The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of information search and purchase intention in groups with different degrees of involvement in professional soccer and demand for information of it.
To accomplish this purpose, 1,118 samples were se...
The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of information search and purchase intention in groups with different degrees of involvement in professional soccer and demand for information of it.
To accomplish this purpose, 1,118 samples were selected randomly from an audience who visited 10 home stadiums in order to watch professional soccer games, "Samsung Digital K-League". All 1,043 samples, from which 75 that had no items checked in it were excluded, were used. The questionnaire was a survey and each item was made up of a 5-point Likert scale. The appropriateness was verified by validity and reliability tests and items were made from self-administration method. The data was analysed through descriptive analysis, 2-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis using SPSSWIN 10.0. The results acquired through this process are as follows.
First, there is difference in the degree of information search between groups that have different degrees of demand for information according to the degree of their involvement in professional soccer. Second, there is difference in the degree of purchase intention between groups that have different degree of demand for information according to the degree of their involvement in professional soccer. Third, involvement in professional soccer and the demand for information affect an information search. Fourth, involvement in professional soccer and the demand for information affect purchase intention. Fifth, among the components of information search, the content of information search seems to affect purchase intention but does not affect the information search media, the time of media information search or the time of human information search. Drawn from these results, discussion of the activation of professional soccer, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies are presented.
The following are to be considered in activating professional soccer. First, there should be maximum utilization of the game stadiums. Second, professional soccer should be able to provide more entertainment to its audience. Third, children's soccer should be fostered. Fourth, fund-raising of the Professional Union should be increased. Fifth, there should be more concrete plans such as providing a variety of information for audience, establishing a cooperative network with media, coming up with concrete strategies to attract more audiences, making access to stadiums more easier, securing star players and improving performance of professional soccer teams.
Limitations of this research and suggestions for further studies are as follows. First, there were only limited variables applied to this study. In following studies, it would be desirable to add more influential variables to analyse the nature of audience from various perspectives. Second, there is a limitation that the factors that attract audiences have not been considered in this study. Third, there should be studies related to diverse agents that promote the value professional soccer. There should also be studies not only from the audience's perspective but also from that of corporate that have sponsorship in professional soccer.