THE DISSERTATION

DISSERTATION

AN INVESTIGATION INTO HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS AFFECTED THE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE FOR FOOTBALL

SUPPORTERS.

Robbie Ian George

Submitted for:

BA (HONS) Marketing

Portsmouth University

Date of Submission: 2nd May 2013

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, declare that this dissertation is my own original work, and I give

permission that it may be photocopied and made available for inter-library loan.

……………………………………………………………………..

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Acknowledgements

This is the part of my dissertation where I would like to say thank you to all that have

helped me in the completion of this work.

This piece of work has been the most satisfying to complete, whilst at the same time

it has been the most draining – both physically and emotionally!

I would like to thank my house mates; Daniel Ayden, Chris Berner, Daniel Brown,

Matthew Horrocks and Tom Rowley for accompanying me on this journey. We have

shared the good moments and the bad and it would have been a lot harder had you

all not been there.

I would like to thank my Mum, my Step Dad and my Dad for being there for me

(emotionally and financially!) throughout my 4 years at the University of Portsmouth.

Your support has been amazing and I am very grateful.

Thank you to my tutor Karen Knibbs. As well as your help with the dissertation, your

support since embarking on my placement year has been most appreciated.

I would also like to thank those who helped in the completion of this dissertation by

participating in the research. Thank you for giving up your time to play a part.

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Abstract Social media is the 21st century word of mouth. It is shaking industries to their core

as the way consumers talk to each other and exchange information is fundamentally

changing. Football is an industry that is too seeing social media further ingratiated

into its communications. The existing literature on social media recognises its

benefits and features, though there is a distinct lack of literature on social media

specifically within sports. This is the objective of the dissertation – to investigate the

effect of social media within the football experience for football supporters.

As stated, the lack of literature on this subject was justification for undertaking this

dissertation. A questionnaire was administered to gather research into this area, and

the quantitative data produced gave an insight into football supporters’ views about

social media’s role in the football experience. To briefly outline, two major elements

of the social media football experience were highlighted by respondents as most

enjoyable; match day updates and player-centric content. Alongside that,

respondents highlighted the social media platforms they wish to see more of in

football. The author recommended how football clubs could use the findings to

improve their social media strategy, and thus improve supporters’ perceptions of

social media in the football experience.

The following keywords have been identified for use in this dissertation; social

media, digital marketing, football, Facebook, Twitter, brand, engagement, sport,

sports marketing, sports teams, supporters and football fans.

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Contents

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………3

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………4

1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………8 1.1 Research Rationale……………………………………………………………..8

1.2 Research Aim…………………………………………………………………...9

1.3 Research Objectives……………………………………………………………9

2 Literature Review………………………………………………………10 2.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………10

2.1.1 Purpose of Literature Review………………………………………10

2.1.2 Definitions and Descriptions of Key Elements…………………10

2.2 Main Body………………………………………………………………………12

2.2.1 Features of Social Media…………………………………………12

2.2.2 Engagement………………………………………………………….12

2.2.3 Consumer Benefits from Social Media……………………………13

2.2.4 Social Media to Build Brand Equity………………………………..14

2.2.5 Dangers of Social Media for Business……………………………15

2.2.6 The Internet and Football…………………………………………16

2.2.7 Digital Marketing…………………………………………………….19

2.2.8 Digital Marketing within Sports…………………………………….20

2.2.9 Sports Teams and Social Media…………………………………21

2.3 Summary of the Literature Review…………………………………………24

3 Methodology…………………………………………………………..26 3.1 Research Design………………………………………………………………26

3.1.1 Research Philosophy……………………………………………….27

3.1.2 Research Approach…………………………………………………27

3.1.3 Research Strategy…………………………………………………..28

3.1.4 Research Choice……………………………………………………28

3.1.5 Time Horizons……………………………………………………….28

3.1.6 Ethics…………………………………………………………………29

3.2 Secondary Data………………………………………………………………..29

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3.3 Primary Data…………………………………………………………………29

3.3.1 Questionnaire………………………………………………………..30

3.3.2 Limitations……………………………………………………………30

3.3.3 Questionnaire Design………………………………………………31

3.4 Confidentiality………………………………………………………………….33

3.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….33

4 Analysis and Discussion……………………………………………34 4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….34

4.2 Demographics of Sample…………………………………………………….35

4.2.1 Participants by Age………………………………………………….35

4.2.2 Participants by Gender……………………………………………..35

4.3 Research Objective 2…………………………………………………………36

4.3.1 Preferred Social Media Platforms……………………………........36

4.3.2 Player Engagement…………………………………………………37

4.3.3 Match Day Experience……………………………………………..38

4.3.4 Two Way Communications…………………………………………39

4.3.5 Overall Experience…………………………………………………39

4.3.6 Summary……………………………………………………………..40

4.4 Research Objective 3…………………………………………………………41

4.4.1 Future Social Media Platforms…………………………………….41

4.4.2 Recommendation……………………………………………………41

5 Conclusions and Recommendations……………………………….43 5.1 The dissertation conclusion………………………………………………...43

5.2 Limitations………………………………………………………………………44

5.3 Recommendations……………………………………………………………44

5.4 Final Thoughts………………………………………………………………..44

References……………………………………………………………………46

Appendices………………………………………………………………….52

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List of Figures  

Figure Title Page Number

1 Janal (1997) – Comparing Online and Offline Media. 18

2 Saunders et al (2009) – The Research Onion. 25

3 Stages that must occur if a question is to be valid and reliable. 30

4 Participants by age . 34

5 Participants by gender. 34

6 Which social network do you enjoy the most? 35

7 Which Social Network offers you the best football experience

on social media?

35

8 How effective do you believe football clubs are at using players

in their social media?

36

9 Has Social Media improved fan’s match day experience? 37

10 Effectiveness of clubs at two way communication on social

media.

38

11 Extent to which social media has improved the overall football

experience.

39

12 Overall effectiveness of clubs at social media. 39

13 Social Networks respondents would like to see in the future. 40

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1. Introduction  

1.1 Research Rationale

“With the advent of social media, consumers are rapidly adopting social networking

sites, engaging in micro-blogging, and downloading applications for smartphones

and computer tablets to enhance their social lives and promote sharing and

communication with friends and family” (Andzulis et al, 2012).

Despite its length, this quote successfully explains how social media is now

engrained in the everyday lives of the consumer. But how has the advent of social

media and its meteoric rise in recent years affected the world’s number one sport

(Giulianotti and Robertson, 2004) – football?

Walmsley (2012) comments that football has strengthened its dominant position in

the spectator sports market in general interest terms over the past two years and has

created a wider range of options for following the game, particularly through media.  

Walmsley (2012) identifies that beyond the stadium, new technologies and media

platforms are creating new ways of following football, particularly around mobile

devices. These propositions can deepen fans’ engagement with the game through

always-on connections and change the way in which consumers watch live football

in future. Social media platforms are facilitating this engagement through the major

platforms in Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, to the niche in Vine, Instagram and the

like. As Tonya Antonucci (cited in Lough, 2010), Commissioner of Women’s

Professional Soccer put it when talking about social media, “it’s cost-effective and

word of mouth is just such a powerful tool.” This opportunity that social media offers,

means that fan engagement can be spread faster and farther than ever before.

Brown and Billings (2013) state that “social media is a viable mechanism for people

to display their fandom”, and Sanderson (2011, cited in Brown and Billings, 2013)

describes this social nature of sports as a reason many fans are using social media

to interact with other fans, athletes, and journalists.

There is a distinct lack of literature on the effect social media has had within football.

