Case study

User Generated

Nuzrq0676

Business Finance

Description

I have attached case study and questions . is there anyone can help me please ?

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Copyright 2015 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800)545-7685. BH 727 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect rP os t Business Horizons (2016) 59, 175—183 www.elsevier.com/locate/bushor Who is the better player? Off-field battle on Facebook and Twitter op yo Teresa Tiago *, Flávio Tiago, Sandra Dias Faria, João Pedro Couto University of the Azores, Rua da Mae de Deus, 9501 Ponta Delgada, Portugal KEYWORDS Abstract Social media networks have become essential to the modern business world, and are especially vital for sports firms and athletes. Social media networks are new channels for firms to connect with their audience and establish a social customer relationship. For sports firms, athletes play a special role, as they are the firms’ ambassadors and the focus of virtual communities of fans. For most athletes, social media is a powerful tool to take advantage of their time in the spotlight. However, social media has much more potential. This work analyzes the social media profile and content created by six well-known sports figures–—Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant–—to develop a model (STAR) for social media use. The adoption of this model can enhance fan engagement online and therefore increase athletes’ and firms’ brand value and connectivity with consumers. # 2015 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. tC Social media; Customer Relationship Management; Facebook and Twitter; Fan engagement; Athletes No 1. The social media movement Do Social networking increases the size of one’s personal network through meeting friends of friends or family, and their friends or family. The ability to enlarge and maintain a personal network has been widely studied from a sociological perspective, and the key actors in these networks are the customers and users of a firm’s products and services. This display of connections became digitally available * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: mariaborges@uac.pt (T. Tiago), flaviotiago@uac.pt (F. Tiago), sfaria@uac.pt (S.D. Faria), jpedro@uac.pt (J.P. Couto) via social network sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Badoo, and Orkut. These digital platforms give anonymous people—sometimes with less social ability—the capability to belong to wider networks with others who have common interests, and to be active participants in creating, sharing, and removing content. Social networking has become a valuable tool for sports firms and athletes. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to analyze social media content and develop a model for social media use for sports firms and athletes. The exponential growth and influence of social media on firm and consumer behavior over the past decade has been well documented (Berthon, Pitt, 0007-6813/$ — see front matter # 2015 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.11.003 This document is authorized for educator review use only by Ricard Jensen, Montclair State University until September 2016. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860 Copyright 2015 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800)545-7685. 176 T. Tiago et al. rP os t (Fort & Winfree, 2013). Therefore, the relationship between fan attitudes and sports figures, organizations, and brands is crucial to many sports firms’ performance. Brands must consider the implications of adopting social media, such as the requirements to set clear objectives, establish a uniform attitude toward social media, integrate social media with the traditional communication and promotion strategies, and—above all—explore the fan-sports figure relationship and fan identification with the brand. Social media creates a digital proximity between fans and athletes, particularly for those sports figures that use social media to invite interaction and leverage engagement and brand value. Considering global sports figures, we focus on players who are active in social media—specifically Facebook and Twitter—and who have a large number of followers. We studied: Do No tC op yo Plangger, & Shapiro, 2012; Dollinger, 2015; Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010; Tiago & Verı́ssimo, 2014). As social media became more common, firms and brands developed new communication approaches to generate revenue through interactive online tools (Filo, Lock, & Karg, 2015). In 2014, social media was saturated with official and co-created content about the World Cup and Champions League. Athletes, sports organizations, and sports businesses were in the spotlight of millions of users worldwide. With fans, athletes, sports organizations, and journalists engaging in social media platforms, brand management and sports communication can be leveraged through social media adoption (Holzner, 2008). In 2010, Kaplan and Haenlein suggested that firms could decide to either participate in this communication or continue to ignore it. Currently, the decision to participate in social media can be made by sports firms, but no longer by sports organizations or athletes since fans consume the media’s representation of sports and sports figures. Through social media adoption, the representation of sports and athletes is composed of constantly changing tweets, ‘likes,’ videos, photos, and movies from firms, athletes, and other fans. Social media has changed the sports world, making information instantaneously available to view, comment on, and share. In particular, social media can create or destroy images in real-time, since content communication about brands, sports events, and athletes occurs with or without permission from sports firms or athletes (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Although social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, Vine, and SportNetwork are considerably changing the sports world (Pieper, 2013), Twitter