Are social media and internet-driven technologies all they are cracked up to be? A case study investigating professional sport 'consumption'
by Abel Duarte Alonso; Michelle O'Shea
International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing (IJLTM), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2012

Abstract: The ever increasing popularity of social media culminated with the use of internet and other technologies among sport consumers and the general public represent an unprecedented opportunity for professional sport organisations. Understanding the extent to which consumers adapt to these developments to find out about professional clubs' games/events could be therefore beneficial to sport managers/marketers. This study investigates the traditional and non-traditional mediums two diverse consumer groups use to find out about and inform their sport product purchase decisions. The findings identify several notable differences between the ways the youth and adolescent market gather information to make purchase decisions. For this market segment, Facebook and Ticketek (online ticket information/purchase website) and e-driven communication channels featured frequently. While overall the findings illustrate that technological aided tools are becoming a preferred means of gathering information among professional sport enthusiasts, other salient factors driving purchase intentions were identified.

Online publication date: Wed, 05-Sep-2012

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