the final afc rm

Declaration of Originality

&

Copyright Acknowledgment

Student’s Name & I.D:

Bruno Gabriel (3698862).

Course of Study:

BA (Hons) Sport Management.

Declaration of Originality:

This product is all my own work and has not been copied in any part or in whole from any

other source except where duly acknowledged. As such, all use of previously published work

(from books, journals, magazines, internet, etc) has been acknowledged within the main

report to an item in the References lists. I understand that cheating and plagiarism constitute

a breach of University Regulations and will be dealt with accordingly.

Copyright Acknowledgment:

I acknowledge that the copyright of this Project belongs to Coventry University.

Signed by the student: Date:

Bruno Gabriel, BA (Hons) Sport Management, 2014

Acknowledgements

I would firstly like to express sincere gratitude to my dissertation supervisor Tom Bason

for his continued support, patience and taking the time to develop my project to the best of

my ability. I would also like to thank all the lecturers in the sport and event department for

challenging me through the three exceptional years here at Coventry University.

Finally I would like to thank all my peers and especially my family for their persistent

support and belief in me through my academic vocation.

Abstract

Instagram is a relatively new form of social media platform where users can easily share

their updates in an online community type environment. It has seen rapid growth in the

number of users as well as uploads since it was launched in October 2010. Despite the fact

that it is the most popular photo sharing application, it has attracted little attention from the

relationship marketing research community. This dissertation will present a quantitative

content analysis on Arsenal F.C’s use of relationship marketing techniques via Instagram.

Collection and analysis of secondary data has been the methodological path employed in this

study. This research will highlight the importance sport marketers should place on

understanding relationship marketing techniques through Instagram; in reference to

perpetually strengthening connections with consumers on this social media platform. This

dissertation also includes limitations of the study, along with recommendations based on the

data collected, for Sport marketers at Arsenal Football club.

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Title

The Analysis of the degree to which Relationship Marketing

strategies are applied through the scope of social media

platform, Instagram: The Arsenal F.C perspective.

Keywords:

Relationship marketing, Social media, Consumer engagement, Sports marketing, Heritage

marketing, Instagram, Arsenal Football Club.

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Table of Contents

Chapter Page

1. Introduction/Background…………………….....…………………….

7

1.1 Aims and Objectives………………..………………..…..

7

2. Literature Review…………………………………….……………….

8

2.1 Relationship Marketing literature: A historic overview….…...

9

2.2 Contemporary literature behind Relationship Marketing: The introduction of Social Media…………….………………..

11

2.3 Social Media: Improving Relationship marketing in sport organisations.….…….…………………………………..

16

3. Methodology………………………………………….………………

19

3.1 Context…………………………………………………

19

3.2 Sample…………………………………………………

19

3.3 Data Collection & Analysis……..…………….…………..

20

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3.3.1 Match related Content………….…...................

21

3.3.2 Consumer Engagement Content………….……..

21

3.3.3 Exclusivity Content………….……………......

22

3.3.4 Limitations………….………………………..

25

4. Findings and Discussion……………………….……………………..

26

4.1 Data Analysis……………….…………………………..

27

4.2 Key Categories Comparison ……………….……………..

29

4.3 Exclusivity Sub Category Analysis……………….…….….

31

4.4 Consumer Engagement Sub Category Analysis……….…….

33

4.5 Match Related Sub Category Analysis……………….…….

37

5. Conclusion/Managerial Implications ……………………………...…

42

6. Recommendations………………………………………. 44

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……………

6.1User Generated Content…...……………………….…….. 44

6.1.1 Contests and Challenges Tangible reward tactics….

44

6.1.2 Potential Contest (True Gooner Campaign)…...….

45

6.2During game Content……………………………………. 45

6.3Historic Content...…………………………….………… 47

Reference List……………………………………………….…………..

48

Appendices………………………………………….………………...…

54

Appendix A – Raw Data……………………....………….

54

Appendix B – Arsenal Historic Content (Website).…...……..

55

List of figures/Tables

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Figure 1. Shift in marketing approaches (Christopher et al., 1991)…………………………………..…………….....

