearest manner. This necessity to distinguish between the fan and the usual spectator determines, first of all, the measure in which the sport is attracting that individual [15]. At the same time, it is important from the marketing planning perspective. In the specific literature and not only, the term supporter it is a common word. Etymologically speaking, supporter means adherent, advocate which makes it closer to the fan term instead of the spectator term. There are more situations, yet, when discussions mention about passive of indifferent supporters, which leads more to the spectator or viewer term. The Collins English Dictionary defines the fan as an ardent admirer of a football team, etc whilst the Cambridge English Dictionary defines the fan as someone who admires and supports a. sport, sportsteam, etc. There are some authors who claim that the spectator is an individual who watches the sporting event and afterwards forgets about it, while the fan lives intensively this experience and he allocates, on a daily basis, a part of his time to the club or the favorite sport [29]. Moreover, the fan perceives the consumption experience as an extremely intense and passionate situation that could totally affect his judgment for short periods of time, showing devotion and enthusiasm not only during the development of the sporting event [16]. Wann et al. characterize the fans as individuals who follow a sport, a team or an athlete during a longer period of time while the spectators are those individuals who actively and punctually watch a sporting event from the stands or through the media channels (televiewers) [27]. The authors emphasize the differences between the fans and the spectators as well as the differences between strong and weak identified fans. The emotional involvement, unanimous admitted when fan behavior is explained, has been approached from the perspective of their need to feel the emotions and to share these feelings [12], as well from the perspective of the affiliation to the community [8] or to draw the interest of the individual even when no sportive events are unfolded [23]. The sporting fan is highly committed from the cognitive perspective when he develops his knowledge about sport and the favorite team, or from the affective perspective when he strongly believes in that team and from the behavioral perspective, through tangible actions, such as buying tickets to the match or specific goods [11]. The fans are deeply involved into their relationship with the sportive organization and develop a long term commitment with it, consuming time and significant financial resources for their loyalty, no matter the sporting performance [25]. Stewart et al. [24] made a synthesis of the fan typologies explored on the specific literature from the dualistic and the multidimensional approach. Thus, following the dualistic approach, we can distinguish between the authentic fans - that use the local team in order to enforce their connections with the community and the corporate fans- who see the sport activity just as a means to spend free time. There is also a delimitation between the traditional fans, deeply tied to the history of the organization and the modern fans or those spectator attracted more by the game than by a certain club and preoccupied by the experience itself instead of the result. The fans are also separated into irrationals, those who exhibit strong tribal connections 162

4 and absurd passions for their clubs, and rational fans who use the emotional affiliation to the club with the purpose of ensuring economic or social benefits. We can also meet separations between civic fans that connect with their team and identify with their town in which values include that team also, and the symbolic fans, emotionally affiliated and directly identifying with their team; separations between expressive supporters, with strong tribal exhibits and submissive supports who, although strongly connected to their team, do not share the same behaviors as the expressive supporters; or delimitations between conservative supporters, adamant, with strong connections with the team and identifying with it, and less loyal supporters who identify with their team especially through the achievement of sportive performances. In the multidimensional approach, some researches consider that the classification of the sport consumer is more important from the behavioral view instead of his motivation. In this perspective, we meet the passionate partisans- loyal to their teams and active participants, totally indentifying with that team, the solitary partisans- strongly committed to the team but not so frequent participants, the champions followers- strongly attached to their team only the team performs, the theatre spectators and the so called aficionados- attracted by the show itself and the