ABSTRACT

Sport brand management has become an increasingly strategic process, yet most scholarly attention has been focused exclusively on men’s sport. This study contributes to knowledge surrounding women’s sport brands and the strategic marketing of sport organizations’ brand portfolios. We drew upon sport brand architecture and brand association knowledge to examine how consumers evaluate and perceive women’s professional sport team brands. Data collected via free-thought listing and semi-structured interviews (N = 31) revealed that while established linked brands (e.g. the pre-existing men’s team) help shape consumer perceptions toward women’s professional sport brands, unique associations driven by social and economic factors are also linked to these brands. Findings contribute to the strategic sport brand management literature and can be used by sport organizations and their stakeholders to guide the creation and development of women’s sport brand equity.

摘要

体育品牌管理已成为一个日益重要的战略过程，但学术界的注意力大多集中在男子运动上。这项研究有助于围绕女性体育品牌的知识以及体育组织品牌组合的战略营销。我们利用运动品牌架构和品牌协会知识来研究消费者如何评估和感知女性职业运动团队品牌。通过自由思考的列表和半结构化访谈收集的数据（N= 31）表明，虽然已建立联系的品牌（例如，先前存在的男性团队）有助于塑造消费者对女性职业运动品牌的认知，但受社会和经济因素驱动的独特关联也与这些品牌相关。研究结果为战略性体育品牌管理文献做出了贡献，体育组织及其利益相关者可以利用这些发现来指导妇女体育品牌资产的创造和发展。