11

Figure 2. Total number of likes in relation to total amount of posts……………………………………….…………...

27

Figure 3. Total number of comments in relation to total amount of posts………………………………………………… 28

Figure 4. Total number of posts of key typology categories…... 29

Figure 5. Total number of exclusivity content posts from Dec 2012 – Dec 2013…….…………………………………..

31

Figure 6. Total number of consumer engagement posts from Dec 2012 – Dec 2013……….…………………………… 33Figure 7. Total number of match related posts from Dec 2012 – Dec 2013………………….………………… 37

Figure 8. Match content cycle…….………………………. 46

Table 1. Sub category explication…….…….……………... 23

Table 2. Formatted data example…………….….………… 23

1. Introduction/Background

It has become the norm that this generation’s increasingly technology savvy sport

consumers expect infinite amounts of information and instant gratification from their

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hyper sophisticated smart phone/ innovative mobile device infrastructures. Social media

creates a culture amongst sports consumers that is fundamentally community based, a

trend that is seemingly unstoppable and forever evolving. This research reflects and

provides a preliminary descriptive account of the social media marketing features and

theories associated with Relationship Marketing practices employed by top-tier football

team Arsenal F.C, through their Instagram profile. Highlighting implications this may

have on sport marketers choosing to use Instagram in a relationship marketing context.

This research will also enhance the understanding of ways in which Instagram is used to

associate with sports fans in the context of Relationship Marketing, as well as identifying

the opportunities available to be exploited through this social media platform.

1.1 Aim: To establish to what degree Arsenal F.C. uses Instagram as a relationship

marketing vehicle.

Objectives: Analyse posts from Arsenal F.C’s Instagram account.

Categorising posts into three inductive key categories.

Synthesise relationship marketing literature with data collected from Arsenals Instagram.

Provide relationship marketing recommendations based on collected data analysis.

2. Literature Review

This literature review will be used to provide a comprehensive appreciation of past and

present trends and perspectives surrounding Relationship Marketing. It’ll be necessary to

analyse historical literature that is available from the viewpoint of relationship marketing that

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has gained prominence in business society in the last two decades, with the meteoric increase

in usage of the internet (Social Networking) and its seemingly endless evolution and

prevalence. The second section will provide the coverage of literature in a more

contemporary context, throughout the field of current Relationships Marketing. Succeeding

this, the focus will be put on the comparison of literature illustrating a variety of theories and

definitions regarding the main aspects of Relationship Marketing, which reflect the two way

communications made possible through Social Media; that incorporates true feedback from

the consumer to the business; leading to outlining the importance and benefits of customer

feedback. Following this will be a focus on the way sports clubs have adopted and

incorporated relationship marketing and digital technologies into their strategic approach to

marketing, with a critical analysis into the supposed impact and opportunities this may have

yielded.

2.1 Relationship Marketing Literature: A historic overview

An article named ‘An Environmental Explanation of Relationship Marketing’ by

Adrian Palmer in the Journal of Relationship Marketing (2001), brings forth the

chronological and critical discussion about the ways in which relationship marketing has

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changed. Palmer produces an environmental audit analysis used to explain the prevalence and

recent growth of Relationship Marketing. Palmer discuses the link between business and

customer that was weakened in the era of industrialization and mass marketing when the

management and owners of businesses became remote from their customers, with a poor

infrastructure available for keeping in touch with customers (Palmer, 2001) . Palmer

highlights how businesses/individuals with substantial influence in organisations moved

away from hierarchical structures with marketing strategy focused on products, to the

narrowing of the chasm of power differences between organisations and its consumers, to a

predominant integration of customer relationship scope to their strategies.

This idea was shared by Egan (2004), was the development of largely service led

economies as opposed to production led economies in western countries during late 80s,

which stamped the importance of rapidly growing attention to service organisations. The

most fundamental text in relation to the root ideas behind relationship marketing was the

flagship text published in the Journal of relationship marketing (1983) by Leonard. L. Berry,

which encompasses relationship marketing as the concerns attracting, maintaining and

building relationships with ones customers.