complexity of the game, yet not very much involved. Another classification, according to the consumer s loyalty but taking into account the temporal and geographical features, groups the fans into following categories: temporary, locals, devoted, fanatics and dysfunctional. One of the most standing interpretations of the supporter s behavior from the socio-psychological perspective is that who propose the following two categories: BIRG and, its corollary, CORF. Basking-inreflected-glory or, briefly, BIRG refers to the individuals who tend to associate with the winners and transfer a part of their success towards themselves [3]. The BIRG effect provides positive feelings for the individual, acting as a mechanism for ego improvement. Also, these fans are more inclined to exhibit transitory tendencies, dissociating themselves from the failures and quickly passing from one team to another, creating the so-called CORF category, or CORF - Cutting-off-reflected-failure [22]. These phenomenon, quite frequent in sport field, has captured the interest of numerous theoreticians and practicians who, consequently, interpreted the fans personalities and exhibits in various situations. The implications are multiple and not only from the fan-team relationship perspective but mostly from the marketing strategic planning and technical approach in order for the organization to capitalize a higher number of fans. Motivation for sport consumption The motives that determine the fans to consume the sports products, although multidimensional, can be synthesized into three main categories: psychological (escape from daily life, excitement, aesthetics etc), socio-cultural (opportunity for social and family interactions or to create cultural connections and even economical benefits etc.) and those related to the individual beliefs (the feeling of affiliation or belonging to a group, achievement through others etc.). In its turn, the motives are influenced by a series of factors such as education, income level, gender, origin, religion etc. There are numerous researchers who explored the motives for consumption derived from the individual s need to socialize with his friend or family [4], [5], [27], or to have entertainment and to escape from daily life [10], [27]. The interests for the team, for a player, direct achievement, the enthusiasm/ drama are also motives to increase fan s loyalty. All these needs and resulted benefits have been used to develop corresponding marketing tools which identify the choice of a specific consumption behavior, provide help to consumer s segmentation and evaluate the degree of involvement or the consumer s loyalty. Therefore, the complexity and the importance of this concept determined, naturally, the necessity to create some models and tools that measure the consumer s involvement and differentiate the consumption behavior, as presented in Table no. 1. The first approach in measuring the internal factors associated to sport involvement was in 1987 when the SNAPS - Sport Need for Achievement and Power Scale was developed. Subsequently, the argumentation of the motives which generate fan s consumption led to a delimitation based on five factors, resulted from the psychological and social theories [19]. Kahle et al. built up the Fan Attendance Motivations (FAM) model which evaluate the fans participation to the sporting events from the perspective of the individual differences on the psychological motivations, based on Kelman s functional theory of behavioral motivation (1958), and focuses on three central constructs: the need to participate to a unique experience, group affiliation and love for the game [9]. Wann developed the Sport Fan Motivation Scale (SFMS)- a tool designed to measure the motives for consumption based on eight variables [27]. Milne and McDonald [14] used in their Motivation of Sport Consumers (MSC) model a series of 12 motivational projections in order to measure the consumer s attendance, based on Sloan [20] and Maslow (1943) theories. Motivation Scale for Sport Consumption MSSC, developed by Trail et al. [26], analyze the spectator s behavior from the perspective of nine motivational variables while the Sport Interest Inventory SII model [7] used ten constructors for this purpose. The Psychological Continuum Model identifies four stages for the 163