is still preferred by millions of users (Hull & Schmittel, 2015). An in-depth analysis of these networks shows that Twitter users can easily search for other people with similar interests by using hashtags (Hull & Schmittel, 2015). According to Baird and Parasnis (2011a), firms must incorporate social media programs with customer relationship management (CRM). For the sports industry, this creates a unique opportunity to leverage the ‘fan-sport’ relationship and transform fans into consumers of the brands. Gwinner and Swanson (2003) examined the impact of fan identification on brand sponsorship outcomes, acknowledging four distinctive impacts: sponsor recognition, attitude toward the sponsor, sponsor patronage, and satisfaction with the sponsor. However, sports revenues are not confined to sponsorship, and can be driven by ticket sales, players’ value in the sports market, and media streams  Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer player for Real Madrid);  Lionel Messi (soccer player for Barcelona);  Tom Brady (football player for the New England Patriots);  Aaron Rodgers (football player for the Green Bay Packers);  LeBron James (basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers); and  Kevin Durant (basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder). Filo et al. (2015) performed a careful review of the literature concerning sports and social media and noticed that most studies focused on Twitter, neglecting the other social networks. As advised by Billings, Butterworth, and Turman (2014), and as shown in Figure 1, focusing on Twitter can be deceiving, since in most cases the community built around the athletes is smaller than on Facebook. Even though the data retrieval process is open access, it will not cover all the sports figures and fan interactions. Therefore, further research of other social network sites with different analysis metrics is required. In summary, as the social network phenomenon continues to evolve, sports organizations that focus on long-term consumer retention can improve their CRM and strengthen their brand value by adopting an active digital presence and promoting sports figures’ activity on diverse social media sites. This document is authorized for educator review use only by Ricard Jensen, Montclair State University until September 2016. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860 Copyright 2015 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800)545-7685. Figure 1. Followers in social media 2. I’m a fan. . . motivation is linked to a consumptive object, such as the athlete’s personality, team, sport, or league. No tC op yo Wann (1995) observed that a large proportion of people are somewhat involved in sports as players, spectators, or fans. These people exhibit certain factors of fan behavior, such as a positive level of arousal, escape from routine, self-esteem benefits, entertainment, group affiliation, aesthetic qualities, and economic impacts. Hunt, Bristol, and Bashaw (1999) considered a fan to be an enthusiastic devotee of some particular sport, and thus more willing to consume organized sports and sports-related products. The ubiquitous nature of sports in many contemporary societies creates a wider range of involvement. As Billings et al. (2014) noted, our role in sports as a player, watcher, or follower influences our physical and emotional state and consequently fosters our well-being. Across all levels and types of sports competitions, two common elements relevant to the vitality of the fan community have become the foundation of the sports culture: (1) the images produced and (2) the language used by sports media. Unveiling sports fans’ motives and foreseeing their behavior is important to sports marketers, and most research focuses on a team performance model as the main driver of fan behavior (Hunt et al., 1999; Pritchard & Kharouf, 2014). Likewise, Hunt et al. (1999) subdivided fans into several categories: 177 rP os t Who is the better player? Off-field battle on Facebook and Twitter  Temporary fans are those who identify them- Do selves with a specific group during a certain period, even though they may not adopt a public selfidentification with the group.  Local fans are those who choose their teams based on geography, and therefore their selfidentification is related to locality and not the sports figures.  Devoted fans are those who do not manifest any time or geographic constraints, and their  Fanatical fans are those who have superlative fan-like behavior that drives them to adopt a supportive behavior outside the sports context.  Dysfunctional fans are those who consider being a fan as their primary method of self-identification. Hunt et al. (1999, p. 440) argue that the development of fans into these different categories occurs through a halo process whereby the affiliation becomes a reflex of ‘‘a reservoir of memories feed[ing] fans’ enthusiasm and passion for sports and link[ing] them to the sports institution, interpersonal relationships, and experiences’’ enhanced by social networks that incorporate fans’, followers’, or families’ shared content. In summary, athletes and sports figures are using social media to interact with fans (Pieper, 2013; Sanderson, 2013). As a result, sports fans employ social media to build community and promote their preferred representations of athletes and sports figures (Sanderson, 2013). Considering the most basic level, any online social network can become a community where individuals with similar interests or who belong to similar social structures can interact using their public persona (Acquisti & Gross, 2006). Thus, large online sports communities are created around a sport or sports figure. A sports fan with no time or geographical boundaries (i.e., a devoted, fanatical, or dysfunctional fan) tends to replicate game day experiences and behaviors in other contexts. This sports fan considers the level of interactions documented in social media related to sports (Hambrick & Sanderson, 2013; Pedersen, 2014; Pieper, 2013; Varner, 2013) and adopts a social identity theory (SIT) (Tajfel & Turner, 2004) perspective by using the virtual communities to recreate sporting event environments. Using this knowledge, Underwood, Bond, and Baer This document is authorized for educator review use only by Ricard Jensen, Montclair State University until September 2016. