New approach may help companies retain sports-brand consumers

“Brand experience has been looked at a lot, but not much in sports,” said Chung, a former professional golfer from South Korea, who points out this is one of the first brand studies of its kind for sports products. “People who play sports; it affects them differently,” he observes.

The researchers collected responses from almost 400 golfers. The results revealed that experiencing one brand can influence a golfer’s uncertainty toward other brands. However, that does not translate into satisfaction or loyalty to the brand they experienced. 

Golfers buck the usual brand experience trends

Previous research suggests brand experience should influence satisfaction and loyalty, but when it comes to golf products, the researchers say golfers seem to buck that trend.

The findings are significant for sports marketing practitioners, as the study explores an alternative marketing approach for brand differentiation that has the potential to attract and retain more customers. In the case of golf products, while brand experience may not increase satisfaction, it can alleviate or eliminate uncertainty.

“The less uncertainty you have toward a brand, you will tend to be more inclined to buy that brand over time,” Chung said. “It was interesting to find that even if you try a product, it doesn’t lead to satisfaction.”

There is a need for more research on sports products, according to Chung. Future research should therefore be conducted to understand the consequences of brand experience in the sports context.

This study, entitled The influence of brand experience on satisfaction, uncertainty and brand loyalty: a focus on the golf club industry, was published in the academic journal Sport, Business and Management. You can find out more here.