5 progressive involvement of the consumer to the sporting event- awareness, attraction, attachment and commitment [6]. SFMS (Wann, 1995) Eustress/ drama Escape from daily life Entertainment Economic factors Aesthetics Group affiliation Family needs Benefits to selfesteem Table no. 1. Motivational scales of sport consumers MSC (Milne &McDonald, 1999) FAM (Kahle et al., 1996) Group affiliation Love for the game Need for a unique experience Aesthetics Aggression Affiliation Achievement Stress reduction Competition Risk taking Skill mastery Self esteem Value development Self- actualization Social promotion MSSC (Trail and James, 2001) Achievement Aesthetics Eustress/ drama Escape Family Social Interaction Physical attractiveness of the athletes Knowledge acquisition Quality of the participants physical skills SII (Funk et al., 2001) Aesthetics Drama Excitement Interest for the player Interest in sport Interest for the team National pride Socialization Vicarious achievements Women opportunities Interpretations The fan s behavior is unique. The loyalty of a consumer for a specific product or service resulted from the economic activity is also found in the sport industry but, from the fan perspective, at a much complex level. Thus, the fan connects his identity to the sporting brand. The resulted links are much stronger than everywhere. The successes and the failures of the team he s connected shall affect him like he was part of that team. The fan of the sportive brand, either we discuss about a team or a sport field, creates powerful links with that. Usually, the traditional fan was connected with the team through motivations mostly geographical. Thus, the area of living used to create a strong link between the fan and the team coming from the individual s need to set up the community identity. The exhibit of this sense of belonging to the town they live is achieved, in a simple manner, through the emotional affiliation to its team. Traditionally, the family exerts a significant influence regarding the emotional and identity connection of the fan with a certain sport, club or athlete. In the last years, the old stadiums were transformed into multifunctional arenas with numerous facilities. This is the main reason for which, over the last years, the European successful football championship had a significant increase in the number of the women and children attending the matches. Traditionally, the football fans were male, preponderantly coming from the low- to- medium income segment. The football was called the ballet of the working class. Nowadays, the football fan is no longer a man and the income is shifting from medium to superior level. In the modern society, the socialscape has been significantly changed. The sport field is no longer the manifest of the working class found at the bottom of the social pyramid; it is transformed into a tool to express much more complex values. The sport area is a playfield for the expression of the community identity, also a place for relationship, for social interaction or, simply, for spending qualitative free time. The sport became a part of the instruments that create values for the corporate spirit. There are many cases when the companies provide subscriptions to their employees for the matches of their favorite teams or the managers of a private company benefit from a reserved box as part of a sponsorship contract. The traditional fan became a consumer, sophisticated and more educated. The modern society, strongly competitive at all levels, made its influence also to the modern sport consumer from the view of ego-valorization, enforcement and increase of the self-esteem. Thus, the contemporary fan, without being less emotionally connected, because passion remains a predominant irrational variable, is much more pragmatic, more willing to leave, even temporary, the favorite team, based on reasons related mostly to his self-esteem. The development of the social media communication platforms expose every day from the social life of the individual. The successes as well as the failures at on a click distance from the public space. That is an extra reason for a BIRG or CORF behavior to intervene, with the purpose of protecting the emotional 164

6 comfort of the fan, significantly influenced by the modern media communication tools. If, traditionally, the success or the failure of the favorite team were consumed within the own fan group, on the way home, today the Internet and the television represent the scene where every sporting event is consumed. Consequently, it is higher the probability for the fan to use the opportunity and to disconnect from his favorite team or favorite sport and to fructify all the numerous available entertainment options. Another change regarding the profile of the traditional fan is related to the fact that he has lesser time available for spending more money. The development of the concept and the expansion of the manifestation area for social responsibility of the sporting clubs which became authentic hubs for social interaction and for communication of values, transformed these clubs into identity elements on the visit card of the fan. The partnerships of the sportive organizations with the local authorities or with the public institutions, the sponsorship contracts developed with various companies as well as the endorsement campaigns