advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

The Learning Process of the Sport Consumer
Sport marketers must understand how the sport consumer learns. Some will
want to learn about a specific offering prior to creating an opinion, and hence
becoming involved with the sport product (learn : feel : do). An example
would be someone who is interested in rugby – researches and learns how to
play – then becomes a fan. Others will develop an attitude toward a sport product,
then consume the product, and as a result of satisfaction, learn more about
it (feel : do : learn). For example, a boy whose father is a football fan influences
the boy to become a fan at an early age, and as he grows older he looks
into the team and its history.
A third manner in which the sport consumer learns is by trying a sport product,
and if satisfied learn more and develop a more detailed view of the sport product
(do : feel and learn). This is evident in the example where someone with no
prior interest in basketball participates in a pickup game with some friends, then
enjoys the game and becomes a fan.
Sport marketers also have to educate the sport consumer where to buy, how
to use, and how to continue using the sport product. This is most often accomplished
through a process of teaching theory and providing experience to the sport
consumer about purchase and consumption behavior of sport product. This
learning process can be a result of a careful search of information (intentional)
or by accident (incidental). Regardless, sport marketing professionals must use
a number of techniques to educate the sport consumer. Through motivation
(which will be examined later in this chapter), the sport marketer strives to
influence the sport consumer toward a specific goal such as a purchase. Sport
marketers often use signals, sounds logos, and associations to motivate the sport
consumer. They also use reinforcement to entice the sport consumer to repurchase
the sport product.
To effectively teach the sport consumer, the sport marketing professional must
be aware of various learning theories – both behavioral (learning that takes
place as a result of observable responses to external stimuli) and cognitive (based
on problem solving and information processing).
Behavioral Learning Theories
Classical conditioning refers to the process of using an existing relationship
between a stimulus and response to bring about the learning of the same response
to a different stimulus. There are three strategic applications utilized by sport
marketers regarding classical conditioning. First is repetition, which increases
the connection with the sport product while at the same time preventing the sport
consumer from overlooking the sport product. This has a direct relationship to
exposure, which is a significant concern of sport marketers with regard to sport
product awareness. It is generally accepted that three exposures to an advertisement
is the minimum necessary for it to be effective.
The second application of classical conditioning is stimulus generation. This
is the inability of the sport consumer to differentiate between similar stimuli.
92 ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SPORT MARKETING