CREATING SHARED VALUES BETWEEN NATIONAL TEAM IDENTITY AND GLOBAL EVENT BRAND EQUITY

We proposed and empirically examined a social identity-brand equity model for global sporting events. In the model, we focused on the functional organization of mutual benefits between fans' identification with a national team and global event brand equity. We applied a 2-step approach to assess the simultaneous equation models and utilized the bootstrapping method to examine the direct, indirect, and total effects. Participants were 280 students of diverse nationalities (102 women, 178 men; M-age = 23.84 years, age range: 18-37 years). The results indicated that attributes of local experience and global phenomena are intertwined in the formation of positive local identification with national teams and the brand equity of a global sporting event. Managers and researchers should further identify and elaborate on ways and means of creating value in order to foster the universal sport market.