of the athletes or the clubs for certain commercial products facilitate the convergence of the sport filed with its consumers. There is, also, the risk for this connection facility to lead in time to a lack of commitment of the fan in the relationship with his favorite team and to adopt a passive fan behavior. The globalization of the sport in the era of the exponential development of the media channels, leads to the promotion of the successful teams and athletes as global brands. This situation significantly dilutes the identity values. Manchester United is no longer just the team of the Old Trafford workers, instead it became the most popular football team in the world, registering 65 million fans only on Facebook. It is also the case of Bayern Munchen which counts over registered fans as members of over 4000 fan clubs in the world, even though a small part of them watched live from the stadium a match of the favorite team. The modern fan is often tented to watch a game on TV or on the computer. This is the reason why the performing sporting organizations succeeded in their process of adjusting and implementing the ICT features into their communication strategies and facilitating the fans access to their major events. Sport is a transitory experience with no cultural or ethnical barriers which is also a consequence of the way fans connect. The sporting event is consumed in the same manner on any corner of the planet and this is a reason for the sport marketers to introduce it on a more attractive manner, especially considering the fact that the development of the game as well as the final result are components of the marketing plan very difficult to anticipate and to control. Another aspect that should concern the contemporary marketers regards the termination of the relationship between the sporting organization and its fans from motives which are independent of the fans will. This phenomenon was always happening in sport field, and it was mostly the consequence of the shut down or liquidation of a club. In such cases, it remains the supporter confused and nostalgic, capable to develop emotions, attitudes and behaviors which are various and strong when related to the respective situation. The supporters are especially affected by the lost of their social identity, of the feeling to group affiliation and their devotion, of the cease of communication and the contact with their idols. The reaction of the fans in the situations prior mentioned, either emotional or rational, are significantly important for the marketers who consequently, could generate fan s new interest for substitutes. The manner of managing the respective information determines, fundamentally, the appearance of a new consumption behavior and, eventually, the success of the sporting organization when attracting the new customer. Conclusions The entire sport industry is based on supporters and it depends on them. They are the ones who participate to the sporting events as spectators. It is not arbitrary that the quality of the sporting action, most of the times, is related to the fan s involvement. We hear, often, the expression that the public was the twelfth player on the game. For its consumer, the sport field stimulates and develops emotional responses and attitudes unique in the consumption consumer s typology and the necessity to understand the consumer s profile is no longer a concern for the marketing researchers only but also a part of the daily agenda for the sport marketers. The modality of identifying and segmenting the various categories of consumers determines, on a causal relationship, the manner to personalize the sports experience in order to meet and satisfy the expectations of each consumer type. The attitudes and the behaviors of the sport consumer are determined, to a great extent, by the correct identification of their motives and by the stimulation of the emotional triggers for their consumption decision and their valorization, in the sense that the creation of extra-value for both consumer and sporting organization are key-elements in defining marketing strategies and policies for the professional organization. These aspects are more important for the marketers when the relationship between the supporter and the organization was terminated and, consequently, it is necessary to generate a new relationship that could successfully substitute the ended one. 165