Relationship marketing invests in formal marketing programming not only to attract new

customers but also to keep and improve the rapport with existing customers. According to

Petrov (1997), most sources credit Leonard berry with originating the conception of the

phrase ‘Relationship Marketing’.

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Brodie et al. (2013) Agrees, stating that focus should be put on actual or potential

relationships between the business and its customer base with a concentration on customer

retention, highlighting the focus of relationship marketing being based on customer retention.

In Parasuraman’s (1992) Article he equally agrees with this concept and holds it as all the

activities directed toward establishing, developing and maintaining successful relationship

exchanges with consumers.

Critics of the relationship marketing concept are numerous, from academics, to

practitioners who fail to see results from implemented relationship marketing programmes.

Ehrenberg and Goodhart (2000) discuss Reports of declining levels of loyalty by customers

to organizations may be seen as evidence of the futility of relationship marketing programs,

or may serve to emphasize the need for a more focused attempt at retaining customers.

Others, for example Fitchett and McDonagh (2000) argue that the negation of ‘the external

natural environment’ to the periphery of conventional or exchange based marketing

management models has not been redressed by relationship marketing in any significant or

satisfactory fashion. This statement holds a relevant point however, for most businesses

primary interests are profits and survival. Not to the extent of a Milton Freidman view of

business objectives, however, relationship marketing related strategic approaches to

marketing are not yet at the forefront of most businesses marketing approaches.

Zineldin (1998) proposes a somewhat more valid point stating that managers should not

always attempt to define marketing as an emancipatory concept for the consumer, via notions

such as the Marketing Concept, which professes to orientate organisational activities to

consumer satisfaction, there nevertheless remains an alternative discourse. This discourse

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being that the organization will only prosper if the consumers’ needs and wants are

considered central to its activities. Having examined the majority of literature that presents a

critical viewpoint in regards to relationship marketing, it has been found that none have deep-

seated valid or strong enough arguments to oppose the extensive contemporary research that

dispels negative connotation of relationship marketing. This will be discussed in the

following section.

2.2 Contemporary literature behind Relationship Marketing: The

introduction of Social Media.

The idea of

developing relationships

with customers is not something

revolutionarily, except only recently many firms

have come to significant realisations of the value relationship marketing adds to the business-

consumer experience. The speed of technological advance and how people communicate and

consume information has transformed everyday experiences beyond belief. Figure 1.0 above

highlights the development of central marketing focus over the last hundred years,

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Product

Focus

SalesFocus

CompetitivePosition Focus

Complexity

Product dominance, with focus on mass production aspects

Market dominance with focus on marketing mix

Time

Pre 1900’s 1950’s 1980’s Post 2000’s

Service dominancewith main focus onrelationships aspects

Figure 1.Shift inmarketing approaches (Christopher et al., 1991)


emphasising the long time marketing of the product alone in the early 1900s, then in the

1990s, the adoption of relationship marketing, which now has prevalence and is practiced

most widely in the service are of business (Buhler & Nufer, 2010).

Marketing experts consider the change organisations have made from traditional

transactional marketing approaches, towards a more relationship-oriented one, the ‘paradigm

shift’ of recent years (Buhler & Nufer, 2010). The dimensions of customer care and quality

has risen, this has an inextricable link to advances in information and communication

technology throughout time, further facilitating the effectiveness of relationship marketing

(Nufer, 2006).

Emergent internet technology and social media has created a platform or medium in

which various applications of relationship marketing can flourish using a new two-way

dialogue platform of continuous communication with consumers. Known as relationship

marketing, this area of marketing has the central goal of retaining customers by achieving

long-term mutual satisfaction between an organization and its customers (Grönroos, 2004).

