Global sports marketing: current trends and future developments in the Asia Pacific

Citation

Ratten, V. and Tsiotsou, R. (2010), "Global sports marketing: current trends and future developments in the Asia Pacific", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml.2010.00822aaa.001

Global sports marketing: current trends and future developments in the Asia Pacific

Article Type: Guest editorial From: Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Volume 22, Issue 1.

Introduction

Welcome to this special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics (APJML) on the topic of global sports marketing: current trends and future developments in the Asia Pacific. We thank the Editor Dr Ian Phau very much for his support and help in guest editing this issue. We also thank the reviewers who helped review the numerous papers submitted for this issue including Guillaume Bodet, Simon Chadwick, Coyte Cooper, Geoff Dickson, Harald Dolles, Richard Irwin, Kiki Kaplanidou, Alexandris Konstantinos, Colleen McGlone, David Moore, Michael Polonsky, Hamish Ratten, James Santomier, Sten Soderman, Rasmus Storm, Siri Terjesen and Boyun Woo. There were a number of submissions received for this special issue and the articles included in here are the best suited given the theme of the special issue. All articles submitted for the special issue underwent a double blind peer review process. This special issue contains eight original articles. There is a mix of conceptual and empirical research, which reflects a number of different perspectives of how global sports marketing operates in the Asia Pacific region. The marketing of sports has become a global industry. Different types of sport organizations (private and public, amateur and professional) are now focusing on their worldwide appeal. Private sport organizations such as the LA Dodgers have recently been showcasing their talent at baseball games throughout Asia and particularly in China. Public sport organizations such as the International Olympic Committee are now trying to market a variety of different sports such as surfing in order to increase their global market audience. Amateur sporting clubs throughout the world try to focus on the “glocalization” of sports, which occurs when a global sport is differentiated to the local country market. For example, football in Australia having different meanings depending on the state in which it is played. The marketing of professional sports worldwide also differs according to the country setting – for example, the failure of the Australian Baseball League to generate ticket sales despite the worldwide success of American Baseball. In this special issue, articles included focus on the global aspect of sports marketing and, in particular, articles highlight or stress the relevance of the Asian market. Some of the fastest growing sports marketing areas are in Asia and particularly with the strong economic growth rates of countries such as India and Vietnam, it is important for sports marketing academics, practitioners and public policy practitioners to focus on these markets.

International sport authorities (e.g. sport federations and the International Olympic Committee) recognizing the importance and the business opportunities in the Asia Pacific area have organized several of their prestigious events in this area. The organizations of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sidney, the Basketball World Championship in Japan and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are only a few examples. Indicatively, only in 2009, the following global sport events have been planned to take place in countries of the Asia Pacific region: the Grand Prix Formula 1 will take place in Japan, China, Singapore and Australia; the World Championship in Weight Lifting will be organized in Korea and Japan will host the World Championship in Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Overview of the contributions

