Title: The influence of socialisation agents on the fan loyalty of Korean teens

Authors: Taeho Yoh, Hao-Ting Pai, Paul M. Pedersen

Addresses: Mailcode 4310, Department of Kinesiology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA. ' Mailcode 4310, Department of Kinesiology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA. ' Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, 1025 E. 7th St., HPER 112, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA

Abstract: Developing a loyal and devoted base of fans is a primary goal of professional sport organisations. To assist in developing a fan base, sport organisations need to determine which socialisation agent is the most influential for their fans. Therefore, through the use of a consumer socialisation perspective this study investigated the factors that influence the fan loyalty of Korean teens. Of the 525 participants in this study, 78.6% (n = 383) of them were found as loyal fans. This study found that television exerted the greatest influence. Results of ANOVA revealed that the influence of the socialisation agents differed according to certain demographic backgrounds (i.e., gender, age) of the teenagers. The marketers of sport organisations may utilise the findings of this study to develop more effective strategies to build fan loyalty from teenagers in Korea.

Keywords: fan loyalty; consumer socialisation; Korean teens; sport marketing; fan base; teenagers; adoloescents; Korea; sports fans.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2009.029302

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2009 Vol.6 No.4, pp.404 - 416

Published online: 18 Nov 2009 *

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