The fundamental drive behind a continuous revisiting and reconnecting of consumers via

social networking lies in the ability of a sports organisation to offer information in an

effective, efficient, consistent and competitive way compared to rivals. This generation of

Sports consumers are connected to their sports teams through the social media web in such a

way that has never been seen before (Williams and Chinn, 2010). The novelty of social media

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and its uses as a marketing tool has unsurprisingly become an area of indistinct interpretation

in terms of relationship marketing aims, leaving room for research and development. The

continuous dialogue between organisation and consumer must establish a listening to each

other, learning from each other, and ultimately reaching a common understanding (Peppers &

Rogers, 2011). According to Grönroos (1994), to achieve consumer perceived value,

communications must be tailored to the exact needs and wants of consumers; highlighting the

need for a co-created service with value.

In the works of Payne and Ballantyn (1991) Relationship Marketing benefits include

greater customer retention, increased loyalty, reduced marketing costs, greater profits, and

increased stability and security. Having said that, implementation of relationship marketing

is no easy endeavour, Peppers, Rogers, and Dorf (1999) confer that integration requires the

adoption of a strategic approach, which encompasses developing customer centric processes,

selecting and implementing technology solutions, employee empowerment, customer

information and knowledge generation capabilities to differentiate customers, and the ability

to learn from best practices.

For a desired widespread social media exposure this strategic approach and consumer

centric information must be transferred into consumable content via a variety of platforms

that encompass three main social media categories (Newman et al., 2013):

(Publishing services) (Networking services) (Media services)

Publishing services refers to blogging, forums and wiki type websites. An avenue which

enables creative’s, individuals and organisations to publish ideas online. Networking services

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connect like minded people as stated by Peck (2013) and make it easy to share thoughts and

ideas and learn about certain topics of interest. An example of a media sharing service would

be YouTube, a video sharing service, or Instagram a photo and video sharing service,

allowing users/organisations to upload posts with descriptions and leave feedback on others

uploads.

The social media networks foster an environment where consumers form strong

relationships in which the parties influence each other’s views, attitudes, knowledge,

information gathering, purchasing behaviour, and post-purchase assessments (Constantinides

& Fountain, 2008; Mangold & Faulds, 2009). This point seemingly starts to depict the power

shift from organisations to consumers, the ease of which, and how widespread a consumer’s

viewpoint can reach an audience, has trebled with the conception of social media. Long gone

are the days where word of mouth was the only means of consumers sharing their thoughts

and attitudes towards a product or service. This viewpoint is shared by Kotler et al., (2010)

stating that, the new social media environment has significantly affected power structures in

the marketplace, bringing about a significant migration of market power from businesses

toward customers. Consequently, the social media phenomenon has created a different

marketing landscape for marketers.

Beech, Chadwick, and Tapp, (2000) discuss that traditional marketing of the past as one

way limited communication with static information avenues, in which marketers find

difficulty in personally identifying consumers needs and being able to interact with them

directly. In this day and age social media has brought the traditional offline customer

organization dyad to a new level that allows customer engagement and dynamic one-on-one

real-time dialogue (Drury, 2008).

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Relationship markers must realise that the key to keeping the customer for the long haul is

to offer customers benefits they seek in the marketplace and to serve customers’ interests,

rather than simply the organisations profit interests (Grönroos, 1994). This interesting point

highlights the way in which organisations can use social media in an opportunistic nature to

mine information about their targeted consumers. Social media platforms can be argued to be

a rich source of unfiltered and raw marketing research databases, eliminating the need to

physically conduct vast amounts of consumer research. Hennig-Thurau et al., (2010) propose

the idea that technological advancement is a driving force behind the exponential amount of

consumer dialogue which is increasing due to the use of portable and wireless mobile

devices, which strongly facilitates this dialogue and enables marketers to reach large numbers

of consumers on their personal devices anywhere instantaneously.

Social media or web 2.0 has introduced a wide range of new advanced technology

applications including, contents syndication, tagging, blogging, web forums, customer ratings

and evaluation systems, virtual worlds, podcasting and online videos and so forth (Xiang and

Gretzel, 2009). Palmer (2010) continues this notion stating that the development of consumer

focused technology will call for a reinvigoration of consumer relationships.

