Purpose

The study aims to identify critical factors that influence football fans’ support of their favorite team by examining the impact of social responsibility, brand credibility and team brand equity on patronage intentions of professional football teams.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey collected data from 331 football fans of the Persian Gulf Premier League (PGPL) in Iran. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The findings revealed that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is able to influence brand equity, brand credibility and patronage intentions. Also, brand equity and brand credibility were found to be positively related to patronage intentions. In addition to that, the findings show that brand equity and team credibility partially mediate the relationship between CSR and patronage intentions.

Practical implications

The findings provide valuable insights to sports teams/club managers aiming to attract new fans and retain current ones by investing in CSR and enhancing brand credibility and equity. Strategies to integrate CSR into relationship marketing and brand management are outlined.

Originality/value

This study empirically highlights the critical role of adhering to CSR and the effects of brand credibility and equity in enhancing patronage intentions among football team fans.

中文翻译：

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衡量球迷的赞助意愿：企业社会责任、品牌信誉和品牌资产的作用

 目的

该研究旨在通过研究社会责任、品牌信誉和球队品牌资产对职业足球队赞助意愿的影响，找出影响球迷支持他们喜爱的球队的关键因素。

设计/方法论/途径

一项在线调查收集了 331 名伊朗波斯湾超级联赛 (PGPL) 球迷的数据。使用偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）分析数据。

 发现

研究结果显示，企业社会责任（CSR）能够影响品牌资产、品牌信誉和惠顾意图。此外，品牌资产和品牌可信度与惠顾意图呈正相关。除此之外，研究结果表明，品牌资产和团队信誉在一定程度上调节了企业社会责任和惠顾意图之间的关系。

 实际影响

研究结果为运动队/俱乐部经理提供了宝贵的见解，旨在通过投资企业社会责任和提高品牌信誉和资产来吸引新粉丝并留住现有粉丝。概述了将企业社会责任融入关系营销和品牌管理的策略。

 原创性/价值

本研究通过实证强调了坚持企业社会责任的关键作用以及品牌可信度和公平性在增强足球队球迷赞助意愿方面的影响。