Designing a Qualitative Model of Doping Phenomenon Effect on Sport Marketing in Iran

Abstract

There are a number of factors affecting consumers' purchase behavior. It is believed that celebrities can affect companies' sale positively or negatively by transferring their image to the endorsed brand product. Regardless of positive effects, scandal, transgression, and any kind of misbehaviors may destroy sponsor companies' economics. The present paper mainly aimed to explore the effect of doping phenomenon on sport marketing. Qualitative data collecting from eighteen in-depth interviews with undergraduate students of the college of physical education and sport sciences of Islamic Azad University-Central Tehran Branch (IAUCTB) were analyzed in three phases: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. 297 open codes were achieved by 18 interviews. Grouping and comparing axial codes in each case, all identified codes were divided in five groups: brand image (athlete and endorsed product brands images), moral reasoning (moral coupling, moral decoupling, and moral rationalization), consumer behavioral consequences (word of mouth, purchase intention, and brand loyalty), attitude change (attitudes change toward athlete and brand), and moral emotions (moral evaluation, contempt, anger, disgust, and sympathy). The proposed qualitative model for the effect of doping phenomenon on sport marketing in Iran illustrated that moral emotions and product brand image affected by the doped athlete brand image and it resulted in attitudes change toward endorser athlete and endorsed brand and negative consumer behavioral consequences, however, moral reasoning strategies emerged by cognitive dissonance might protect consumers behavior from negative effects.

Measuring model of consumer’s moral reasoning in sport marketing: a scale development

“…Copeland and Potwarka (2021) consumer in response to violations of famous athlete and its effect on related brands. Therefore, there is little evidence to explain that an endorsed brand should continue its relationship with an endorser committed to immoral acts or not continue its relationship (Manouchehri, 2021;Manouchehri, et al, 2021).…”

Communication Pattern Strategies Dependent on the Transgression of Professional Sports Teams

“…이 경우 팬들은 해당 불법행위 사 안에 대해 비교적 가벼운 문제로 인지하고 프로스포츠팀 관계자 역 시 이에 대하여 적극적으로 대응하지 않을 가능성이 크다. 팀은 팀의 경기와 선수 및 팀과 관련한 제품들을 판매함으로써 이익 을 창출하고 모기업의 이미지를 긍정적으로 높인다는 점에서 팬들 이 가지는 팀에 대한 좋은 이미지가 필수적이라 볼 수 있다(Ahn et al, 2013;Manouchehri et al, 2016;Walker & Kent, 2009). 이 를 위해 프로스포츠팀은 팀과 관련한 비윤리적인 문제가 팬들에게 노출되었을 때, 이를 해결하기 위한 적절한 커뮤니케이션 방법에 대 한 전략이 필요하다.…”