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January 11, 2012

Samford Student Finds 'Championship Effect'; Invited to Present Findings at Cambridge University

The University of Alabama is not the only team to win a national championship this week. Major corporate sponsors of the Crimson Tide like Golden Flake, Regions Bank, AT&T and Coca-Cola will likely also experience a significant "championship effect" in sales in the months that follow. Dan Hall, a recent Samford University graduate, has conducted a study that shows that corporate sponsors of successful sports teams typically experience increased brand loyalty and purchases from the team's fan base. In July, in conjunction with the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, Hall along with Samford's Brock School of Business' Associate Professor of Marketing, Darin White, will present their findings at Cambridge University in England.

Hall conducted an online survey of several hundred fans from a wide variety of sports, such as college football, NBA, MLS, MLB, NFL and NASCAR. The results demonstrate that corporate sponsors of winning sports teams can expect to experience a significant bump in brand equity and purchase intentions from fans loyal to the team.

"Everyone wants to be associated with a winner," said White. "People seek to share in the glory of a winning team by publicly displaying their support for the team in various ways. By purchasing products and brands that are associated with the winning team, people vicariously join the team and share in the team's glory."

The findings demonstrate that by simply being affiliated with a winning sports team is enough to stimulate self glory. According to White, "This is why we will see so many people displaying their affiliation to the University of Alabama in the months following the national championship." Fans are also much more likely to purchase the products and brands associated with the team. "If you believe Nick Saban and other people from the team eat Golden Flake potato chips, then you want to mirror that behavior and eat them yourself – and in doing so you feel connected to the team."

According to White, "Golden Flake, Regions Bank, and other companies associated with Alabama football should also be celebrating their own championship."


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