Once upon a time: using brand stories to sell signature sneakers
International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship
ISSN: 1464-6668
Article publication date: 18 September 2023
Issue publication date: 2 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Storytelling has long been a popular strategy in marketing. Despite its ubiquity, the influence of storytelling in the sport marketing literature has not been investigated, especially on consumers' perspective. Thus, the purpose of this study is to (a) examine the effect of storytelling on sport consumers, and (b) explore the moderation effect of product involvement on the relationship between storytelling and purchase intention of a signature sneaker.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments using 3 (storytelling: bullet-point type vs. athlete-based story vs. product-based story) × 2 (product involvement: low vs. high) between-subjects experimental design were conducted.
Findings
The main finding illustrates that both the athlete-based story and the product-based story had a stronger influence on a consumer's purchase intention than the information that was given in a bullet-point condition. This study provides a theoretical implication of storytelling strategy for sport marketing literature. From a managerial perspective, the authors heavily recommend the use of storytelling in sport product advertisements.
Originality/value
Previous literature has highlighted the effect of storytelling in sports organization such as professional sports team or utilization in social media. However, limited studies could be found in the sports product industry and consumer behavior sector. Thus, the current study has a significant value of understanding the storytelling strategy in the perspective of sports consumers as well as brand marketers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Since acceptance of this article, the following author(s) have updated their affiliations: Yoon Heo is at the Francis J. Noonan School of Buisness, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, USA.
Citation
Williams, A. and Heo, Y. (2023), "Once upon a time: using brand stories to sell signature sneakers", International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 950-966. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-03-2022-0082
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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