Palmer explains how these technological advances have opened a new dimension into how

organisations should approach their marketing efforts. Armano (2010) states how, much

cheaper and more accessible smart phones and tablet based devices are driving consumers to

be one step closer to being connected 24/7, and in more powerful ways than previously

possible, Hinton and Hjorth (2013) elaborate more on the reach of social media through

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various platforms by stating social media bleeds across platforms, desktop computers, mobile

phones, laptops and tablets.

2.3 Social Media: Improving Relationship marketing in sport organisations

Sports clubs that want to bring added value to fans need to abort the transactional

attitude that dominated the market until recently and move towards a relational approach. The

latter implies that sports clubs have to shake hands with partners, interested individuals or

groups (stakeholders) to jointly create value and improve sports brand equity (Vlad, 2013).

This statement outlined by Vlad (2013) proposes that the integration of social media by sports

organisations creates opportunity to establish even stronger connections, in a sector where

consumers/fans already have tremendously strong emotional attachment to the

organisations/sport teams in general. This view is shared with Waters, Burke, Jackson &

Buning, (2010) who declare that sports consumers’ dedication and loyalty are far stronger

than the loyalty that any other customer exhibits to any other type of organisation.

Sport organisations are now at the liberty to exploit the vast reach of social media. This

wasn’t always the case, traditionally, sport organizations have had difficulty maintaining

contacts and interacting on an ongoing basis with their customers (Rein et al., 2006). Stavros

also implies that the large use of social media by fans encourages sport organisations to

communicate with their global audiences and maintain and enhance relationships with them

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(Stavros et al., 2008).

In such information-based marketing, as Beech, Chadwick, and Tapp (2000) indicated,

the interactive exchange of information, and the content, quality and speed of responses can

be a source of competitive advantage. This view of using social media as a means of

competitive advantage is reinforced by Berry (1995) in his work about the five Relationship

marketing strategies that develop relationships, he states that organisations should consider

creating a core service, customized to the individual, augmented with extra services,

attracting customers via price, and encouraging employees to provide good customer service.

Newman et al (2013) state that ultimately, these strategies result in the customer making

the decision to either continue or terminate his/her relationship with the organisation. It is

clear to see Berry’s approach may be outdated due to technological advancements in the

macro-environment since 1995. Garner et al (2010) recognises this and argues that social

media professionals must continuously add value to official communications by providing

innovate, unique or exclusive content unavailable elsewhere in order to solidify customer

loyalty and promote continued relationships. This is imperative to sporting organisations due

to the perishable nature of sports events.

This is recognised by Newman et al (2013) who reason that it is vital that sport

organisations find creative ways to extend the life of each sporting event and to create

meaningful ways for the organisation to continue communicating with the consumer. In an

industry where the nature of the provided service is intangible and highly perishable it forces

people to move on to the next game or event as soon as the current one ends (Newman et al.,

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2013). Social media can be used as the bridge between one sporting event to the next, due to

the constant two-way interactions on multiple social networking platforms. This is supported

by Lapio & Speter (2000) who state, the power of relationship marketing lies in its ability to

provide value continuously from several different sources, before, during and after a sporting

event.

3. Methodology.

3.1 Context

This research was aimed to assess the degree, scope and nature of the use of relationship

marketing techniques/theories through Instagram posts by Arsenal F.C, with the ambition of

establishing initial categorisations of its different applications. Posts were sampled and

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categorised, starting from Arsenal’s first post from December 2012, up until end of

December 2013. Due to the fact that Arsenal’s Instagram account is relatively new, it gives

this research a strong holistic overview of how Arsenal’s relationship marketing focus has

developed spanning across the first 13 months it’s been actively engaging with its consumers

on Instagram.

3.2 Sample

Prior to extracting data, a check on how many social media platforms Arsenal F.C posses

under its official control was conducted. Arsenal have an extensive presence on social media,

with official accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Sina Weibo, YouTube, Google+, Tencent Weibo

and of course Instagram. Compared to the other social media platforms Arsenal’s Instagram

is in its infancy and possessed the least amount of followers and posts, which highlighted an

area where insightful research into the use of their Instagram account could yield

recommendations for future development in regards to relationship marketing objectives. At

the time of commencing this research Arsenal had posted 347 times, a considerable figure

which yielded a significant amount of data to analyse. The implications of analysing a set

sample of posts encourage reliability in the dataset.

