Research
The area Marketing & Sport Management complements the unique spectrum of marketing topics within the Marketing & Service (MuSe) department. The area focuses on two research topics: (1) Brand building and brand management; (2) Digital transformation. In these research topics, interdisciplinary questions in the fields of marketing, sports management and media will be addressed.
Current research focuses of the area Marketing & Sport Management deal with the following topics:
- Brand management from a multi actor perspectiveHide
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Brands are not only created through strategic activities of the brand owner, but through the interaction of numerous actors with an interest in the brand, e.g. consumers, media, partners or employees. The brand owner cannot autonomously control the meaning of the brand. Rather, the brand is always co-created by numerous actors, regardless of whether this is intended by the brand owner or not. This gives rise to the following questions, among others, which are examined within the framework of this research focus: What implications can be derived for the emergence or development of brands? What does this change of perspective mean for brand management?
- Empowerment of human brands - Development and management of athlete brandsHide
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At the core of this research focus is the investigation of human brands from a network-oriented perspective. Athlete brands, as a special form of human brands in the context of sport, have gained particular relevance through digital transformation and the emergence of digital engagement platforms such as social media. As a result, in addition to the athletes themselves, a large number of actors, such as fans, media and sponsors, are actively involved in brand building and brand management on different platforms. It is not only important to typologize athlete brands, but also to identify concrete activities for the co-creation of brand meaning, especially on digital engagement platforms. In addition, changes in team and athlete identification as well as perceptions and consequences of increased athlete activism are examined from a multi actor perspective.
- Value co-creation on digital engagement platformsHide
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The digital transformation is a radical, disruptive change process with diverse effects on brands and individuals. Against this background, this research project examines the extent to which digital transformation influences the understanding of value co-creation. A particular focus is on exploring how digital engagement platforms enable and facilitate value co-creation between brands and relevant actors. The findings resulting from this research focus make an important contribution to the development and design of digital engagement platforms. Another central component is the investigation of measurable results from the process of value co-creation and how these affect the brands and actors involved.