However, after reading the academic evidence that social media and digital

marketing is having a direct impact on supporters’ ability to engage within their

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favourite sports, there is a prerogative to investigate further into how social media

specifically affects the football experience for fans.

Another driver in conducting this research project for the author was his involvement

in running a social media management company. During his placement year running

the business, he decided upon basing his dissertation on social media’s effect on

football. This is due to the subject matter including two of the author’s upmost

passions. A keen interest in social media, coupled with being an avid football fan,

meant combining these two made perfect sense.

The dissertation will look at how social media has affected the experiences of

football fans. This is to assert the impact of social media has had on those who

follow the beautiful game.

1.2 Research Aim

Firstly, to explore the effect that social media has on the football experience for

football supporters, and secondly to learn what fans would like to see from social

media’s future role in the football experience.

1.3 Research Objectives

1. To explore the existing literature on social media, football and all the elements

that affects the proposed research.

2. To investigate football fans views on social media’s involvement in the football

experience.

3. To highlight what changes football supporters would like to see for social

media’s involvement in the football experience, and then propose ways to

achieve this improvement.

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2. Literature Review  

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Purpose of Literature Review

Since its inception and rise to global prominence, social media has continued to

infuse itself with the everyday lives of consumers. As internet users continue to

adopt social media platforms to share, network and engage with their peers, brands

are being forced to adapt and find news way to navigate the complexities of the

transparent consumer web that is now in play as a result of the social-era. This

doesn’t stop with football, where social media has provided an emotionally charged

network of fans the vehicle to engage with their favourite teams.

The objective of this section of the dissertation is to identify literature that discusses

social media. We will look at the perception and features of social media by brands,

with a specific focus on football. We will begin by looking broadly at the topic and

then narrowing our focus down as the literature review progresses.

2.1.2 Definitions and Descriptions of Key Elements

Social media, digital marketing and football are all key areas of this literature review

and dissertation. Before looking at the features and perceptions around each, it is

important to understand each elements definition by academics who have

researched it. Social media will be the starting point.

Social media is a core component of digital marketing. Okazaki and Taylor (2013)

state that social media have been defined as a series of technological innovations in

terms of both hardware and software that facilitate inexpensive content creation,

interaction, and interoperability by online users. It is interesting that they identify

‘hardware’ in the definition as this is not normally the case when defining social

media. An example of a more concise definition of social media can be found with

McDonnell and Shiri (2011) who state that social media systems allow people to

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share and discover information. As well as broadly explaining what social media is, it

is important to identify the definitions that focus on the platforms and facets that

social media entails. Okazaki and Taylor (2013) say a typical classification of social

media includes collaborative projects (e.g. Wikipedia), blogs, user-generated content

communities (e.g. Flickr; YouTube; Youku/Toduo), social networking sites (e.g.

Facebook; Cyworld), virtual game worlds (e.g. EverQuest), and virtual social worlds

(e.g. Second Life). Both these definitions highlight the ‘sharing’ nature of social

media, thus showing general understanding of this important feature of social media

is not in question.

An effective and current definition of digital marketing is given by Smith (2012) who

states that digital marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using

digital distribution channels via computers, mobile phones, smart phones, or other

digital devices. This definition is valuable as it takes into account the crucial ‘mobile’

element of digital marketing which is often missed out in definitions of digital

marketing that precede around 2010. This can be noticed in an earlier definition from

Rowley (2002) where she states that in the digital world, marketing communication

has become more complex and extends beyond simple one-way transmission to a

number of arenas in which communication is two-way. Seeing how far our

understanding of digital marketing has come shows the precedence it now takes in

overall marketing efforts.

Football is the nation’s best loved game (Auty, 2002). Played by two teams of 11, it

is now well established as one of the UK’s leading leisure sectors, with total annual

attendances consistently around 30 million and televised matches attracting peak

audiences of 20 million on free-to-air channels and 4 million on pay TV (Walmsley,

2012). Walmsley goes on to state that the value of English professional football club

revenues is at around £2.9billion in 2012/13, making it an extremely lucrative market.

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2.2 Main Body

The literature review will look at work done on each area that relates to social media

and will affect its relationship with football clubs and football fans.

2.2.1 Features of Social Media

Understanding that social media as a technology exists is all well and good, but what

are the features of social media? What does it facilitate? Bruhn, Schoenmueller and

Schafer (2012) identify that the emergence of social media platforms facilitates

consumer-to-consumer communication and accelerates communication especially

between unknown consumers. Bruhn et al have acknowledged that a key feature of

social media is the one-to-one nature and this is forcing businesses to take notice as

Baird and Parasnis (2011) support by saying that businesses are feeling extreme

pressure to engage where their customers are paying attention. Baird et al go on to

authenticate this point by noting that today, this hub of customer activity is

increasingly virtual, located inside a social media or social networking site.

These descriptions are adequate for identifying the one-to-one nature of social

media. This is ultimately the unique feature of social media that separates it from

many other media channels such as TV and print. However neither author mentions

any specific social media platforms that facilitate these social media features.

2.2.2 Engagement

The key theme in social media activity, ‘engagement’ is defined as turning on a

prospect to a brand idea enhanced by the surrounding context (Sashi, 2012). This is

quite a limited definition but Sashi goes on to provide a more detailed definition by

stating engagement refers to the creation of experiences that allow companies to

build deeper, more meaningful and sustainable interactions between the company

and its customers or external stakeholders.

These descriptions both refer to the necessity for context and relationships in any

engagement. But what tangible way is there of proving engagement works in the

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long term for brands and businesses in terms of adding to the bottom line? Roberts

and Alpert (2010) insinuate that there isn’t any tangible way of proving engagement

hits the bottom line by stating that “intuitively most people agree that being good to

customers makes sense, however, typical customer satisfaction measures do not

provide robust links to financial metrics. Roberts and Alpert continue with “though

high customer satisfaction links to better business performance it does not motivate

organisations to strongly engage with customers because the causal links to

financial goals are not clear.”

If this is the case, then what is the incentive for companies to spend time and

resources pursuing a strategy of engagement in social media? Well (A customer

engagement cycle for Web 2.0…, 2012) argues that there is a point, stating “by

understanding customers' needs fully, they will be satisfied with a product or service

and hence be engaged, and when engaged they will exhibit both loyalty and

advocacy, thus providing repeat purchases and widening the market”. This is

interesting as although it does contradict what Roberts and Alpert said to an extent, it

also backs up their point where that said “intuitively most people agree that being

good to customers makes sense.” Witkemper et al (2012) identify that “social media

is being used more frequently by sports organisations and athletes as a tool to

communicate with fans.” This shows that sports teams see a value in fan

engagement, as well as supporting the previous author. Therefore we can conclude

that although there are arguments to be made that engagement can’t be attributed to

bottom line success, most commentators on engagement say that it generally brings

benefits to a company. It must be noted though that with literature unsure on whether

engagement can be directly attributed to bottom line growth, there is still a large

selection of companies who choose not to invest in engagement.

2.2.3 Consumer Benefits from Social Media

With social media taking prevalence in the everyday lives of consumers, what

derived benefits are consumers enjoying from using social media?

Social media has given consumers a voice and Jin (2012) points out that consumers

may promote their favoured brands by posting positive comments on the brands’

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Facebook pages and Twitter or uploading favourable video clips to YouTube. At the

same time, consumers may use brands’ social media as complaint forums by posting

negative comments about an unsatisfactory transaction with a company.

Aside from being able to voice their opinions, one benefit to consumers from

participation in social media is entertainment. Gummerus et al (2012) point out that

entertainment benefits are derived from relaxation and fun  and could be motivating

community participation. This could include brands that hold an emotional value to

the consumer. Entertainment could include the playing of games on social media

sites such as Facebook or Google+.