3.3 Data Collection & Analysis

Given that a post can connote more than one meaning, Arsenal’s posts where coded and

grouped into three inductive key categories, an element of grounded theory proposed by

Miles & Huberman (1983). Posts were labelled under a targeted mix of match related content,

consumer engagement content and exclusivity content. These three categories represent

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techniques which are put forward in relationship marketing literature initially developed by

Berry (1983), that are used by organisations to foster loyalty, emotional connection, trust and

long term consumer engagement, which is the basis of relationship marketing, thus allowing

this research to develop a logical and analytical understanding of relationship marketing

strategies used by Arsenal F.C.

The seven sub-categories within the three main categories included Pre-match, During-

match, Post-match as (Match related content), Questions and Opinions, Contests and

Challenges as (Consumer engagement content) and Behind the Scenes, Historical Posts, as

(Exclusivity content). These sub categories where input into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

and each sampled post was categorised depending on the nature of the image and the attached

explanatory caption underneath the image. The amount of comments and likes each post

generated were also calculated, highlighting the popularity and level of consumer interaction

of each sampled post.

As previously mentioned in the literature review, Garner et al (2010) state that adding

value to online communications entails consistently providing unique and exclusive

information tailored to the consumer’s taste, which is unavailable elsewhere. This is the base

on which customer loyalty and relationship solidification is formed. The three main

categories where used to analyse the way in which Arsenal used Instagram to employ these

ideas behind relationship marketing literature.

3.3.1 Match related Content

Match related content was a category used due to the nature of the organisation, Arsenal

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are a football club which offer a perishable and intangible service to its consumers. The

category was used to identify how often and when match related Instagram posts where used

to pre-empt and elongate the main service event that is being provided (Football game),

which is an effective technique to not only maintain consumer demand/enthusiasm through

the waiting period between matches, but it also solidifies customer loyalty and promotes a

continued relationship between brand and fans.

3.3.2 Consumer engagement

Consumer engagement was used as a category to identify the ways in which Arsenal use

conversational language in posts, for example asking followers their opinions in respect to

anything Arsenal related. This is a method used to engage in communication/conversation,

educating fans, and entertaining fans. There has also been a recent trend in social media

marketing where organisations start contests and propose challenges to their followers. This

manner of engaging followers grows an organisations fan base, builds awareness, and turns

fans into secondary promoters of the brand, for example, by fans reposting pictures to win a

Instagram contest it exposes their content to their followers and so on.

3.3.3 Exclusivity content

Exclusivity content was selected as a category to decipher in what way Arsenal uses

Instagram to maximise the number of “personal touches” and “Arsenal supporters only”

content in their posts, this is a relationship marketing technique used to excite and encourage

repeated consumption. Many North American sports organisations (Teams in NFL & NBA)

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who have a far better grasp of sports social media marketing have successfully used this

technique, which has cultivated groups of teams with ‘die hard’ fan bases and a tribal

following.

On the following page table 1 Explicates the sub-categories used, and provides examples

of what type of content can be attributed to each sampled post. Table 2 shows an example of

the formatted Excel document used to quantify the analysed data.

Type of post/ Abbreviation

Description Category

Pre-match (PM) Posts containing content in anticipation of a football match, E.g. Images/Video of pre-match press conference or team training

(Match related content)

During match (DM) Posts containing in-game images, E.g. Players celebrating a goal/Match statistics

Post match (PTM) Posts containing post-match reaction E.g. Post match interviews/Asking fans opinion of team performance

Questions & Opinions (QO)

Questions probing for consumer opinion on a subject matter E.g. Players performance, new signings etc.

(Consumer engagement content)

Contests & Challenges (CC)

Challenging fans knowledge on team facts/ history. E.g. “What day did AFC win the league at white hart lane?”

Behind the Scenes (BTS)

Posts revealing or reporting the inner workings of the club, which are characteristically private in nature E.g. Players changing rooms.

