Collaborative strategy in sports industry: team co-branding

This study sought to empirically examine spectator sport perception pertaining to (team) co-brands based on differences in the level of team identification, brand personality fit, and/or product category. Initially, testing stimuli were identified through a pilot study using an established framework on brand personality. Subsequently, four pairs of fictitious co-brands were created by alternating testing elements between team and non-team brands. In the second phase, 389 participants responded to a 29-item questionnaire, in which the data were primarily analyzed via repeated-measures mean-difference tests. The overall findings generally indicate significant differences in the evaluation of (team) co-brands due to varying brand personality fits, product categories, and levels of team identification. Empirical findings of the current study contribute to the literature by suggesting strategies that can be used to position teams as brands, and expanding existing knowledge on the understanding of spectator sport perception of sport brands at large.