Social media offers users the chance to pick and choose which communities they

wish to engage in. This means that users have control over which companies they

follow and therefore have control – most of the time – over which content they

consume and engage with. Palmer and Koenig-Lewis (2009) support this outlined

benefit by stating that with the introduction of the community element, the customer

interacts with self-selected communities. Unlike traditional marketing which

consumers are often subjected to against their will, any companies they choose to

follow are ones that they have chosen to in the first place, meaning they may already

have a positive disposition towards that company. This leads nicely on to ‘brand

equity’.

2.2.4 Social Media to Build Brand Equity

Brand equity is a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and

symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a

firm and/or to that firm's customers (Buil, Martinez & Chernatony, 2013). Buil et al go

on to say that brand equity consists of four key constructs; brand awareness,

perceived quality, brand associations and brand loyalty.

Bruhn, Schoenmueller & Shafer (2012) point out that the trend of consumers

becoming fans of brands on social media platforms and using social media as an

increasing source of information about brands leads to the assumption that social

media in addition to traditional marketing communication instruments exerts an

important impact on a brand's success. Brands and businesses must now

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incorporate social media into their strategy to help build brand equity, and not just

rely on traditional marketing tools to supplement this goal. Bruhn et al go on to

support this by saying social and traditional media communications therefore both

play an important part in improving the brand equity by increasing the probability that

a brand will be incorporated in the consumer's consideration set, simplifying the

consumer's brand choice and turning that choice into a habit.

If a consumer begins incorporating a particular brand into their considerations

permanently, the chance of that consumer spending a greater percentage of their

wallet on that brand increases. This means that social media has not only

strengthened the businesses brand equity, but it has also played its part in positively

affecting the businesses bottom line.

Bodet and Chanavat (2010) insinuate that it is important for professional football

clubs to implement a brand development strategy. This is because one of the four

key constructs of brand equity, ‘perceived quality’, is an important consideration for

fans when supporting a particular football club. Growing a fan base is important to

football club’s success so this puts an emphasis of the importance of brand equity

building and thus social media too.

With social media usage exploding, consumers expect brands to be there also. It is

clear from looking at the literature on brand equity that social media success is

crucial to organisations improving their brand image. However adopting a social

media strategy and openly engaging customers in order to improve brand image can

leave a company exposed to potential risks. This brings us onto the dangers of

social media for businesses.

2.2.5 Dangers of Social Media for Businesses

As with any new technology or marketing trend there is always uncertainty and

horror stories regarding brands and individuals that failed when it comes to utilising

it. As Shepherd (2011) points out, “with every new medium there is always a

backlash”. One danger for businesses is that employees could use social media in

the workplace to eat into their time and effect productivity. Shepherd (2011) also

goes on to state that managers would be a little anxious about the prospect that their

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employees will spend a good proportion of their six Facebook hours per month in

work time. The risk also bypasses what employees could post to each other, to what

the business as an entity could post on its own social media accounts. As (‘the dark

sides of the social…’, 2012) mentions that the potential disasters awaiting

businesses if they issue misguided information through Twitter, estimating that the

average costs of such a catastrophe can be well over $3m. It goes on to mention

that the most common social media failures include:

• Employees making secret information available;

• Employees sharing information against advice;

• Activities opening corporations up to legal challenges.

A number of high profile brands have experienced the dangers of social media first

hand in 2012 with their own disasters. These include McDonalds, the National Rifle

Association and American Apparel (Fiegerman, 2012). These social media disasters

normally come about after poorly thought out and planned pursuits of engagement.

2.2.6 The Internet and football

Social media is of course a by-product of the internet, as it is the connectivity and

freedom of the internet that facilitated the development of social networks. So at a

very basic level, what is the internet and what effect does it have on sport and

football?

The earliest form of the internet comes from 1960’s America where “the US Internet

emerged from two Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research

projects” (Weis, 2010). Since then, the internet has developed and the internet as we

know it today, otherwise known as the consumer web, began to take shape in the

mid 90’s. Heung (2003) makes the observation that the internet is more accessible

and less expensive than it was which supports Christodoulides, Michaelidou and

Siamagka (2013) stating that recent statistics indicate the number of people going

online is now close to two billion which is approximately 27 per cent of the world's

population. Herbig (1997) says the Internet is a dynamic source of information as

well as an extraordinary marketing tool that is able to reach nearly any user.

Westphal (1998) says the Internet, which began as a communication network

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controlled by the US Government, is a free and open international information

superhighway.

Why do consumers use the internet? The primary purpose is as an information

gathering tool, as Heung (2003) states the internet boasts advantages over other

media as an information-gathering tool. Heung (2003) also states that apart from

information search, internet users make bookings or purchase products and services

through the internet. As a direct consequence of consumers using the internet to

make purchases, brands and businesses use the internet as a channel for their on-

going marketing efforts to acquire these consumers. Rowley (2004) states that the

Internet as a marketing channel is interactive, accessible, ubiquitous, and integrates

marketing communication with commercial transactions and service delivery.

Adoption of the internet has not halted when it comes to football. Auty (2002) talks a

lot about how the internet has empowered football fans in her study entitled ‘Football

fan power and the Internet: net gains?’. Auty highlights that it is argued the Web is

an ideal forum for fan power, providing a cheap and effective means of mobilising

support for campaigns in conjunction with traditional lobbying techniques.

When looking at how the internet has given opportunity to football fans, there are

different examples of how supporters have best used the internet to meet their

objectives. The ‘Supporters Direct’ initiative was launched as a way to “advise fans

who want to play a responsible role in the future of their team, and with help towards

start-up costs, supporters will be able to create Supporters’ Trusts to acquire shares

in their clubs” (Auty, 2002). The [Supporters Direct] website contains advice on how

to set up a Supporters’ Trust, formulate a constitution, buy and manage shares in a

club and even gain a seat on the board. Individual trusts such as the Northampton

Town Football Club Trust then maintains a consistent dialogue with the fans. The

Trust can only maintain a meaningful dialogue by pointing to where it stands on club

issues and the needs of the fans. This may involve using space in the match

programme, fanzines, websites or simple leaflets (Auty, 2002). This is an example of

how fans can use the internet to organise a movement to have a representative

inputting on matters that include the financial and political running of their football

club.

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Despite the emergence of supporters trust groups, the development of ‘Fanzines’ as

a result of the internet is often argued as the most important use of the internet by

fans. Auty (2002) states that fanzines are often regarded as the true voice of the

fans. Auty goes on to say that because fanzines are cheaply and locally produced

they are superb mouthpieces for fan power, and as such have transferred effortlessly

to cyberspace. Green (1999) supports Auty by noting the following two points. Firstly,

they set the tone for a new style of football writing in which the fans’ point of view is

paramount. Secondly, fanzines have been a major force behind the recent trend

towards greater democracy and participation in footballing discourse, as part of a

concerted effort to reclaim the game for the ordinary supporter.

Auty (2002) states that the Internet has clearly established itself as a means of

mobilisation for football fans in a variety ways. Fanzines have made an effortless

move to cyberspace and a number of supporters’ groups have utilised the Web to

help with their individual campaigns. Supporters’ Trusts and ISAs keep members

informed of developments via the Web and many use the Net to canvass opinions on

a range of issues. The internet has not just affected the football experience for

supporters – it has also given football clubs plenty of opportunity.

Beech, Chadwick and Tapp (2000) talk about the role of the internet, and websites in

particular, in football club marketing. Beech et al say that at a marketing level, the

extent to which the Internet should be used as an awareness raiser, rather than as a

medium for selling, is an important issue.