7 References [1] Beech, J., Chadwick, S., Sports marketing: Competitive business strategies for sports, Ed. Prentice Hall, 1994 [2] Buhler, A., Nufer, G., Relationship Marketing in Sport, Ed. Elsevier Ltd, 2010 [3] Cialdini, R. B., Borden, R. J., Thorne, A., Walker, M. R., Freeman, S., Sloan, L. R., Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1976, 34, pp [4] Dietz, B., Harrick, E., End,C., Jacquemotte, L., Sex differences in Sport Fan Behavior and reasons for being a Sport Fan, Journal of Sport Behavior, 2000, 23 (3), pp [5] Fink, J. S., Trail, G. T., Anderson, D. F., Environmental factors associated with spectator attendance and sport consumption behavior: Gender and team differences, 2002, Sport Marketing Quarterly, 11(1), pp [6] Funk, D. C., James, J. D., The Psychological Continuum Model: A conceptual framework for understanding an individual's psychological connection to sport, Sport Management Review, 2001,4 (2), pp [7] Funk, D.C., Mahony, D.F., Nakazawa, M., Hirakawa, S., Development of sport interest inventory (SII): Implications for measuring unique consumer motives at sporting events, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship,2001, 3, pp [8] Hirt, E., Zillman, D., Erickson, G., Kennedy, C., The costs and Benefits of allegiance: Changes in Fans Self ascribed Competencies after team victory versus Team Defeat, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1992, 63, pp [9] Kahle, L. R., Kambara, K. M., Rose, G. M., A functional model of fan attendance motivations for college football, Sport Marketing Quarterly,1996, 5(4), pp [10] Kahle, L. R., Riley, C., Sports marketing and the psychology of marketing communication, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., New Jersey, 2004 [11] Lee, A., Zeiss, C., Behavioural commitment to the role of sport consumer: An exploratory analysis, Sociology and Social Research, 1980, 64(3), pp [12] Madrigal, R., Cognitive and affective determinants of fan satisfaction with sporting event attendance, Journal of Leisure Research,1995, 27(3), pp [13] Meenaghan, T., O Sullivan, P., Editorial: the passionate embrace consumer response to sponsorship, Psychology and Marketing, 2001, 18 (2), pp [14] Milne, G.R., McDonald M.A., Sport Marketing: Managing the Exchange Process. Ed. Jones and Bartlett Pubhishing, Sudbury, MA, 1999 [15] Pooley, J.C., The sports fan: a psychology of misbehavior, CAPHER Sociology of Sports Monograph Series, 1978, Calgary, Canada [16] Roese N.J., Maniar S.D., Perceptions of purple: Counterfactual and hindsight judgments at Northwestern Wildcats football games, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1997, 23, 1 pp [17] Shank, M.D, Sports Marketing A strategic perspective, 3 rd edition, Ed. Pearson Prentice Hall Inc., 2005 [18] Shilburry, D., Quick,S., Westerbeek, H., Strategic Sport Marketing, Ed. Allen & Unwin, 2003 [19] Sloan, L.R., Bates, S., Davis, W., Schweiger, P.K., Sports Need for Achievement and Power Scale (SNAPS), The 59th Annual Meeting Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, 1987, pp [20] Sloan, L. R., The motives of sports fans, In J.H. Goldstein Ed., Sports, games, and play: Social and psychological viewpoints 2nd ed., 1989, Hillsdale, NJ. pp [21] Smith, A.C.T., Introduction to Sport Marketing, Ed. Elsevier Ltd., 2008 [22] Snyder, C. R., Higgins, R. L., & Stucky, R. J., Excuses: Masquerades in search of grace, Ed. Wiley- Interscience, New York, 1983 [23] Spinrad, R., W., The Function of Spectator Sports, Handbook of Social Science of Sport, 1981, pp [24] Stewart, B., Smith, A., Nicholson, M., Sport Consumer Typologies: A critical review, Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2003, 4 (12), pp [25] Sutton, W.A., McDonald, M.A., Milne, G., R., Cimperman A.J., Creating and fostering fan identification in professional sport, Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6 (1), 1997, pp [26] Trail,G.T., James,J.D., The motivation scale for sport consumption: Assessment of the scale s psychometric properties, Journal of Sport Behavior, 2001, 24 (1), pp

8 [27] Wann, D.L., Preliminary validation of the sport fan motivation scale, Journal of Sport &Social Issues, 1995, 20, pp [28] Wann, D., Melnick, M., Russell, G., Pease, D., Sport fans: The psychology and social impact of spectators, Ed. Routledge, NY, 2001 [29] Zillman, D. and Paulus, P.B., Spectators: reactions to sports events and effects on athletic performance, in Singer, R.N., Murphey, M., Tennant, L.K. (Eds), Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology, 1993, Ed. MacMillan, NY, pp COMPORTAMENTUL CONSUMATORULUI DE SPORT Iftime Dragoș Adrian 1 1 Vaslui County Mini Football Association, Vaslui, Romania andu_iftime@yahoo.com, Rezumat Sportul a devenit, indubitabil, o piață majoră de consum, indiferent că vorbim despre practicarea unui sport la nivel profesionist sau de amatori sau despre interesul manifestat de către consumator faţă de o competiție, organizație sportivă sau atlet. Din aceasta ultimă perspectivă, putem distinge două tipologii din punct de vedere al manifestărilor, cea a spectatorului și cea suporterului sau fanului. Fiecare dintre aceste tipologii prezintă caracteristici distincte, care le definesc în mod semnificativ comportamentul de consum. Înțelegerea şi gestionarea corectă a