Consumption and meanings of team licensed merchandise Online publication date: Thu, 31-Jul-2014
by Artemisia Apostolopoulou; Dimitra Papadimitriou; David Synowka; John S. Clark
International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing (IJSMM), Vol. 12, No. 1/2, 2012
Abstract: This study examined the motives driving the purchase of team licensed merchandise and the meanings embedded in those products. Data from 135 attendees at two National Football League (USA) games revealed that the primary motives for the display of team licensed merchandise were fans' desire to publicly show their affiliation with the team and to express their support for the organisation, while the need to belong in the group of team supporters was also a strong motive. Furthermore, study participants overwhelmingly attached symbolic meanings to their possessions, emphasising social relationships and connectedness as well as elements of personal history. To a lesser extent, experiential meanings were attached to team licensed products. This study makes original contributions to the relatively narrow in scope research on sport licensing by exploring the functional, experiential and symbolic meanings that create value for those products and for their owners.
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