A study undertaken by Beech et al (2000) showed that the provision of loyalty

schemes, online shopping, e-mail dialogue and other contact devices all pointed to

database building. Collecting a database of fans – and therefore customers – gives

the football club the opportunity to build up its marketing database, an asset which

has significant relationship building and commercial potential (Beech et al, 2000).

This is an interesting point from Beech et al as relationship marketing is an area of

great importance in social media. Highlighting this point is reaffirming that the social

media – and therefore the internet – are of significant use to football clubs.

We can see from the literature discussed above that the internet has certainly altered

the experience for both supporters and clubs when it comes to football. The easy

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spread of information and ability to develop networks has been the cause of this. The

majority of literature speaks of how access to the internet has brought about

numerous benefits for both football fans and football clubs.

2.2.7 Digital Marketing

Defined earlier in the dissertation, digital marketing is the umbrella that any social

media activity falls under. The commercialization of the internet - coupled with the

increasing adoption rate of the internet by consumers – has resulted in digital

marketing being a core element of any companies overall marketing strategy.

This realisation that digital would eventually change the way businesses market was

highlighted even as far back as the 90’s. Kiani (1998) talked about how the

appearance of the new marketing environment is aligned with the evolutionary

progress of the marketing functions from a mass-market, one-to-many model to

more interactive individualisation of goods, services and interactions. Seeing as this

was noted in 1998, this is a good description of what effective digital marketing

entails – the realisation that one-to-one marketing can now be executed at scale,

thus opening up a world of opportunity for businesses. A slightly more current and

modern validation of that claim by Kiani is supported here by Rowley (2004) who

states “in the digital world, marketing communications is concerned with creating

presence, creating relationships, and creating mutual value.” Creating relationships

and mutual value are both essential outcomes that result from successful interactive

individualisation of any marketing efforts. The development of digital marketing has

given marketers a greater variety of options when it comes to choosing which

channels to adopt in their strategies.

Figure 1: Comparing Online and Offline media

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The above table (Janal, 1997) shows how online/digital marketing differs from that of

traditional marketing. As we can see, the disparities are stark. With these new

channels to exploit that offer variances in cost, time, interactivity etc, it is no surprise

that digital marketing has altered the way businesses develop their strategies for

engaging with their audiences.

After understanding the features that encompass digital marketing, the next step is to

identify literature that has talked about the role of digital marketing within sports.

2.2.8 Digital Marketing within Sports

Sports marketing is the way organizations make use of the emotional bond of the

fans to their sport heroes and teams in order to place themselves favourably to sell

more of their products and services; to increase their awareness and goodwill, as the

means to channel sports for the average fan; and to achieve their products’ and

services’ relationship marketing and positioning as part of their marketing strategy

(Schlossberg, 1996). This is a very detailed definition that encompasses both the

description and objectives of what sports marketing is. Ratten (2011) puts the

industry worth of ‘sports marketing’ at around $141 billion.

Brown (2003) writes that because sport is the sixth-largest industry in the U.S. with a

Gross Domestic Sports Product of $213 billion, it is important for sports marketers to

develop new methods for researching targeted audiences to increase their

organisation’s share of the GDSP. Although this is a citation talking about the sports

market in the United States, it does show just how large the sports industry is in an

economy as vast as the United States, thus showing its importance. Brown (2003)

goes on to state that if used effectively, the internet may help. Brown then expands

on this point by saying that for sports organisations, the web provides access to a

desirable target market that justifies establishing an online presence. Ioakimidis

(2007) supports this earlier statement by Brown by saying that because it is

expressly designed for the rapid and widespread distribution of information, and

because marketing is an information-based function, the internet, with its World Wide

Web, is potentially a very powerful marketing tool for sport organisations. What is

interesting about both of these definitions is that they mention how important the

    R.,  George  (2013)  

21    

development of the internet – and therefore the advent of digital marketing – is to

sports organisations. Neither author states that the opportunity the internet brings is

of no real value to sports organisations.

One element of a digital marketing strategy is the development of a website and

Brown (2003) identifies that in regard to sport organisations websites, the most

important marketing communication objective was to provide information on the

organisation to the visitor. Brown goes on to highlight that it was not until the fourth

highest ranked objective - ‘establishing an interactive channel of communication with

visitors’ – that utilising the uniqueness of the web as a marketing medium entered

the ranking. Whilst taking the date of this citation into account, this shows that sports

organisations were not focused on exploiting the two-way communication

opportunities that digital marketing and therefore social media present to them.

Hur, Ko and Valacich (2011) state that the popularity and growth of online sport

consumption suggests a clear opportunity for sport-related marketers to effectively

use the internet as a key component within an overall marketing strategy. However

Hur et al go on to say that in the sport website context, consumers have high

hedonic values (fun and entertainment) rather than utilitarian values when compared

with other business contexts.

This is important as it makes the point that the demands of sports fans when

engaging with their teams on digital media is different to those of a traditional

consumer engaging with a company. Sports fans have an emotional attachment to

their teams and wish to derive pleasure from their relationship with the team, thus

giving marketers and media officials a different challenge to their counterparts in

traditional companies. One way sports teams can go about delivering on the

demands of consumers with high hedonic values as pointed out by Hur et al (2011)

is by using social media.

2.2.9 Sports Teams and Social Media

Bring the literature review in from simply looking at social media for businesses, it is

crucial to look at any literature that discusses the use of social media by sports

teams in particular. Moore (2011) states that athletes and sports teams have

    R.,  George  (2013)  

22    

embraced social media, and teams looking for quantifiable social media success first

need to recognise Facebook and Twitter as assets on par with traditional outlets.

Pronschinske, Groza and Walker (2012) support this statement by identifying that in

recent years, many sports teams have both extended and repositioned their

marketing efforts through this still emerging medium. Going back to Moore, he

makes an interesting statement here as he actually names Facebook and Twitter as

being crucial to social media success. This is quite a basic description of quantifying

social media success, as Huy and Shipilov (2012) state that to be successful, social

media initiatives must focus first and foremost on the development of emotional

capital, which we define as the aggregate feelings of goodwill. The difference

between the two descriptions here is that one focuses on securing a presence on a

particular set of platforms whereas the other focuses on the behaviour and

necessities once on a platform.

Moore (2011) talks about the benefits sports teams can expect from having a social

media presence. He makes the point that teams that emphasise social media

practices gain a mobilised captive audience receptive to marketing messages. This

is important as it identifies that the main priority of any business or sports

organisation is to generate revenue, and this is done by selling to customers through

marketing efforts. Moore points out here that social media is a good vehicle to help

achieve this.

However Moore doesn’t specify what type of marketing this is. Pronschinske, Groza

and Walker (2012) point out that as social media usage increases, so too does the

potential for sport teams to connect with individuals not normally reached through

traditional marketing channels. Because Waters, Burke, Jackson and Buning (2011)

identify that sports fans are often more invested in the organisation-public

relationship than the average consumer, this opens the door to relationship

marketing being prefect for social media and sports teams. Morgan and Hunt (1994)

define relationship marketing as all marketing activities directed toward establishing,

developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges. Pronschinske et al

(2012) say that that sports teams have the unique opportunity to capitalise on social

connections by implementing and utilising social network strategies to bolster their

relationship marketing. They continue to support this by saying that this opportunity

    R.,  George  (2013)  

23    

with relationship marketing on social media will provide the teams with specific

information about their fans, which will help them tailor messages based on certain

needs, wants, and behaviours. Palmatier (2008) relates relationship marketing and

social media back to the basic objectives of any business or sports team by saying

that relationship marketing has been found to lead to favourable financial outcomes

for sport organisations.

