Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing

 

Special Issue on: "Innovation and Sports Marketing"

Guest Editors:
Prof. Frank Pons, Kedge Business School, France and Laval University (GREMM Research Group), Canada
Prof. Mehdi Mourali, University of Calgary, Canada

The critical role played by innovation in business is ubiquitous through the extensive existing body of literature on the topic, which typically supports positive effects of product innovations on the performance of the firm (Calantone et al. 2010; Szymanski et al. 2007), revenue growth (De Faria and Mendonça 2011) or profitability (Cozza et al. 2012). However, differential effects of product and service innovations are often cited. If product innovations seem to have direct effects on the firm’s performance, service innovations could both directly and indirectly impact a company’s performance (Bettencourt and Brown 2013; Eggert et al, 2014).

Sports marketing is a field where innovations play a critical role both at the product and service levels. Whether sports companies develop a marketing strategy for a new product or professional sports franchises try to better connect with increasingly demanding fans, the sports business environment is becoming increasingly competitive and innovation-bounded. With the expansion of TV communication networks, sports franchise managers are fiercely competing for market shares or viewership, which translate into a greater need for product or service innovation. If the critical role played by innovations in sports marketing is widely accepted, academic research in this context is relatively limited. Therefore, this special issue has the objective of addressing this gap.

The aim of this issue is to examine how the innovation literature can be applied to the sports marketing context and to better understand how innovative initiatives may impact different stakeholders (broadcasters, consumers, sports properties, etc.).

Submissions are welcome on any analysis related to innovation both for the marketing of sports and marketing of innovations through sports. International submissions are encouraged as a global perspective on innovation in sports marketing is sought.

While all topics associated with innovation in sports marketing are welcome, issues which impact on business or individual consumers include the example topics listed below.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Technological innovation in sports broadcasts
• Product innovation
• Entertainment innovation
• Promotion of innovation through sports
• Impact of rule changes on sports business
• Branding of new sports/sporting events
• Innovators in sports
• Merchandising innovation
• Adoption of innovation in sports
• Cross-cultural differences in innovation adoption

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

For further information about this special issue or for expressions of interest, please contact Dr. Frank Pons at frank.pons@fsa.ulaval.ca.

Important Dates

Manuscripts due by: 30 September, 2015