Using international sport events as part of a brand construction strategy

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the author examines how the destination brand Mexico is using international sporting events as part of its branding strategy to deal with the challenges faced by destinations and to overcome some of its weaknesses. Second, the author assesses the positive and negative consequences of such strategy. The investigation tries to fill a gap in terms of understanding and assessing opportunities and challenges experienced by the sport industry in emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach The author used a case study research strategy, relying on documentation, archival records, and personal interviews with experts as sources of evidence. Given that most research efforts have focused on developed countries, this research approach was exploratory and descriptive. Findings The thematic analysis revealed the presence of five major themes related to the process of hosting and using Formula One (F1), National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Basketball Association (NBA) games as part of a brand strategy. These five major themes were labeled: brand strategy challenges and opportunities, balancing short- and long-term goals and benefits, tension between stakeholders from different destinations, social issues, and areas of improvement. Originality/value The findings shed light on the challenges and opportunities that hosting international sport events bring to a destination brand with an emerging economy such as Mexico. The opportunity to host these types of events comes from the expansion strategies of well-known sport brands such as F1, NFL, MLB, and NBA.

Professional sports teams: going beyond the core

“…Thematic analysis using the groupings identified in the paragraph above was used to examine the data (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The first-named author selected the quotes used below making sure a range of respondents were used to contrast experiences, an approach suggested in the sporting literature (Puente-Díaz, 2018). These were deliberated with the other five co-authors who as “critical friends” provided feedback and reflections on interpretations of the data, so as to enhance academic rigour (Smith and McGannon, 2017).…”

Understanding the world heritage sites’ brand diffusion and formation via social media: a mixed-method study

“…Social media, with its broad user base and accessibility, can facilitate the diffusion of a brand; however, a variety of contact points make it difficult to control (Költringer and Dickinger, 2015), leading to uncertainty (Barreda et al , 2020). For example, sports events can increase the popularity of a destination and promote brand influence (Puente-Diaz, 2018), yet it can also lead to negative sentiment, which is more closely aligned to the destination than the event (Morgan et al , 2021). Therefore, scholars put more effort to study brand events and their impacts (Gomez-Suarez and Yague, 2021; Maiello and Pasquinelli, 2015).…”

How hosting international sports events impacts on a destination brand

“…The review is based on: “Using international sport events as part of a brand construction strategy: the case of the destination brand Mexico” by Rogelio Puente-Díaz (2018), published in International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the use of international sports events as an integral part of a brand destination strategy.…”