A Study on Affectiveness Applied to the Football Phenomenon: Consumer Opposition Approach

Abstract

Football is a phenomenon of great relevance all over the world. Its power of influence is increasing, which makes it a reference not only in the social and cultural sector, but also at the economic or tourist level. The present study aims to present a reflection about the relationship between attachment to the brand (attachment theory) and consumer behavior (brand loyalty, brand commitment, brand satisfaction, brand trust), from the perspective of football fans in Portugal. In this sense, a conceptual model proposed to be tested empirically will be presented. Data collection was used in May 2017 through the administration of an online questionnaire (477 responses obtained). The results seem to show a strong relationship between attachment and commitment to brand, trust and behavioral intentions. The attachment to the brand of a football club positively influences all the variables that compose the concetual model of the investigation. The variables brand attachment, brand commitment, brand confidence and brand satisfaction tend to positively influence brand loyalty. This means that an adept with a high degree of attachment tends to be more satisfied, confident and committed to your club and consequently your loyalty becomes higher for your club. It should be noted that few studies have evaluated the relationship of attachment to the brand with other variables, being this an original study in the context where it is applied. In an interdisciplinary perspective, the present study presents contributions for the marketing and sport management. Some lines of future research will be presented.