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860 Copyright 2015 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800)545-7685. 178 T. Tiago et al. rP os t engagement, allowing social media to significantly shorten the distance between the sports figure and fans, and consequently changing fan engagement levels. One of the major tasks facing sports marketers is maintaining engagement levels, since this reflects consumer interest and actual sportsconsumer behavior. 3. Data and results A cluster analysis was performed based on the network structure of the six athletes studied. The cluster analysis was used to identify groups of individuals that were similar but different from other groups so that specific profiles within the fans and followers could be recognized. Three clusters were found, as presented in Table 1. By examining the three clusters and comparing the analysis with the Hunt et al. (1999) fan classification structure, local and dysfunctional fans were not found; however, that might be due to an insignificant number of these types of fans in the sample. There are no fans based solely on their location and/ or with geographical constraints. This is consistent with the ubiquity of social media, which allows anyone, anywhere with an Internet connection and an account to be linked with a sports figure. The most interesting and challenging dimensions of analysis are intimacy and influence, since they are closely related to consumer sentiments. Additionally, sports fans have strong opinions and feelings and their engagement may vary with their emotions. Thus, a content analysis must be performed to translate human emotions and opinions into engagement bases. By analyzing the social media content shared on Facebook by the six players, some conclusions can be made (see Figure 2). Sports fans tend to deeply engage with specific players. However, not all content shared by these players creates the same engagement level, and specific content leads to interaction peaks. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo’s social media content No tC op yo (2001) analyzed how firms can explore social identity in sports to build service brands. Additionally, brand personality dimensions, traditionally applied to tangible brands, can also be applied to sports (Aaker, 1997). Recent studies such as Carlson, Todd Donavan, and Cumiskey (2009) suggest that athletes and teams can enhance their sport’s brand awareness and emotional ties with fans, and social media provides such opportunities. Although sports are intangible and not all multifaceted dimensions of brand personality can be applied, evidence reveals that athletes and team prestige and distinctiveness are positively influenced by both the shared and unique facets of brand personality (Carlson et al., 2009). Athletes and teams that have high-value brands are able to extend into different areas to enhance their brand value without the risk of a brand personality change (Diamantopoulos, Smith, & Grime, 2005). More specifically, athletes and teams may offer meaning to brands for fans. The endorsement of famous sports stars and their personalities can assist brand managers in positioning their brands and promoting fans to identify with brands and sports stars (Ross, 2008). The emotional involvement and commitment that occurs among sports fans establishes the basis for a community that shares the same values, likes or dislikes, and similar consumer behavior. The specific environment surrounding these consumers can be used by marketers to enhance consumer identification with a sports-related product or service and, in due course, increase brand equity and sales revenue. Therefore, and as Kavoura (2014) suggests, online communities offer unique communication opportunities for marketers and advertisers by providing direct access to specific consumer targets that are updated continuously through comments about their state of mind, desires, and likes. These virtual communities provide opportunities for reinforcing brands by making or strengthening the emotional connection with the community members. This emotional tie is intimately related with fan Table 1. Mean differences between fan segments Do Dimension Like it Comment Post activity Share links Location Gender Cluster 1 Temporary fans 18.65 2.17 0.32 2.91 0.65 0.67 Cluster 2 Devoted fans 35.64 3.30 0.51 3.10 0.58 0.68 Cluster 3 Fanatical fans 43.36 4.11 2.13 4.85 0.64 0.69 Mean difference 1
Purchase answer to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Social Media Network
Thesis statement: These are channels that are used by firms to reach to their end users more
easily and create social customer relationships.
1. Comparison of the numbers of followers on Facebook and Twitter
2. Describing the traits of the types of fans
3. Comparing the amount of fan engagement


Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

1

Social Media Network
Institution Affiliation
Date

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

2

Comparison of the numbers of followers on Facebook and Twitter
Social media has become important nowadays as it helps companies like sports firms to
reach to their audience thus creating a social customer relation. This helps the athletics to get in
touch with their audience thus increasing the companies brand and connection with their
spectators (Newman, Peck, and Wilhide, 2017). In the case, each of the players has different
number of followers on Facebook and on Twitter. Cristiano Ronaldo has a total of 106,627,520
spectators in Facebook and 33,343,328 fans in t...


Anonymous
I was having a hard time with this subject, and this was a great help.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Similar Content

Related Tags