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Supporting local? : using the domains of sports marketing to study how country-of-origin effect can help sports retail organizations market their products to local consumers
Author
Phua, Philip Yi Xian
Supervisor
Leng, Ho Keat
Kong, Pui Wah
Abstract
The expansion of the Asian sports market, fuelled by an increase in athleisure, has also resulted in the establishment of several local sports brands. Singaporean products, on the other hand, receive little support from Singaporeans. Similarly, country of origin (COO) research has received criticism for relevancy issues. Through a series of studies underpinning the dimensions of sports marketing and consumer ethnocentrism (CE), this thesis aimed to address the ecological need to understand how local sports brands can market their products through three studies. From a theoretical standpoint, the effects of globalisation as posited by cultural globalisation theory, and the capacity of consumer behaviour research to elicit meaning as posited by consumer culture theory would be advanced by the three studies.
In Studies 1 and 2, 140 and 197 Singaporean tertiary students were e-surveyed using online survey instruments administered via Google Forms, respectively. The third study was carried out in an experimental lab equipped with a mobile eye tracker.
The first study sought to determine whether there is a COO effect across different COO terminologies for sports products. It was discovered that while there were no differences in consumer evaluation of sport products when comparing two countries of manufacture, there were differences in evaluation when comparing two brand origins.
The second study sought to investigate the effect of CE on various types of sports products from various COO. It also sought to discover whether there were any insights to be gained from viewing CE as a multidimensional construct. It discovered firstly, a COO effect for sports shoes but not for sports products. Furthermore, CE had an impact on the COO effect for sports shoes but not for sports products. Finally, the individual CE subdimensions as measured by the CEE scale influenced consumer evaluations of sport shoes.
The third study sought to determine whether there is an effect of endorser nationality on consumer evaluations of Singaporean products. It also used eye tracking technology to see if viewing habits differed between consumers with varying levels of ethnocentrism. For consumer evaluation scores, there was no difference between participants that were exposed to the two different models. Ethnocentrism was found to be significantly related to consumer evaluation scores, but this relationship was consistent across model nationalities. Finally, it discovered differences in visual attention levels on model-related stimuli between participants who scored high or low on ethnocentrism.
Taken together, the thesis provides an integrative presentation of how the COO effect, and by extension, the effects of CE in consumer evaluations across different construct variations interact with one another in terms of product type, nationality, and endorser characteristics. In conclusion, the findings indicate that CE can influence the evaluation of local sports products among its domestic population, though the extent of that influence may vary depending on the nature of the sports product. Furthermore, viewing CE as a multidimensional construct can provide additional and deeper insights into the field, which should be considered for future research. Finally, depending on the level of CE, the use of different model nationalities can influence the visual attention paid by consumers.
In Studies 1 and 2, 140 and 197 Singaporean tertiary students were e-surveyed using online survey instruments administered via Google Forms, respectively. The third study was carried out in an experimental lab equipped with a mobile eye tracker.
The first study sought to determine whether there is a COO effect across different COO terminologies for sports products. It was discovered that while there were no differences in consumer evaluation of sport products when comparing two countries of manufacture, there were differences in evaluation when comparing two brand origins.
The second study sought to investigate the effect of CE on various types of sports products from various COO. It also sought to discover whether there were any insights to be gained from viewing CE as a multidimensional construct. It discovered firstly, a COO effect for sports shoes but not for sports products. Furthermore, CE had an impact on the COO effect for sports shoes but not for sports products. Finally, the individual CE subdimensions as measured by the CEE scale influenced consumer evaluations of sport shoes.
The third study sought to determine whether there is an effect of endorser nationality on consumer evaluations of Singaporean products. It also used eye tracking technology to see if viewing habits differed between consumers with varying levels of ethnocentrism. For consumer evaluation scores, there was no difference between participants that were exposed to the two different models. Ethnocentrism was found to be significantly related to consumer evaluation scores, but this relationship was consistent across model nationalities. Finally, it discovered differences in visual attention levels on model-related stimuli between participants who scored high or low on ethnocentrism.
Taken together, the thesis provides an integrative presentation of how the COO effect, and by extension, the effects of CE in consumer evaluations across different construct variations interact with one another in terms of product type, nationality, and endorser characteristics. In conclusion, the findings indicate that CE can influence the evaluation of local sports products among its domestic population, though the extent of that influence may vary depending on the nature of the sports product. Furthermore, viewing CE as a multidimensional construct can provide additional and deeper insights into the field, which should be considered for future research. Finally, depending on the level of CE, the use of different model nationalities can influence the visual attention paid by consumers.
Date Issued
2023
Call Number
GV716 Phu
Date Submitted
2023