This special issue of the APJML comprises eight original articles that all deal with issues related to global sports marketing in the Asia Pacific region. The first paper, by Sten Söderman and Harald Dolles, is titled “Sponsoring the Beijing Olympic Games: patterns of sponsor advertising”. The paper discusses the importance of sponsorship to mega-sporting events. In particular, the authors discuss how the Olympic brand in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was driven by international sponsorship. A means objective model is applied in the paper to link sponsorship to advertising strategies in Chinese marketing mediums. The second paper, by Yong Jae Ko, Yu Kyoum Kim, Min Kil Kim and Jeoung Hak Lee, is titled “The role of involvement and identification on event quality perceptions and satisfaction: a case of US Taekwondo Open”. The paper discusses the role of sports popular in Asia such as Taekwondo and how they are now enjoyed globally. The increased importance of martial arts in the worldwide sporting community is discussed using a sample of spectators and participants at a Taekwondo event. The paper illustrates how sport once only common in Asia is now affecting global marketing endeavors of organizations. The third paper, by Charles Bal, Pasquale Quester and Carolin Plewa, is titled “Emotions and sponsorship: a key to global effectiveness? A comparative study of Australia and France”. The paper compares global sport marketing in the Asia Pacific region of Australia with France. The emotions of spectators at the Australian Tennis Open and the French Tennis Open are discussed. The paper highlights how global sport marketing is heavily reliant on sponsorship. The fourth paper, by Guillaume Bodet and Nicolas Chanavat, is titled “Building global football brand equity: lessons from the Chinese market”. The paper examines the growth of sports like football into large Asian markets like China. The perception of Chinese football fans to global football brands from England is discussed. The paper further highlights the internationalization of professional sport leagues in Asia. The fifth paper, by Heath McDonald, Adam J. Karg and Daniel Lock, is titled “Leveraging fans' global football allegiances to build domestic league support”. This paper discusses how the development of the Australian National Soccer (Football) League has been affected by the global perceptions of the sport. In particular, the growth of football in the global context is examined in terms of how Australian sports fans perceive the sport. Data from season ticket holders are discussed in terms of their consumer behavior and brand loyalty. The sixth paper, by Ilias Kapareliotis, Anastasios Panopoulos and George G. Panigyrakis, is titled “The influence of the Olympic Games on Beijing consumers' perceptions of their city tourism development”. The effect of global sports marketing from the recent Olympic Games in Beijing is discussed. The paper discusses the impact of a global event such as the Olympic Games on tourism development of the city hosting this event. The role of culture is highlighted in terms of how it affects the marketing of global sports events like the Olympics. The seventh paper, by Jan Charbonneau and Ron Garland, is titled “Product effects on endorser image: the potential for reverse image transfer”. The paper discusses how celebrity athlete endorsers are affected in New Zealand. The difference between celebrity athletes compared to celebrities like actors and models is discussed. The paper highlights how sports marketers can enhance endorsement opportunities. The eighth paper, by Geoff Dickson, Sean Phelps and Daniel Waugh is titled “Multi-level governance in an international strategic alliance: the plight of the Phoenix and the Asian football market”. This paper discusses New Zealand's only professional football league and how it is trying to globalize by participating in sporting events in Asia. The global dynamics of the football league is examined in the Asia Pacific context. In particular, the large market of football in Asia is highlighted.

Conclusion

This special issue on global sports marketing in the APJML shows the unique applications of global sports marketing in the Asia Pacific region. The articles included in this special issue discuss a number of issues such as sponsorship and branding. As the Asia Pacific region is a diverse geographic area that is affected by global sports marketing in a number of sectors such as tourism and education, more research is required that continues to look at the issues discussed in this special issue. A comparison of global sports marketing in different geographic contexts in the Asia Pacific region would be a useful and beneficial framework that would showcase the different cultures and sports played. Another interesting research avenue would be to compare and contrast global sports marketing in the Asia Pacific region with other geographic regions such as North America and Europe. The importance of global sports marketing in the Asia Pacific region is highlighted here and more management and marketing attention is required on this topic. This special issue has discussed a number of very exciting areas of global sports marketing in the Asia Pacific region and we look forward to more research being conducted that focuses on this unique research area.

About the guest editors

Vanessa Ratten (PhD) is an Assistant Professor at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. She has published in numerous journals including the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Journal of High Technology Management, European Journal of Innovation Management, Journal of Management & Organization, International Journal of Educational Management, Thunderbird International Business Review and the International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management. She has co-edited Handbook of Research on European Entrepreneurship (Edward Elgar, 2008) and Handbook of Research on Asian Business and Entrepreneurship (Edward Elgar, 2009). Her research interests include sport, entrepreneurship and team performance management.

Rodoula Tsiotsou (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Department of Marketing and Operations Management, University of Macedonia, Greece. She has published in a variety of international scientific journals such as The Service Industries Journal, Journal of Marketing Management, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Applied Financial Economics Letters, Journal of Targeting, Measurement & Analysis for Marketing, International Journal of Non Profit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship. Her research interests include services marketing (sport and tourism), non-profit marketing and e-marketing. Rodoula Tsiotsou is the corresponding Guest Editor and can be contacted at: rtsiotsou@yahoo.gr

Vanessa RattenPalumbo Donahue School of Business,Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Rodoula TsiotsouDepartment of Marketing and Operations Management,University of Macedonia, Edessa, Greece