(Exclusivity content)

Historical (H) Post containing images of historic past happenings, triggering nostalgic sentiment E.g. Photos of previous historic success/teams and classic matches.

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Table 1 - Sub category explication

Table 2 - Formatted data example

Date Likes Comments (PM) (DM) (PTM) (H) (QO) (CC) (BTS)06/08/13 11300 309 1 1 107/08/13 11800 320 1 108/08/13 11500 197 1 1 109/08/13 13700 331 1 1 110/08/13 14800 181 1 1 111/08/13 16500 213 1 112/08/13 17400 371 1 1 113/08/13 12600 251 1 114/08/13 15400 372 1 1

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Due to the context of this study, a quantitative content analysis technique was chosen to

interpret how Arsenal F.C use Instagram in regards to relationship marketing. Using a similar

method as Holsti (1968), enabled the examination of artefacts of social communication,

defined as “any technique of making inferences by systematically and objectively identifying

special characteristics of messages” in this case the social communication artefact is

Instagram, and the characteristics would be the seven sub-categories used to decipher the

message portrayed in the Instagram post. Objective analysis of messages conveyed in the data

being analysed is accomplished by means of explicit rules called criteria of selection, which

have been formerly established before the actual analysis of the data.

The criteria of selection method used in this content analysis is sufficiently exhaustive to

account for each variation of the message portrayed in a single Instagram post, this criteria is

rigidly and consistently applied. This is what brings reliability to the research method, and

validations of eventual findings (Selltiz et al., 1967). This method of data analysis is

comprised of a blend between quantitative and qualitative techniques suggested by Smith

(1979). Quantitative due to calculating the number of likes, comments and summing up the

tally of categories each post was labelled under. And qualitative due to the decryption of

content in the caption beneath the Instagram post, the interpretive reading of the symbolism

underlying the physical data. This method allowed the research undertaken to be inexpensive

and cost effective, all relevant items and materials necessary consulted for this project are

rooted in secondary sources of relationship marketing literature, principally electronic journal

articles, published books and copious online articles from reliable and established sources,

along with Arsenal F.C’ Instagram profile which is open to all publics and is the focal point

of this study.

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3.3.4 Limitations

This study has used the number of likes and amount of comments and overall engagement

activity as a gauge on which ‘success’ in terms of relationship with fans is measured,

however this is only virtual and a slightly superficial indication of real relationship marketing

success. Further study recommendations would be to incorporate the full spectrum of

arsenals social media, to capture a holistic view of the direction in which Arsenals social

media relationship marketing is heading. Along with sampling a group of arsenal fans to

interview, to gain rich primary research unattainable through the current methodological

approach.

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4. Findings & Discussion

It is well known that photographs have been a part of the internet almost since its

inception, however, the use of photos on social networking sites has grown exponentially in

the last decade (Newman et al., 2013). Sharing photos online has grown in popularity for two

reasons: the positive psychological, social and relational element involved when sharing a

photo in an online community, as well as the fact that more people are purchasing camera

phones and using them to publish their personal photographs on online networking

platforms, and has now become the norm in today’s society.

As humans, we connect emotionally to images and video, more than audio or text. People

make decisions and take action quicker when prompted by visual stimuli, rather than by

deciphering information from text, this is why social media is progressively becoming more

and more image centric (Bradley, 2014). A recent study by SocialMediaExaminer

(2014) showed that image or video posts receive 120-180% more engagement than text based

posts, suggesting that visual digital marketing tactics are increasingly important in a company’s

relationship marketing strategy.

Many sport organisations have noted this rise in online photo sharing and have capitalised

on it by building relationships with fans via numerous photo sharing platforms. Playing on

the fact that images can instantly incite raw emotion thus establishing more of psychological

connection with followers, a view shared by Hubert (2013) as he states that images appeal to

emotions, strike a chord with consumers, and resonate across cultures. Arsenal being a

football club is in an extremely good position to use images/videos to provoke and add to the

tribal and loyal relationship football fans have with their chosen football club.

