Surf tribal behaviour: a sports marketing application

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate "tribal" consumption behaviour and its relationship to branding, in the particular context of the surfing community in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach -Two focus group meetings with "surfers" and "fans" respectively, in April 2006, were enriched by computerised projective techniques and program-assisted design (PAD) technology, backed by high quality video prompts. Qualitative data analysis was enhanced by quantified data collected in the PAD phase. The design was expressly directed at future quantification and model building. Findings -Four research propositions, derived from an extensive literature review, were mostly confirmed: surfing does exhibit characteristics of a cult. There are three distinct types of adherent, their associative behaviour characterized by affiliation, social recognition, socialization and symbolism. Surfers and fans exhibit strong brand awareness and less strong preferences for surf-linked brands, in different ways.Research limitations/implications -Interpretation is limited by the scope of the study: two focus groups in one country. There is some compensation in the richness of the data. Practical implications -Marketers involved with cult consumers and tribal brands need a body of knowledge on which to base their marketing intelligence gathering and strategic planning. Originality/value -This paper provides exploratory research findings related to one classic example of the tribal brand-consumption behaviour that accounts for significant consumer spending around the postmodern world.

Brand tribalism and self-expressive brands: social influences and brand outcomes

“…However, although numerous prior studies demonstrate how consumers use brands to communicate the type of person they are to others (e.g. Belk, 1988;Moutinho et al, 2007;O'Cass, 2000), there is a dearth of research investigating whether the desire for self-expressive brands may serve as a motivation to spread WOM (Saenger et al, 2013). A study of brand love has suggested a positive relationship between self-expressive brands and WOM (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006), but this relationship has remained largely unexplored in the academic literature.…”

“…In this paper, we contend that, in the act of consuming or wearing certain brands, tribes can express their shared passion, and the wearing of fashion becomes a demonstration of tribal values. In this way, consumers can create a social link that allows tribal members to signal their shared passion, and gain acceptance from the tribe (Cova 1997;Mitchell and Imrie, 2011;Moutinho et al, 2007). This study considers that using the brand to express one's self-concept, may form part of the signaling ritual of the brand tribe.…”

“…Additionally, self-expressive brand consumption can create a social link that allows tribal members to gain group acceptance (Cova, 1997;Mitchell and Imrie, 2011;Moutinho et al, 2007). Brand tribes exist around the use of symbolism to show allegiance to a group, this symbolic consumption creates a social link that expresses the consumer's self-identity (Cova, 1997;Mitchell and Imrie, 2011).…”

The Institutions of Archaic Post-Modernity and Their Organizational and Managerial Consequences: The Case of Portugal

“…Such organizations thus become subject to "the spectacle" (Debord 1967), with image becoming as relevant as substance (Alvesson 1990): to be seen to be green, for example, becomes an end in itself, irrespective of the substance of the claims being made. As the post-modern consumer behaviour researchers argue, image is a selling entity which the product tries to represent (Moutinho et al 2007). It is not the image that represents the product, but vice-versa (Cova 1999).…”

The Importance of Windsurf Schools in Tourism: The Case of Alaçati

“…Alaçatı, which is preferred by many domestic and foreign windsurfers interested in the wind surf, becomes increasingly an important center with the national and international organizations of wind surf such as Surf tourism has evolved into a rapidly expanding market segment of the wider tourism industry, gaining significant attention in the academia during the previous decade (Martin and Assenov 2012). Furthermore, the surf tourism industry promises further growth with the development of more specialized services such as surf schools as well as increase of the market for surfing-related consumer brands (Moutinho, Dionısio, and Leal, 2007). The aim of this study is to analyze the current status of the windsurf schools, to learn their opinions on the development of surf tourism in the destination along with their expectations and suggestions.…”