Article: How does spectator marketing in women's leagues differ from that in men's leagues? Journal: International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing (IJSMM) 2022 Vol.22 No.1/2 pp.1 - 18 Abstract: Women's sport has been receiving increasing attention internationally. However, only a few studies have examined the differences in effective marketing strategies for men's versus women's leagues or teams. Most research assumes that women's and men's teams are marketed in the same manner. This study's purpose is two-fold: first, to compare the men's and women's league's spectator demographic variables emphasising the uniqueness of spectators in women's sport; and second, to compare the spectator motivation between gender-based leagues. A series of questionnaire surveys were conducted at the Women's and Men's V. Premium Leagues, Japan's top-level volleyball leagues. This study uses a 2,405 dataset and implies that differentiating spectators by combining spectator and athlete gender will enable sport marketers and researchers to understand a sport's consumer more intimately. Additionally, even though both sports are the same, it is crucial to devise completely different marketing strategies for different leagues. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: How does spectator marketing in women's leagues differ from that in men's leagues?

Authors: Natsumi Adachi; Rei Yamashita; Hirotaka Matsuoka

Addresses: Department of Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Sciences, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, 1-1, Nanjo Otani, Sogabe, Kameoka, Kyoto 621-8555, Japan ' Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Higashifushimi, Nishitokyo, Tokyo 202-0021, Japan ' Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Higashifushimi, Nishitokyo, Tokyo 202-0021, Japan

Abstract: Women's sport has been receiving increasing attention internationally. However, only a few studies have examined the differences in effective marketing strategies for men's versus women's leagues or teams. Most research assumes that women's and men's teams are marketed in the same manner. This study's purpose is two-fold: first, to compare the men's and women's league's spectator demographic variables emphasising the uniqueness of spectators in women's sport; and second, to compare the spectator motivation between gender-based leagues. A series of questionnaire surveys were conducted at the Women's and Men's V. Premium Leagues, Japan's top-level volleyball leagues. This study uses a 2,405 dataset and implies that differentiating spectators by combining spectator and athlete gender will enable sport marketers and researchers to understand a sport's consumer more intimately. Additionally, even though both sports are the same, it is crucial to devise completely different marketing strategies for different leagues.

Keywords: spectator motivation; gender difference; league difference; two-way analysis of variance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2022.121259

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2022 Vol.22 No.1/2, pp.1 - 18

Accepted: 22 Nov 2021
Published online: 02 Mar 2022 *

Title: How does spectator marketing in women's leagues differ from that in men's leagues?

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