acestui fenomen, a factorilor care influențează atitudinile şi deciziile luate de către consumatori, a modului de manifestare a comportamentului de consum, prezintă o importanţă deosebită din punct de vedere al managementului şi marketingului. Prezenta lucrare se focusează pe consumatorul de fotbal cu scopul de a realiza o caracterizare a fiecărei dintre tipologiile menționate anterior din perspectiva consumatorului de fotbal şi a motivelor care stau la baza tranziției de la statutul de suporter pasiv la cel de fan. Un alt aspect investigat prin prezenta lucrare este cel referitor la modificarea comportamentului de consum în cazul segmentului de piața reprezentat de suporterii acelor cluburi de fotbal care au retrogradat ori s-au desființat, fenomen global cu care se confruntă fotbalul profesionist. Pornind de la acest factor declanșator și luând în considerare influența mijloacelor de comunicare media (TV, presa, Internet-social media etc) sunt identificate repere individuale care determină consumatorul, în contextul tipologiilor generale descrise, să-şi modifice comportamentul de consum astfel încât să obțină beneficii sau satisfacții similare. Aceste rezultate pot fi folosite în fundamentarea cercetărilor ulterioare focusate pe segmentul de piață respectiv şi pot constitui baza pentru dezvoltarea ulterioară a tehnicilor și instrumentelor adecvate de remodelare și de schimbare a comportamentului consumatorului. Cuvinte-cheie: suporter, fan, atitudine, motivație, apartenenţă 1. Introducere Sportul este, fără îndoială, o piață cu ramificații și dimensiuni globale. Produsele rezultate sunt variate și trebuie să fie accesibile unei piețe potențiale uriașe, aflată într-o dinamică constantă din punct de vedere al implicării, al alocării resurselor financiare, al experienței și satisfacției căutate. Este un adevăr incontestabil faptul că în centrul activității sportive se află suporterul consumatorul final al produsului sportiv. Acesta cumpără bilete de acces la evenimente sportive, tricouri cu jucătorii favoriți, fanioane și alte produse din categoria memorabilia care reprezintă echipa favorită. Suporterii atrag sponsorii și construiesc audiențele la radio și televiziune. Cotidianele sportive sau chiar cele generaliste alocă spații importante relatării evenimentelor sportive pe măsura interesului sporit pe care pasionații de sport îl manifestă. Industria sportului își găsește seva în pasiunea suporterilor care, privită din această perspectivă, devine catalizatorului activității sportive. Sportul stimulează și dezvoltă consumatorilor săi răspunsuri emoționale unice în comportamentul de consum. Nevoia de a identifica și înțelege tipologia comportamentului consumatorului de sport nu mai constituie doar o preocupare a cercetătorilor de marketing. Crearea acestor emoții, identificarea și valorificarea lor în sensul creării de plus valoare atât pentru cumpărător cât și pentru organizația sportivă reprezintă un element cheie în definirea politicilor și strategiilor de management și marketing al organizațiilor sportive profesioniste. În timp ce consumatorii majorității bunurilor și serviciilor identifică valoarea acestora în urma unei evaluări economice, în care utilitatea dobândită, prețul și accesibilitatea sunt elemente definitorii, valoarea pe care fanii o extrag din participarea la un eveniment sportiv este mult mai mult decât o simplă decizie economică. În fapt, atunci când cluburile determină fanii să se focuseze pe prețul pe care ei îl plătesc, ei se focusează pe componenta eronată a ecuației, principalul obiectiv care trebuie 167

9 urmărit de către organizațiile sportive este să transforme clienții în fani și nu în consumatori, în sensul tradițional al cuvântului. Aceasta constituie una din diferențele majore între marketingul sportiv și marketingul bunurilor și serviciilor. Prezentul studiul își propune să abordeze comportamentul consumatorului sportiv printr-o trecere în revistă a principalelor cercetări în domeniu, conștienți fiind că o corectă înțelegere a conceptului, a tuturor valențelor care stau la baza creării și evoluției acestuia conduc organizația sportivă către o abordare completă și corect fundamentată a strategiilor și tacticilor de marketing și către obținerea de avantaje pentru toți participanții. Astfel, toate beneficiile imateriale pe care sportul, în mod excepțional și aproape unic, le conferă consumatorului, respectiv întreținerea unei stări de bine, de sănătate, întărirea caracterului, dezvoltarea oportunităților de interacțiune socială precum și a simțului identitar, sentimentul de apartenență prin afilierea emoțională, generează constant spectatori, consumatori, venituri și, în special, conferă calitate actului sportiv. Aceste aspecte sunt cu atât mai importante cu cât există situații în care se impune nevoia de substituire a unui consum și de generare a unui nou comportament capabil să furnizeze individului beneficii similare celor pierdute. 