Aside from mentioning the marketing benefits of social media to sports teams, Moore

(2011) also identifies the steps teams must take to make the most from social media.

Moore mentions that the first step in a successful social media effort is to make it

simple for fans to become followers. This makes sense as sports teams must ensure

they get as many of their devoted fans to find them on social platforms in order to

most effectively use them. What is important is that Moore (2011) makes the point

that different social media platforms require different strategies. He does this by

stating “what works on Facebook does not necessarily work on Twitter and vice

versa. Moore (2011) explains that the thing with Facebook or Twitter is to make sure

it has an element of fun to it. He explains this by stating that social media-related

entertainment for fans can consist of posting polls, asking trivia questions and

requesting that followers tweet their favourite team moments.

By looking at the literature on social media for sports teams, it is clear that there is

an understanding of the benefits social media can bring to sports. However, there is

a distinct lack of literature that talks about how these same benefits relate to social

media within football.

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24    

2.3 Summary of the Literature Review

After identifying and looking at the available literature on social media, football and

all the areas surrounding it, we can now conclude the findings and confirm the

research question.

This literature review has allowed me to look at all available research on the chosen

subject area and identify gaps or interesting points to explore further with my own

work. The examination of available literature has been undertaken using appropriate

keyword searches that match the subject of my dissertation.

Undertaking this literature review has allowed me to satisfy research objective 1.

Using this literature I can now undertake my own research that will aid in completing

objectives 2 and 3.

The literature review shows that there is a clear understanding on the effects that

social media has on the sports market and sports teams. The work of Moore (2011)

and Pronschinske et al (2012) for example show this. Moore states “teams that

emphasise social media practices gain a mobilised captive audience receptive to

marketing messages”. However, the lack of literature that investigates the effect of

social media on football teams and supporters is cause to undertake my proposed

research.

Research in the literature review also showed that there was a lack of desire from

football clubs to fully implement two-way engagement strategies in their digital

marketing. Seeing as social media is the channel of digital marketing that best meets

the two-way communication objective, it is important to delve into whether this is still

the case and see if I can uncover evidence that contradicts the work of Brown

(2003).

It is clear that there is a distinct lack of research on how social media specifically

affects football fans. I have discovered that there is an abundance of literature on

social media. There is also a great deal of authors who comment on the internet and

football, or social media and sport, but there is a clear gap on work that delves in the

specifics of social media and football. Because research in this area is limited, it

highlights the need for this dissertation in order to develop the understanding of how

    R.,  George  (2013)  

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social media is specifically affecting the football experience – not just the sports

market.

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26    

3. Methodology

This section of the dissertation will highlight the procedure that was undertaken

throughout the research, and will critically evaluate the processes chosen. Part of

this evaluation will be the justification for the methods chosen in order to satisfy the

research objectives.

3.1 Research Design

Using the theories and research process of Saunders et al (2009), this section

details the stages of research design used to carry out the research. Saunders

‘Research Onion’ (figure 2) was adapted to identify the stages during the research

design. Bryman and Bell (2011) define research design as “referring to a framework

for the collection and analysis of data”.

The Research Process

Philosophies

Approaches

Strategies

Choices

Time Horizons

Techniques & Procedures

Figure 2: The Research Onion, Saunders et al (2009), p. 138.

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27    

3.1.1 Research Philosophy

Saunders et al (2009, p. 600) states that research philosophy is the overarching term

relating to the development of knowledge and the nature of that knowledge in

relation to research. Saunders notes that the main influence on the philosophy you

adopt is likely to be your particular view of the relationship between knowledge and

the process by which it is developed.

This study is concerned with understanding the feelings and attitudes of supporters

on how social media affects their football experience. With that in mind and seeing

as the research question does not unambiguously suggest the use of one

philosophy, the philosophy of research that was applied to this study was that of a

pragmatist. Pragmatism is a position that argues that the most important determinant

of the research philosophy adopted is the research question (Saunders et al, 2009,

p.598).

3.1.2 Research Approach

This research has employed an inductive approach. An inductive approach is a

research approach involving the development of a theory as a result of the

observation of empirical data (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 593).

Using an inductive approach is important as the research question requires us to

understand how football supporters feel about social media’s involvement in the

game. Adopting a fully deductive approach would have been counter-productive. It

was important to not try and prove that respondents to the research felt one way or

another as this may have influenced their answers and risked the validity of the data.

However, though the study is approached in an inductive way, a survey strategy was

chosen to improve the reliability of results. A survey is mainly associated with a

deductive approach. ‘Deductive’ is an approach to the relationship between theory

and research in which the latter is conducted with reference to hypotheses and ideas

inferred from the former. (Bryman and Bell, 2011, p.714).

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3.1.3 Research Strategy

A research strategy is a general plan of how the researcher will go about answering

the research question (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 600). The research strategy adopted

here is a mix of case study and survey. It is ‘case study’ due to the fact the research

is looking at the effects of social media in the ‘real-life context’ (Saunders et al, 2009)

of the football industry. Despite this being a largely inductive study, a survey strategy

is being used in this study. This is because using a questionnaire approach gives the

author the best way to collect both a large amount of data and compare results

effectively. One benefit of using a survey strategy for the data collections process is

that they allow the collection of a large amount of data from a sizeable population in

a highly economical way (Saunders et al, 2009, p.144).

3.1.4 Research Choice

A single questionnaire is being administered to football supporters. This is because

data is standardised in a questionnaire, allowing for easy comparison (Saunders et

al, 2009, p.144). Despite the questionnaire asking respondents about their specific

feelings to do with social media in football, the data will be collected, analysed and

presented quantitatively. “Quantitative research usually emphasises quantification in

the collection and analysis of data” (Bryman and Bell, 2011, p.717).

3.1.5 Time Horizons

The research will be undertaken within a cross-sectional design. “Cross-sectional

design is a research design that entails the collection of data on more than one case

and at a single point in time in order to collect a body of quantitative data in

connection with two or more variable which are then examined to detect patterns of

association” (Bryman and Bell, 2011, p.714). This is understandable as most

research projects undertaken for academic courses are necessarily time

constrained. The time allocated for data collection was 2 weeks.

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3.1.6 Ethics

Research ethics are the appropriateness of the researchers’ behaviour in relation to

the rights of those who become the subject of a research project, or who are affected

by it (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 600). The study also adopted a deontological view

which argues that the ends served by the research can never justify the use of

research which is unethical (Saunders et al, 2009, p.184).

The research in this study was crafted so that participants were not subjected to any

embarrassment, harm or any other material disadvantage (Saunders et al, 2009, p.

160.). All of the participants were given full confidentiality and all participants were

made aware of this in a disclaimer shown to each one prior to completion of the

questionnaire/survey. See appendix F for ethics form.

 3.2 Secondary Data

This study has also employed the use of secondary data throughout. This data has

come in the form of both academic literature (journals, textbooks, e-books) as well as

databases (Mintel and Keynote).

As noted in the Literature Review summary, the lack of quality secondary data in the

area of social media’s effect on football means that only the data acquired through

the primary research will be used in the analysis. The data found in the literature

review will be used to look back at and compare on a broader level.

 3.3 Primary Data

A questionnaire was used in this study. The aim of this questionnaire was to

establish how both football fans feel that social media has affected their football

experience. A questionnaire is a general term including all data collection techniques

in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a

predetermined order (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 599). This section will outline all the

elements of the primary data collection stage.

