Brand equity for NBA stars: focusing on players in the brand equity process
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17398/1885-7019.21.637Keywords:
Brand equity, brand trust, NBA, purchate intention, sport managementAbstract
Sports teams are in a favorable position to build brand equity due to the strong psychological connections experienced by their supporters. However, more context-specific consideration of this process is needed for the role of player brands. To fill this void, this study conceptualizes a player brand equity model which introduces three new constructs to the sport management literature. The results provide strong support for the five proposed dimensions of player brand equity. Trust in player was found to be a strong predictor of player brand equity, which in turn had a significant effect on player-related purchase intentions. The findings provide support for the conceptual model of the player brand equity process. This study extends previous research by conceptualizing a brand equity process which is specifically focused on professional athletes. It does so with the first known inclusions a context-relevant emotion factor and a consumer trust in player construct.
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