Analysis of Fans' Responses to the Brand Attributes of Sports Teams on Instagram (Case Study: Esteghlal and Persepolis Tehran Football Teams)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Sport Management, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

2 Professor of Sport Management, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

3 Associate Professor of Sport Management, College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Halabja, Kurdistan, Region, Iraq.

Abstract

In today's sport industry, the proper use of social media can be used as a strategy to create a distinction for a sports team brand in a highly competitive market. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to analyze the response of fans to the brand attributes of sports teams in the social network Instagram. The research method was descriptive-analytical. 577 Instagram posts were analyzed from two football sports teams, in which the photos were based on related attributes (team success, star players and head coach) and unrelated (brand, management, club history and tradition, club values and culture, Event image, sponsor, fans and stadium) were categorized by product. Statistical analysis included analyzing the content of Instagram posts related to teams and examining the number of likes and comments related to posts. The findings showed; The most posts shared by both teams were about the team's success, the star players and the team coach. Also, the highest number of likes and comments were related to posts with the content of team success, star players, head coach, fans for Esteghlal team and the highest number of likes and comments for Persepolis team were related to posts with event image, success, star player and head coach content. This study highlights the importance of each of the brand characteristics of sports teams in the midst of online interaction and engagement of fans. it is suggested that marketing and sports managers of teams should have a better understanding of the semiotics of images for Instagram posts to increase the number of comments and likes and ultimately increase interaction with them.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 December 2020
  • Revise Date: 26 February 2021
  • Accept Date: 30 March 2021

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