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3.3.1 Questionnaire

A ‘self-selection sampling’ method would be adopted for the research into football

fans. A self-selection sampling method occurs when you allow each case, usually

individuals, to identify their desire to take part in the research (Saunders et al, 2009,

p. 241). This sampling method suited the questionnaire. The questionnaire yielded

58 respondents.

Due to the nature of the study, it seemed appropriate that the questionnaire for fans

be advertised through social networks. The questionnaire was posted on Facebook,

Twitter and LinkedIn. This would most effectively reach the correct sample as they

will be social media users if they see the questionnaire and seeing as the study is

advertised as for football fans, those individuals can opt to take part if they wish.

3.3.2 Limitations

As with any research method choice, there are both advantages and limitations to

the researcher. Saunders et al (2009) identify the disadvantages to using a

questionnaire.

A number of disadvantages are:

• Analysis is time consuming

• Data can be misinterpreted

• Response rates on internet-mediated questionnaires’ is only approximately

11%

• Using internet-mediated questionnaires limits respondents to those with a

computer

• Limit to the number of questions you can pose without asking too much of the

respondent.

Due to choice of analysis and time constraints, the study adopted just a quantitative

data approach. This is because the author wished to be able to numerically present

data on the findings of how respondents felt about certain social media platforms in

relation to football. Qualitative data would have made this difficult. Whilst having

qualitative data on how respondents felt towards social media’s role in football may

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31    

Researcher  is  clear  about  the  data  required  and  designs  a  question  

Respondent  decodes  the  question  in  the  way  the  researcher  intended  

Respondent  answers  the  question  

Researcher  decodes  the  answer  in  the  way  the  respondent  intended  

Figure  3:  Stages  that  must  occur  if  a  question  is  to  be  valid  and  reliable    

have been more in-depth, it would have made it difficult to collate together and show

patterns in how the sample felt towards the research topic.

3.3.3 Questionnaire Design

Now that the limitations of the study have been recognised, the questionnaire for

data collection could be designed. Saunders et al (2009, p.371) explains that “the

internal validity and reliability of the data you collect and the response rate you

achieve depend, to a large extent, on the design of your questions, the structure of

your questionnaire, and the rigour of you pilot testing”.

As noted in previous sections, the questionnaire is to collect quantitative data.

Quantitative data is paramount to this study and allows the findings to be collated

together easier in order to present numerical data on how respondents feel towards

different elements of the research topic.

A pilot test was undertaken. This brought to the author’s attention some areas of the

questionnaire where specific questions were too vague. After addressing the issues

discovered in the pilot test, the updated questionnaire was distributed. See appendix

G,H and I for the pilot test questionnaires.

Saunders et al (2009) explains that there are at least four stages that must occur if

the question is to be valid and reliable (see figure 3).

Because I was clear about the data required for this study, the next move is to

choose how to design the questions. “The design of each question should be

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32    

determined by the data you need to collect” (Saunders et al, 2009). Tharenou’s

(2007. Cited in Saunders et al, 2009, p.380) response categories for different types

of rating questions table would be used (see appendix D).

Bourque and Clark (1994. Cited in Saunders et al, 2009, p. 374) note that when

designing individual questions, researchers do one of three things:

• Adopt questions used in other questionnaires;

• Adapt questions used in other questionnaires;

• Develop their own questions.

For this study, the author developed the questions. As Saunders et al (2009) states,

clear wording of questions using terms that are likely to be familiar to, and

understood by, respondents can improve the validity of the questionnaire. For this

reason only general terms related to the research question will be used such as

social media, number of tweets, number of followers, responses etc. Dillman (2007:

cited in Saunders et al, 2009, p. 387) states that where there is a choice between an

extra page and a cramped questionnaire the former is likely to be more acceptable to

respondents. This was taken into account when designing the questionnaire.

Edwards et al (2002: cited in Saunders et al, 2009, p. 389) also notes that there is a

widespread view that longer questionnaires will reduce response rates relative to

shorter questionnaires. For this reason the length of the questionnaire was designed

to be around 5 minutes.

Ensuring the study possessed internal validity was also important. Internal validity in

relation to questionnaires refers to the ability of your questionnaire to measure what

you intend it to measure (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 372). This was done by making

sure that the information collected by the questionnaire could be compared to that

uncovered in the literature review section. This is called ‘content validity’.

The questionnaire used a mix of open and closed questions. The open questions

were used in this study as they are useful if you are unsure of the response, such as

exploratory research, when you require a detailed answer or when you want to find

out what is upper-most in the respondents mind (Saunders et al, 2009, p. 375). This

is necessary in this study as question 3 asked respondents to disclose which football

club they supported. This was personal to them and cannot fall into the classification

    R.,  George  (2013)  

33    

of a closed question as the possibilities were too many.

3.4 Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the concern relating to the right of access to the data provided by

the participants and, in particular the need to keep these data secret or private

(Saunders et al, 2009).

For this study, only the participant’s age range and supported football club will need

to be disclosed. A cover letter was placed at the start of the online questionnaire for

respondents to read. A covering letter is a letter accompanying a questionnaire,

which explains the purpose of the survey (Saunders et al, 2009).

3.5 Conclusion

After looking at the stages of the methodology of this study, I feel comfortable that all

potential issues have been addressed and the study will yield effective data to meet

the research objectives.

Analysing the methods needed in this study has helped in ensuring the reliability and

validity of the data collected for the purpose of this dissertation.

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34    

4. Analysis and Discussion  

4.1 Introduction

This chapter of the dissertation aims to analysis and present the research findings.

These findings will be compared and analysed in relation to the final two research

objectives as stated in the ‘introduction’ section of the dissertation.

2. To investigate football fans views on social media’s involvement in the football

experience.

3. To highlight what changes football supporters would like to see for social

media’s involvement in the football experience, and then propose ways to

achieve this improvement.

This two stage process of analysis is crucial to understanding the degree to which

social media’s current effect in football is as positive as it could be. The research will

show how supporters feel about social media and also what they would like to see.

This can then be compared to provide the basis for completing research objective 3.

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35    

4.2 Demographics of Sample

At this stage of the analysis, we look at the demographics of the sample that

responded to the questionnaire.

4.2.1 Participants by Age

There were 4 age brackets that

respondents were asked to place

themselves in. 67.24% of respondents

were in the 21-25 age bracket. Due to

the questionnaire being distributed on

the social media platforms Facebook and

Twitter, this can be expected as my

network on those sites is mainly

university students of similar age to the

author. The lowest respondent group

was 30+ with 1.72%, but again this can

be expected as social media usage is

much lower in that age group.

4.2.2 Participants by Gender

The gender split was not even at all for this

research project. However this was to be

expected as the subject nature of the report

was football and males outnumber females

among occasional spectators by a margin of

less than 3:1; among regular spectators the

gender bias jumps to 7:1 (Walmsley, 2012).

77.59% of respondents were male.

Figure: 4

Participants by age.

Figure: 5

Participants by gender.

    R.,  George  (2013)  

36    

4.3 Research Objective 2

To investigate football fans views on social media’s involvement in the football

experience.

The literature review showed that there is a clear understanding of social media’s

effect on sports. However, as stated in the literature review summary, there is a clear

lack of academic investigation on the effect social media has had specifically in

football. The work of Moore (2011) showed that there is a “mobile captive audience”

to be gained from sports teams adopting social media, but similar work on this fact

within football was hard to come by.

Respondents were asked a series of questions via a questionnaire in order to

address research objective 2. The data outlined here is from questions 4, 5, 6, 8 and

9. These questions were designed to investigate research objective 2.

4.3.1 Preferred Social Media Platforms

Firstly the questionnaire aimed to identify whether the respondents favourite social

network matched up to the social network they believed offered them the best

football experience. This was to ascertain whether those responsible for running

social media strategies within football had managed to match an efficient social

media presence with the personal preferences of football fans.

