Changing the game - The effects of a radical logo rebranding strategy on the consumer-brand relationship in football

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to provide an understanding of how consumer-brand relationships are affected by a radical rebranding strategy of a football club’s logo. This further leads the paper to contribute to the literature of consumer-brand relationships in the special context of football. Methodology: The interpretative nature of this research calls for a qualitative research approach so as to dig deeper into the socially constructed meanings of individuals. Aiming for methodological triangulation the empirical research utilises netnography and focus group discussion as research methods. This leads to an increased understanding of the investigated topic from different perspectives. Findings/Conclusion: The analysis of the collected data revealed that the radical rebranding strategy of changing the Juventus F.C. logo was mainly interpreted as an inappropriate action. Therefore, a main contribution of the study is to consider the importance of context in building strong and stable relationships between brands and consumers. Elaborating on the brand-relationship quality model by Fournier (1998), the findings showed that in football contexts the relationship quality includes two additional criteria. Hence, the model was adapted by aesthetical appearance and an entrepreneurial mindset, indicating critical factors for the evaluation of relationship quality between football brands and its interested individuals. Originality/Value: Looking at discussions between various groups of sport-interested individuals, the thesis investigates their attitudes towards the radical logo change in football. This enables to identify the underlying meanings embedded in the individual's cultural setting. Furthermore, these interpretations allow to evaluate the relationship quality between Juventus F.C. and the examined consumer groups after the logo change. Hence, the study bridges literature of consumer-brand relationships with researches on logo rebranding and football rebranding and moreover uses a sociocultural approach to provide knowledge to an unexplored phenomenon in the football context