2. Material şi metodă Metodologia utilizată în acest studiu include metode de investigare și colectare a datelor, cum ar fi studiul bibliografic și observația. Literature review. Caracteristicele produsului sportiv În tipologia consumatorului de bunuri și servicii, consumatorul de sport ocupă un capitol special. Acest specific tipologic al consumului rezultă din caracteristicile unice ale sportului în marea paletă a activităților economice și, cu precădere, din modul de relaționare din interiorul industriei sportului. Sportul este un tip special de produs care totuși, operează într-un context de business ce necesită profesionalism și responsabilitate [21]. Numeroase studii au abordat problematica comportamentului consumatorului de sport din prisma atitudinilor și a motivelor de formare și de manifestare a acestuia, au ierarhizat tipologiile consumatorului de sport în funcție de diferite motive, printre care gradul de manifestare a pasiunii și implicării consumatorului, sau factorii care determină un anumit comportament (economici, geografici, socio-psihologici etc). Punctul de pornire în studiul comportamentului consumatorului de sport îl reprezintă definirea produsului industriei sportului. Produsul sportiv e definit ca un bun, serviciu sau oricare altă combinație între cele două care sunt destinate să producă beneficii unui spectator, participant al unui sponsor al evenimentului sportiv [17]. Din această perspectivă, produsele sportive furnizate de organizațiile sportive pot fi clasificate în două categorii: produsul de bază și derivatele produsului de bază sau produse asociate sportului. Produsul de bază este reprezentat de meciul, evenimentul sau competiția sportivă în sine. Unicitatea sportului conferă acestui produs toate caracteristicile unui serviciu: intangibilitate, inseparabilitatea producției de consum, perisabilitate, eterogenitate. Derivatele produsului de bază sau produsele asociate sportului sunt produse dar și servicii care se bazează pe produsul primar. Există numeroase studii care analizează diferențele dintre cele două categorii de produse, delimitând net produsele de bază de cele derivate. În fapt, incertitudinea asupra rezultatului final precum și asupra modului de participare a competitorilor la obținerea acestui rezultat fac ca produsul de bază, jocul în sine, să fie extrem de dificil sau chiar imposibil de controlat [1],[18]. Acesta este motivul pentru care produsele și serviciile derivate devin determinante în crearea percepției consumatorului asupra cadrului în care se produce și se consumă evenimentul sportiv. De exemplu, signalistica ce facilitează accesul către și în tribune, tabela de marcaj, serviciile de catering, confortul și vizibilitatea asigurate de locul din tribună, activitățile dinaintea și din pauzele jocului, condițiile de parcare etc., toate acestea contribuie la incitarea și sporirea gradului de satisfacție a consumatorului. Consumatorul sportiv Plecând de la aceste considerente definitorii asupra produselor activității sportive, putem identifica corect consumatorul de sport și trăsăturile sale dominante. Consumatorul de sport este văzut ca un individ sau un grup de indivizi ce folosesc un produs sau serviciu sportiv ori legat de sport, în schimbul unei plăți directe sau indirecte [21]. E o definiție destul de evazivă ce explică doar latura tranzacțională a consumului de sport. Experiența ultimilor ani găsește organizațiile sportive în poziția de a schimba abordarea strategiilor de marketing prin trecerea către valorizarea relației cu clientul, fără a neglija achiziția unor noi clienți. Deci, cine sunt consumatorii de sport? Consumatorii de sport manifestă o gamă bogată de valori, atitudini și comportamente [17]. Unii cercetători consideră că în activitățile sportive sunt implicate patru mari grupuri: sportivii, spectatorii, sponsorii și consumatorii [13] în timp ce alții identifică trei mari grupe pe care îi denumește clienți primari: 168

10 fanii, sponsorii și media [2]. Fiecare dintre aceștia efectuează o plată către organizațiile sportive în schimbul obținerii biletelor (fanii), a drepturilor de comunicare (sponsorii) sau a drepturilor de transmisie TV (canalele media sau agențiile de profil). Clasificarea continuă, din perspectiva partenerului organizației sportive, cu clienți secundari (autoritățile administrative, agenții, investitori etc), evidențiindu-se, astfel, modul în care se creează și se mențin relațiile în jurul cluburilor sportive pe diferite niveluri. Shank [17] regrupează consumatorii de sport în trei mari categorii: spectatori, participanți și sponsori. Alți autori iau in considerare modul în care consumatorii sportului se conectează la activitățile specifice și îi împarte în patru categorii: -consumatorii de bunuri sportive sunt cei care, în