Figure: 6

Which social network do you enjoy the

most?

Figure: 7

Which Social Network offers you the

best football experience on social

media?

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37    

As can be seen from figures 6 and 7, the data reported that the social networks

providing the best social media experience also matched up to the personal

preferences of respondents.

4.3.2 Player Engagement

Sanderson (2011, cited in Brown and Billings, 2013), stated that one reason fans use

social media is to engage with athletes. With this in mind, question 6 asked

respondents how good they felt football clubs were at using their players in their

social media strategy. 39.5% responded with 5 and 6 and thus felt that football clubs

were average at using players in their social media. A further 36.2% responded that

use of players was worse than 5 or 6 out of 10, which constitutes 75.7% or over

three quarters of respondents who felt use of players in social media was average or

below average (figure 8).

Relating this back to Sanderson, if football fans feel this way about use of football

players – and therefore athletes – in their clubs social media, this constitutes an area

where social media is not having as positive effect on football as desired.

Further identification that football fans are dissatisfied with use of players in social

media is evident from the findings of question 8. Player-centric features ranked

highly for the social media elements football fans enjoyed. Player interviews were

Average to below average

Figure: 8

How effective do you believe football clubs are at using players in their social media?

    R.,  George  (2013)  

38    

ranked in the top 3 out of 9 by 47% of respondents. Player Q&A’s were ranked in the

top 3 out of 9 by 38% of respondents. Behind the scenes footage, which more often

than not is centred around players was also ranked in the top 3 out of 9 by 51% of

respondents. Only ‘Match day updates’ managed to surpass one of these 3, with

46% of respondents putting this social media feature in the top 3, thus beating Player

Q&A’s. What this data shows is that respondent’s value player-centric social media

content higher than most of the other popular features that clubs use to fill their

social media content strategy. Player-centric content is therefore crucial to the social

media experience in football.

The social media feature that footballs fans voted as the least enjoyable was reserve

team updates with 37% putting this as ranked number 9 alone. Evidence of charity

work was also ranked low, with 12% of respondents ranking this as number 9.

4.3.3 Match Day Experiences

As noted in the previous section, 46% of respondents put ‘match day updates’ in

their top 3 ranked elements of a social media strategy. Question 9 asked

respondents whether social media had improved their match day experience.

39.66% - the largest portion of respondents – put their response as 3 or 4, thus

stating social media has hardly affected

their match day experience at all.

As with player involvement, what we see

here is a disparity between how important

a football fan believes a social media

feature is and how much fans believe that

feature is improving or affecting their

football experience.

Again, with only 20% of respondents

putting match day experiences in the

bottom three ratings (thus suggesting

they don’t believe match day social

Figure: 9

Has Social Media improved fan’s match day

experience?

    R.,  George  (2013)  

39    

media updates derive any enjoyment), it is clear that most football fans believe the

ability to improve the match day experience is a primary and in-demand feature of

social media.

4.3.4 Two Way Communications

The literature review highlighted that there is a belief that engagement is important to

developing loyalty and brand advocacy amongst customers (A customer

engagement cycle for Web 2.0…, 2012). In a football context, this means that

engagement could lead to fans renewing their season tickets or purchasing a replica

shirt to promote the club/brand. The data retrieved from the research showed that

46.55% of respondents believe that engagement in football between supporters and

the club is good. With so many respondents holding this view, it can be seen that in

the football industry clubs have adopted the thinking that engagement can bring a

benefit to the experience of supporters.

Even with research like that of Roberts

and Alpert (2010) arguing that social

media engagement brings no value to

the bottom line of a business, it is clear

that supporters believe engagement is a

positive element of their football

experience. Brown (2003) stated in his

research that there was “a lack of desire

from football clubs to fully implement

two-way engagement strategies in their

digital marketing.” The findings from this

research project clearly contradict the

work of Brown, which was an area for investigation highlighted in the literature

review summary.

4.3.5 Overall Experience

Question 11 and 12 posed broader questions to the respondents (see appendix C).

The comparison showed positive responses to social media’s overall current effect

on the football experience. For question 11, 46.55% of respondents put 7 or 8.

Figure: 10

Effectiveness of clubs at two way

communication on social media.

    R.,  George  (2013)  

40    

Figure: 12

Overall effectiveness of clubs

at social media.

Figure: 11

Extent to which social media

has improved the overall

football experience.

Likewise for question 12, 41.30% of respondents put 7 or 8. This shows that the level

of enjoyment that fans are deriving from social media in football is good. If football

clubs were to improve their social media strategy to push the majority of respondents

to vote that clubs were ‘very good’ at social media, it can be assumed that their

overall football experience would therefore improve into ‘very good’ as well.

4.3.6 Summary

In summary, the author feels that the primary research undertaken has helped to

achieve this objective. The research has shown that there is a disparity with a

number of key features of social media in football. To confirm some of the findings

from the literature review, football fans hold player-centric social media content in

high regard, thus supporting the work of Sanderson (2011, cited in Brown and

Billings, 2013). Match day experience is also an area where supporters feel social

media could further improve the football experience, as can be seen by the findings

showing supporters hold match day updates in high regard.

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41    

4.4 Research Objective 3

To highlight what changes football supporters would like to see for social media’s

involvement in the football experience, and then propose ways to achieve this

improvement.

In light of research objective 2, research objective 3 attempts to deliver the aims

highlighted above. Questions 5, 6, 8 and 10 were designed to achieve this.

4.4.1 Future Social Media Platforms

Question 10 (see appendix B) asked respondents what platforms they would like to

see involved in the football experience. The response was overwhelmingly in favour

of two. 55.17% - so over half – of respondents said they would like to see more of

YouTube, with 27.59% saying they would like to Instagram. Third place was

occupied by the 6 second video sharing social media application ‘Vine’ with 8.62%.

4.4.2 Recommendation

From analysing the data found in research objective 2, two main elements of the

social media experience in football were highlighted for improvement. The first; that

despite player-centric social media being the feature most enjoyed by fans, 75.7% of

respondents said football clubs use of social media was average to very poor. The

Figure: 13

Social Networks respondents would like to see in the future

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second; that despite match day updates being in the top 3 features most enjoyed by

fans, 39.66% of respondents said that they thought social media had very little effect

on match day experience.

Both those features could be effectively delivered through behind the scenes footage

– another social media feature that 51% of respondents put in their top 3. Effective

behind the scenes footage requires content of a visual nature, and the two platforms

that respondents chose to see more of are visual-centric social media platforms.

Even Vine, the third highest choice by respondents for platforms they’d like to see

with 8.62% is a visual-centric platform that could easily deliver short video clips to a

community of football fans on social media.

Integrating the two most popular social media features would optimise the chance for

football clubs to deliver an improved social media experience to supporters. Clubs

could create player-centric content such as filming training warm ups and pre-match

interviews, and then deliver this content to supporters on a match day via both the

established favourite platforms in Facebook and Twitter, as well as Instagram and

Vine, with extended YouTube footage post-match. Witkemper et al (2011) stated that

“YouTube has been used to share videos with fans about the team or organisation.”

The work of Hur, Ko and Valacich (2011) showed that – in comparison to regular

consumers - sports fans have high hedonic values (fun and entertainment) when it

comes to engaging. If consumers find the aforementioned features to be enjoyable,

then delivering on these will justify the work of Hur et al, and contribute to the overall

social media experience for football fans improving from ‘good’ to ‘very good’.

