Title: Emotional engagement and experiential marketing: a case study of the Athens Olympic Games

Authors: Konstantina Davou, Des Thwaites, Simon Chadwick

Addresses: Papastratos Cigarette Company/Philip Morris, 3I. Paparigopoulou Street, Athens 105 61, Greece. ' Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, Maurice Keyworth Building, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. ' Professor of Sport Business Strategy and Marketing, Coventry Business School, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK

Abstract: Major sporting events are making increased use of Mascots in their marketing communications activities. The Olympic Games is one such event, with the |Phevos| and |Athena| Mascots being omnipresent throughout the 2004 Games in Athens. Using a case-study approach, this paper sets out to examine event Mascots as elements of an experiential marketing strategy. Drawing from a series of interviews with senior Games officials, the way in which Mascots are used to generate emotion, create brand association and stimulate sensory experiences is examined. This paper concludes by identifying how Mascots are used as differentiators, value providers and consumer motivators.

Keywords: experiential marketing; mascots; Athens Olympic Games; brand association; affiliation; Greece; emotional engagement; marketing communications; sport marketing; marketing strategy; differentiation; value provision; consumer motivation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2008.017661

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2008 Vol.4 No.1, pp.102 - 122

Published online: 26 Mar 2008 *

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