general, cumpără un produs fizic care are legătură cu sportul (cumpărătorii de echipamente, aparate sportive, cărți, ziare, reviste de specialitate, suplimente nutriționale, jocuri, suveniruri, produse licențiate etc.); - consumatorii de produse sportive sunt cei care utilizează o experiență sau un serviciu care are legătură cu sportul, în afara participării sau vizionării unui eveniment sportiv (educația prin și pentru sport, servicii recreaționale și de menținere a sănătății oferite de săli de gimnastică, bazine de înot etc, pariuri sportive); - participanții și voluntarii din sport sunt indivizii angajați activ sau având roluri în susținerea și organizarea evenimentelor sportive, fără ca această activitate să fie remunerată; - suporterii, spectatorii și fanii sunt cei care manifestă un interes activ asupra competițiilor sportive, în special la nivel profesionist. Aceștia pot participa direct la evenimentele sportive sau pot urmări competițiile sportive la televizor sau pe Internet. Aceste categorii de consumatori se întrepătrund, neputând fi trasate limite de demarcație clare între ele. Astfel, este cert faptul că voluntarii unui eveniment sportiv sunt și fani ai sportului la fel cum consumatorul de bunuri sau servicii sportive își proiectează un stil de viață sănătos, sportiv și întreține relația cu sportul tocmai prin raportarea la sportivi sau sporturi favorite. În accepțiunea clasică, consumatorul de sport era spectatorul care urmărea desfășurarea evenimentului sportiv în direct, pe arenele sportive. Ultimele tendințe de consum al evenimentului sportiv se dezvoltă, însă, în jurul canalelor media, astfel încât spectatorii din tribune sunt surclasați numeric de cei ce urmăresc competițiile sportive la TV sau pe Internet, din orice colț al lumii. Mai mult, sponsorii au devenit parteneri de încredere ai organizațiilor sportive și, din moment ce își aduc contribuția în mod semnificativ la bugetul acestora, pot fi asimilați cu certitudine ca și clienți. În fapt, marile cluburi își generează veniturile în proporții aproximativ egale din trei surse principale: cele provenite din încasări în ziua meciului, din drepturi TV și din relații comerciale cu sponsorii. Astfel, o întreagă polemică se naște în jurul ideii că advertiserii ar fi cei care cumpără audiențele produse de televiziuni și, în consecință, ei ar putea fi considerați consumatorii acestor produse sau servicii. Indiferent de abordarea aleasă, există o recunoaștere unanimă în ceea ce privește clasificarea consumatorului final al produsului sportiv care face referire la spectatori și la suporteri sau fani. Aceștia reprezintă receptorii ce colectează informația de specialitate și accesează evenimentele sportive, direct sau transmise prin canalele media. În ultimă instanță, ei constituie ținta advertiserilor, mesajele publicitare ale sponsorilor fiind adresate direct acestei categorii. Delimitări între spectator și fan Stabilirea unei distincții clare între termenii spectator și fan a constituit o preocupare constantă pentru cercetători în încercările de a defini cât mai clar termenul de fan. Această nevoie de a distinge între fan și spectatorul obișnuit determină, în primul rând, măsura în care sportul atrage individul respectiv [15]. Totodată, ea prezintă importanță din perspectiva planificării acțiunilor de marketing. În literatura de specialitate și nu numai, este întâlnit adeseori termenul de suporter. Din punct de vedere etimologic, suporter înseamnă susținător, ceea ce apropie termenul de suporter mai mult de cel de fan decât de cel de spectator. Nu sunt puține cazurile, însă, când se vorbește despre suporteri pasivi sau apatici, ceea ce induce sensul mai mult de spectator, privitor al evenimentului sportiv. Dicționarul Collins al limbii engleze definește fanul ca fiind un ardent admirator al unei echipe în timp ce Dicționarul Cambridge susține că fanul este o persoană care admiră sau susține un sport sau o echipă. Există autori care susțin că spectatorul este un individ care urmărește un sport și apoi uită de el, pe când fanul trăiește mult mai intens această experiență și își rezervă zilnic parte din timpul său clubului sau sportului favorit [29]. Mai mult, fanul percepe experiența de consum ca pe una extrem de intensă și pasională care poate să-i afecteze judecata în totalitate pentru scurte intervale de timp, manifestând devotament și entuziasm nu doar pe parcursul derulării evenimentului sportiv[16]. Wann et al. prezintă fanii ca fiind indivizii ce urmăresc un sport, o echipă sau un sportiv pe parcursul unei perioade mai mari de timp iar spectatorii sunt cei care urmăresc activ și punctual evenimentul sportiv din tribune sau prin intermediul canalelor media (telespectatorii). Ei evidențiază atât diferențele dintre un fan și un spectator cât și cele dintre fanii puternic și cei slab identificați [27]. Implicarea 169