The findings from this study can conclude the following about social media’s effect

on the football experience.

• Football supporters derive most enjoyment from the use of player-centric

features and match day updates in social media.

• Supporters’ personal preferences for social media platforms match up to

those that provide the best footballing experience. Adding YouTube and

Instagram as sources of football social media content is preferential.

• Improving fans assessment from football clubs being ‘good’ at social media

to ‘very good’ can theoretically be achieved through improving match day and

player-centric social media initiatives.

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5. Conclusions and Recommendations    

This study has provided the author with insightful findings on the subject of social

media within the football experience for supporters. This section of the dissertation

will focus on concluding the analysis and discussion outlined in the previous section.

5.1 The dissertation conclusion

Research objective 1 was to explore the existing literature on social media, football

and all the elements that affect the proposed research.

As mentioned in the introduction, there was a distinct lack of literature on social

media and football specifically. There was however literature on the internet in

football or social media in sport, so this formed the basis for investigation. The work

of Moore (2011) and Pronschinske et al (2012) showed there is a clear

understanding in sports that social media brings benefits to interacting and engaging

with fans. However, as stated, the lack of research on how social media affects

football fans justified the research carried out in this dissertation.

A questionnaire was put to respondents to investigate research objectives 2 and 3.

Saunders (2009) research onion was used as the basis for the methodology.

Research objective 2 was to investigate football fans views on social media’s

involvement in the football experience. The findings showed that there is a disparity

with a number of key features of social media in football. The work of Sanderson

(2011) was vindicated, but findings also contradicted the work of Brown (2003) when

it came to engagement in the social media football experience. Football fans hold

player-centric social media and match day content in high regard. Findings such as

these justify the undertaking of this dissertation topic in the first place, as data and

research such as this didn’t exist.

Research objective 3 was to highlight what changes football supporters would like to

see for social media’s involvement in the football experience, and then propose ways

to achieve this improvement. This objective was created to build in the findings from

research objective 2. Integration of match day updates and player centric social

media, when combined with the platforms respondents most wish to see (YouTube

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and Instagram) should push supporters’ opinions of social media in football from

‘good’ to ‘very good’ based on the parameters in the research.

5.2 Limitations

One limitation was to do with question 8 of the questionnaire. Despite pilot testing,

the wording of question 8 appeared to pose a problem for some respondents during

the carrying out of the actual research. This issue did not arise in the pilot test.

Question 8 asked respondents to list 9 elements from 1 through 9, using each

number just once. However some respondents listed each element as their choice of

one through 9. Despite this issue, the data can still be used in part as their high

choices can be used in conjunction with other respondents’ high choices who

completely understood the question.

Also, after concluding the research it became clear the questions with answers that

required a selection from a range of 10 may have been too broad. This was not

picked up on in the pilot testing. However, this was easily overcome by breaking the

range into sections of 2. This resulted in perfectly accurate data analysis as the

findings easily fit into these brackets.

5.3 Recommendations

With more time available, this study could have benefitted from the use of qualitative

data in the analysis. On top of qualitative data, a further way to validate the research

and add depth to it would have been to hold a focus group and then triangulate all

the data.

5.4 Final Thoughts

This dissertation has succeeded in investigating an area that was lacking in

research. The author feels he used the most practical approaches possible to

understand the attitudes that football supporters hold towards the technology that is

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fundamentally changing the way the world communicates. This dissertation has

investigated how football fans feel about social media, as well as showing what they

wish to see from social media, and thus providing a recommendation for how football

clubs can realise the demands of their supporters.

Overall, the author is happy that the initial research objectives were met in a subject

area that was devoid of previous study. Hopefully this dissertation can lead to

following works into the subject of social media in the football experience.

Word Count: 10,200

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Appendices  

Appendix A – Questions 1 – 6 from questionnaire

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Appendix B – Questions 7 – 10 from questionnaire

Appendix C – Questions 11 & 12 from questionnaire

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Appendix D - Response categories for different types of rating questions.

Tharenou (2007. Cited in Saunders, 2009, p.380)

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Appendix E – Original ethics form (pre final changes)

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Appendix F – Changed ethics form

This form should be completed by the student and passed to the supervisor prior to a

review of the possible ethical implications of the proposed dissertation or project.

No primary data collection can be undertaken before the supervisor has approved the plan. If, following review of this form, amendments to the proposals are agreed to be

necessary, the student should provide the supervisor with an amended version for

endorsement.

1. What are the objectives of the dissertation / research project? To investigate how social media has affected the football experience, with a focus on

football supporters.

2. Does the research involve NHS patients, resources or staff? YES / NO (please circle).

3. Do you intend to collect primary data from human subjects or data that are identifiable with individuals? (This includes, for example, questionnaires and interviews.) YES / NO (please circle)

4. What is the purpose of the primary data in the dissertation / research project? To investigate how football supporters feel the introduction of social media into

football has affected them. Then use the findings as a basis for recommendations

into how social media could further improve the football experience.

5. What is/are the survey population(s)?

The population is football supporters who are active on social media.

6. How big is the sample for each of the survey populations and how was this sample arrived at?

Around 50 football supporters who support a variety of different football clubs.

The  final  signed  and  dated  version  of  this  form  must  be  handed  in  with  the  dissertation.  Failure  to  provide  a  signed  and  dated  form  on  hand-­‐in  will  be  treated  as  if  the  dissertation  itself  was  not  submitted.  

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7. How will respondents be selected and recruited? Via social media channels. This is key to ensuring they are social media users.

8. What steps are proposed to ensure that the requirements of informed consent will be met for those taking part in the research? If an Information Sheet for participants is to be used, please attach it to this form. If not, please explain how you will be able to demonstrate that informed consent has been gained from participants.

The respondents taking part in the questionnaire will be met with a disclaimer at the

beginning of the online questionnaire that confirmed they would be given full

confidentiality.

9. How will data be collected from each of the sample groups? Questionnaire.

10. How will data be stored and what will happen to the data at the end of the research? The findings from the research will be stored safely on the database of ‘Survey

Expression’. Upon completion of the dissertation this data will be destroyed.

11. How will confidentiality be assured for respondents?

No name record will be involved in the data collection. Respondents will be told this

prior to taking part. The only record of identification will be the specific club that the

respondent supports.

12. What steps are proposed to safeguard the anonymity of the respondents? No name record will be involved with either data collection or data storage.

13. Are there any risks (physical or other, including reputational) to respondents that may result from taking part in this research? YES / NO (please circle).

14. Are there any risks (physical or other, including reputational) to the researcher or to the University that may result from conducting this research? YES / NO (please circle).

15. Will any data be obtained from a company or other organisation. YES / NO (please circle) For example, information provided by an employer or its employees.

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16. What steps are proposed to ensure that the requirements of informed consent will be

met for that organisation? How will confidentiality be assured for the organisation? N/A

17. Does the organisation have its own ethics procedure relating to the research you intend to carry out? YES / NO (please circle).

N/A

18. Will the proposed research involve any of the following (please put a √ next to ‘yes’ or ‘no’; consult your supervisor if you are unsure): • Vulnerable groups (e.g. children) ? YES NO

• Particularly sensitive topics ? YES NO • Access to respondents via ‘gatekeepers’ ? YES NO • Use of deception ? YES NO • Access to confidential personal data ? YES NO • Psychological stress, anxiety etc ? YES NO • Intrusive interventions ? YES NO

19. Are there any other ethical issues that may arise from the proposed research?

NO

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Appendix G – Pilot test 1

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Appendix H – Pilot test 2

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Appendix I – Pilot test 3

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