Online and mobile marketing strategies as brand love drivers in sports teams: Findings from Real Madrid

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of online and mobile marketing as drivers of brand love. Data were collected through an online survey during early 2013. A total of 241 valid answered questionnaires were collected and the constructs were tested for unidimensionality by using principal components analysis. This work confirms that in spite of the fact that players are relevant assets and investments, sports managers need to concentrate their efforts on managing the team’s brand, as this is one of the company’s most important assets. Moreover, the present paper shows that developing an interactive website is not enough to get brand love. In particular, findings reveal that traditional websites are no longer motivating customers to return to the site. As a result, sports managers need to use interactive marketing mediums to connect with consumers in real time. In addition, by integrating different elements of social media such as blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, professional teams elevate presence and create virtual communities, which influence the choice of brands and impact fan engagement. As the Real Madrid branded mobile application was not found to be a driver of brand love, marketers should consider this strategy with caution. This work could also be of help for sport managers considering mobile marketing as a way to interact with their followers.Sin financiación0.364 JCR (2016) Q4, 43/45 Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and TourismUE