The Social Psychology of Organizations.

Social Psychology of Organizations

Social identity theory and the organization

In 1954 Leon Festinger, a brilliant young experimental social psychologist in the process of inventing a new theory of human behavior - the theory of cognitive dissonance - and two of his colleagues, Henry Riecken and Stanley Schachter, infiltrated a cult who believed the end of the world was only months away. How would these people feel when their prophecy remained unfulfilled? Would they admit the error of their prediction, or would they, as Festinger predicted, readjust their reality to make sense of the new circumstances? Not only is When Prophecy Fails of great historical importance as the first test of a powerful theory, but it is also a surprisingly touching account of what happens to ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances.

When Prophecy Fails.

Corporate sponsorship of events contributes significantly to marketing aims, including brand awareness as measured by recall and recognition of sponsor‐event pairings. Unfortunately, resultant advantages accrue disproportionately to brands having a natural or congruent fit with the available sponsorship properties. In three cued‐recall experiments, the effect of articulation of sponsorship fit on memory for sponsor‐event pairings is examined. While congruent sponsors have a natural memory advantage, results demonstrate that memory improvements via articulation are possible for incongruent sponsor‐event pairings. These improvements are, however, affected by the presence of competitor brands and the way in which memory is accessed.

Sponsorship-linked marketing: The role of articulation in memory

To explore the role of media consumption as it relates to impressions of one’s nation, data were collected using a nationally generalizable sample of 979 American citizens over 6 different collection points before, during, and after the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Results showed a relationship between 4 nationalized qualities (patriotism, nationalism, smugness, and internationalism) and amount of World Cup media consumption. However, these reported qualities fluctuated very little over time, indicating that nationalized qualities are very hard-wired for most individuals, likely serving more as predictors of sports media consumption than effects of it. Relationships were also found between nationalized qualities and levels of fan identification toward the U.S. Men’s National Team. Conclusions related to applications to social identity theory and several other potential influences are articulated.

Examining the World’s Game in the United States: Impact of Nationalized Qualities on Fan Identification and Consumption of the 2014 FIFA World Cup

This study explores the implications of the sports communication theory of fan identification and the divisions often developed between identifying with a single athlete and the bonds developed for a sport as a whole. Using the fastest growing North American sport, mixed martial arts (MMA)—more specifically, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)—differences in levels of fan identification were examined in relationship to attitudes toward individual athletes and attitudes toward the UFC organization. An online survey of 911 respondents produced a highly representative sample of the UFC’s current audience demographics. Results showed significant differences in fan identify between gender, age, and sensationseeking behaviors, suggesting that distinct demographic variables may influence the role that fan identity has not only in sports media consumption but also in future event consumption. Implications and ramifications for future theoretical sports communication research and sports marketing are postulated.

Fan Identification Gone Extreme: Sports Communication Variables Between Fans and Sport in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

An experiment examined the effect of induced mood (positive or negative) on participants' perception of a serious or comedic movie trailer. Based on previous mood induction studies, participants we...

Targeting Mood: Using Comedy or Serious Movie Trailers

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to investigate occurrences of confirmation bias existing for sponsors whose brand is congruent to a sport. More specifically, this research investigates: if confirmation biases for congruent brands occur in the absence of exposure, the impact audience segmentation has on sponsorship evaluations by comparing highly identified fans to non-fans, and if congruent sponsors are recalled more often than incongruent sponsors after exposure.




Design/methodology/approach




An experiment was conducted to measure how exposure, type of sponsor, and fan identification impacts recognition, attitude, and purchase intention.




Findings




The results confirm sport-congruent brands are more likely to be falsely recognized as a sponsor than non-congruent sponsors in the absence of sponsorship participation. Sport consumers’ confirmation biases yield positive attitudes and purchase intentions for congruent brands even in the absence of immediate exposure. Lastly, exposure has no impact on recall or sponsor outcomes, suggesting the need for articulating the brand’s connection prior to the event to build stronger memory traces.




Practical implications




Congruent brands should carefully consider investment costs and expected return on investment, noting benefits of participation might be marginal as a result of confirmation biases. Potential sponsors should also understand cognitive benefits begin before exposure to the sponsorship occurs, and therefore need to articulate a connection to the event prior to exposure by consumers.




Originality/value




The findings suggest the importance of confirmation biases when attempting to reach sport consumers. Some brands may be able to increase recall and recognition even in the absence of exposure, thus helping decision makers when managing budgets.

Examining confirmation biases: implications of sponsor congruency

To determine how consumption team performance (winning/losing) affects fan identification and subsequent nationalism traits, a national survey of 720 respondents was conducted at four different time periods throughout the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Using structural equation modelling, increased consumption significantly predicts fan identification towards the United States Men's National Team (USMNT). Consumption alone had no effect on nationalistic identity; however, fan identification towards USMNT significantly increased nationalised qualities one exhibits toward one's home country. Winning or losing had no effect on fan identity, yet losing did negatively affect fan internationalism scores and views of global citizenship. Ramifications are offered for theory as well as conclusions related to fan identity and nationalism as a byproduct from winning and losing.

Michael B. Devlin

Papers

Examining the World’s Game in the United States: Impact of Nationalized Qualities on Fan Identification and Consumption of the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Fan Identification Gone Extreme: Sports Communication Variables Between Fans and Sport in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Targeting Mood: Using Comedy or Serious Movie Trailers

Examining confirmation biases: implications of sponsor congruency

BIRGing with the Best; CORFing for the Country: Fan Identification and Nationalism during the 2014 FIFA World Cup