Sports Business Journal
Volume:4 Issue: 1, Winter 2024

Today, sports organizations have recognized the significance of their brand concerning their products and services. This study investigated the association between integrated marketing communications and brand prestige in the national olympic committee of Iran.

 The research utilized a descriptive-correlational approach, employing structural equation modeling as the research method. The participants comprised all the 140 managers and specialists affiliated with the national olympic committee. Questionnaires on integrated marketing communication from Lee and Park (2007) and brand prestige questionnaires from Beak et al. (2010) were employed to collect data. SPSS26 and AMOS24 software were used to analyze data.

 The findings showed a significant positive relationship between integrated marketing communications and its influence on brand prestige. The path analysis results indicated that the effectiveness of individual communication in delivering a consistent message and creating a favorable impression, as well as strengthening communication with recent customers, had a considerable positive impact on the brand prestige of the national olympic committee. The coefficient of dimensions showed 33.6% of the total variance in brand prestige changes. The structural equation model results further indicated that integrated marketing communications had a significant positive effect on the brand prestige of the national olympic committee.

Sports organizations must employ diverse and innovative communication methods to nurture customer relationships in today's evolving landscape. A well-designed marketing communication program should assist organizations in achieving this objective by reinforcing customer engagement through practical communication activities.

This research aims to conduct a meta-analysis of the relationship of loyalty and trust on word-of-mouth advertising in sports.

The meta-analysis method was used to conduct this research. For this purpose, sixteen databases and two search engines analyzed all articles and theses published on the effects of trust and loyalty on word-of-mouth advertising in sports between 2002 and 2022. Finally, 18 articles were included in this study and were analyzed using CMA2 software, and the heterogeneity of the studies was determined by performing the q-value, I-squared, and tau-squared tests.

The results showed that the effect size of trust and loyalty on word-of-mouth advertising was 0.30 and 0.29, respectively. Based on Cohen's interpretive system, this level of influence was evaluated as moderate, although these relationships were significant (P<005). Finally, using the tree diagram, the studies with a minor deviation in the effect size of the random model were identified and identified as more valuable research. Also, according to the FSN test regarding the effect of trust and loyalty on word-of-mouth advertising, it can be claimed that loyalty and trust positively affect word-of-mouth advertising. Therefore, it is suggested that sports managers give priority while maintaining the budget to create solutions that develop loyalty and trust in consumer sports products and services and focus on these issues.

In this study, we determine the results of world sports studies regarding the effects of trust and loyalty on word-of-mouth advertising in the form of a general result using the meta-analysis method.

Domestic sports brands seek to establish consumer relations with the brand to survive and earn continuous profits among foreign competitors. Therefore, this manuscript investigates the effect of domestic brands' authenticity on consumers' emotional dependence on domestic sports goods, including the Daei, Majid, and Momentum brands, with customer bias as a mediator.

This study was based on a practical purpose and a descriptive correlation data collection method conducted in the field. The statistical population was all consumers of domestic sports goods (Daei, Majid, and Momentum brands), and 191 people were selected as a statistical sample based on the law of structural equations (five times the number of observable variables). The research tools included three Kadirov's (2010) brand authenticity questionnaires, Lee et al.'s (2013) customer bias, and Thomson et al.'s (2005) emotional attachment. Experts confirmed the formal and content validity and the reliability of the questionnaires, estimated to be 0.7, 0.92, and 0.95, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS/25 and Smart-PLS.3.2.8 software.

The research results indicated a positive and significant relationship between brand authenticity, emotional attachment, and customer bias. However, there was no significant relationship between customer bias and emotional attachment.

 So far, no research has investigated the mediation of customer bias in the relationship between brand authenticity and consumer emotional attachment; therefore, this research is original.

Social media has influenced individuals' need for interpersonal interactions. The study was conducted to identify and prioritize the factors affecting advertising development through social media to control customers' intentions for sports products.

The research method (in the qualitative part of the Delphi method and the quantitative descriptive-analytical part). The statistical population of the qualitative section included all media management specialists and sports marketers, and in the quantitative section, there were athletes of different sports (N = 1600). Sampling was also purposeful and accessible. The study tool was a semi-structured interview and a researcher-made questionnaire derived. Systematic coding and confirmatory factor analysis with SPSS24 and Amos25 software have been used to analyze the data.

If marketers want to change people's mindsets, advertising messages should be clear about the product's benefits and examine customers' characteristics. This causes consumers to change their existing beliefs. Based on the results of the factors affecting the development of advertising through social media to influence customers' behavior intentions for sports products, priority includes individual factors, branding, accreditation, and structural factors.

 In this article, we examine the modeling of advertising development through social media to influence customers’ behavioral intentions for sports products using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Virtual fitting rooms allow online sportswear consumers to try on clothes before shopping. This technology has recently received much attention due to its many benefits to sports consumers and commercial potential. Still, it has not yet entered Iran, and there is no information regarding its adoption by Iranian consumers. This research investigates the adoption of this technology by Iranian online sportswear consumers.

This research is applied and developmental in terms of purpose and exploratory in terms of implementation method. In this research, a mixed method (quantitative, qualitative) has been used, in which the Delphi qualitative method precedes the quantitative method. In the qualitative phase, 20 experts in the sportswear industry were selected through snowball sampling. In the quantitative phase, a survey of 394 online shoppers of sportswear products was conducted on social networks. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. SMART PLS and SPSS 23 software were used for data analysis.

The results supported the positive effect of the factors perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and fashion leadership, as well as the negative impact of technology anxiety on adopting this technology. The results have practical implications for sports managers, retailers, and sportswear industries regarding adopting the best management and marketing strategies for virtual fitting rooms.

 This study examines the innovation of virtual fitting room technology among Iranian sportswear consumers for the first time. Virtual fitting rooms play a significant role in saving time, energy, and money for sports consumers and protecting their privacy. Also, this technology is a fantastic promotional device for sports industries and retailers if Iranian sportswear consumers accept it.

Online advertising has become a crucial tool for sports teams, marketers, and retailers looking to engage with fans and boost sales of sports-related products. This study examines the effect of online advertising of football players on fans' purchase intention, with the mediating role of players' popularity.

The research is classified as applied, using a descriptive research method and cross-sectional survey research design. The statistical population of this study includes football fans in Iran. The sampling method in this study was non-probability convenience sampling (200 fans). A four-part questionnaire was used to collect data. Then partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS 3.0) was used for data analysis.

Paying attention to these indicators is of great importance in implementing the model of the impact of online advertising on the intention to purchase football fans. Therefore, based on the study's findings, the model of the effects of online advertising on the intention to buy football fans is confirmed. Based on the results obtained from the combined reliability, extracted variance, model fit coefficient, and goodness-of-fit index in the path analysis, the model is consistent with suitable empirical and theoretical assumptions and has a good fit. Therefore, the model of the impact of online advertising on the intention to purchase football fans is confirmed.

This research evaluated the mediating role of football players' popularity on fans' purchase intention.