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Num

ber o

f Po

sts

Num

ber o

f Li

kes


The results yielded from this investigation give a substantial insight into the type of images

and videos utilised by Arsenal F.C in their proactive and reactive use of their Instagram

account. The large Excel dataset (seen in appendix A) which has been represented in scatter

graphs in this section, offers a view into the activity of Arsenals Instagram in regards to

relationship marketing.

4.1 Data Analysis

It can be seen here as time passed throughout the year, there was a gradual increase in the

amount of likes generated each month which positively correlates to the amounts of posts

published by Arsenal. This is due to the ongoing establishment of relationships with new

followers as Arsenal provides more content to be consumed. This positive correlation is also

evident in the amounts of comments amassed throughout the same period of time, as seen

below:

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Dec-12

Jan-13

Feb-1

3

Mar-13

Apr-13

May-13

Jun-13

Jul-13

Aug-13

Sep-1

3Oct-

13

Nov-13

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500,000

1,000,000

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Total Posts Likes

Figure 2. Total number of likes in relation to total amount of posts

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ents

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This pair of graphs above show that the upsurge of posts published has incited ‘repeated

interactions’ from consumers in the form of an increase in likes and comment activity on

Arsenals Instagram account, which highlights reoccurring engagement, and is a fundamental

element in building a relationship with consumers (Chaffey, 2007). As stated by Berry (1995)

in the literature review of this study, he expresses that a series of follow up communications

adds perpetual value to the business consumer relationship.

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Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-130

10

20

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5,000

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Total Posts Comments

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4.2 Key Categories Comparison

The scatter graph above displays the total number of posts of the three key typology

categories over the 13 month period. It can be easily seen that photos containing Exclusivity

content have the most share of the total, followed by consumer engagement, and then match

related content. This highlights that the success of Arsenal’s relationship with fans on

Instagram is spearheaded by photos of exclusive nature. The graph also indicates how

Arsenal’s tendency to post most frequently corresponds to the nature of the football season.

For example In February and March following a series of defeats in the FA Cup to lower

league team Blackburn and being kicked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich

(Sky Sports, 2013), resulted in an evident drop in post activity. This is also true for the drop

in activity in May when the football season ended, however in mid-June there was the

sharpest recorded rise in activity, which was mainly due to Arsenals pre-season tour of the

Asian continent.

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Dec-12

Jan-13

Feb-1

3

Mar-13

Apr-13

May-13

Jun-13

Jul-13

Aug-13

Sep-1

3Oct-

13

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0

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70

Consumer engagement

match related content

exclusivity con-tent

Figure 4. Total number of posts of key typology categories


The marketers at Arsenal recognised that this tour was a perfect opportunity to boost their

Instagram exposure, by pioneering a showcase of an international pre-season tour which not

only opened the gates for Arsenals marketers to build relationships through engagement with

domestic fans; who up until then had never had such an exclusive insight into pre-season

action, but also to establish online relationships with their global fan base in the three

countries visited (Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan).The image below is a prime example of a photo

categorised under exclusivity content during the first team’s Asiatic tour:

These types of photos play on supporters fascination with the players in their sports teams,

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(Arsenal Instagram, 2014)

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who are portrayed in today’s media as ‘elite’s’ and ‘superstars’. Getting an inside look into

the ordinary day to day of the extraordinary/celebrity is very touching and springs up positive

and empathetic feelings towards the player and managers, subsequently keeping the

consumers loyally connected to Arsenal’s Instagram account to continually consume these

types of glimpses into the ‘behind the scenes’ of the Arsenal team.

4.3 Exclusivity Sub Category Analysis

This graph offers an insight into what type of image was used most frequently in terms of the

amount of posts

that contained

the two

exclusivity content sub categories. It is unsurprising and evident to see that photos of behind

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Dec-12

Jan-13

Feb-1

3

Mar-13

Apr-13

May-13

Jun-13

Jul-13

Aug-13

Sep-1

3Oct-

13

Nov-13

Dec-13

0

5

10

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20

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30

35

40

History

BTS/Exclusive

Figure 5. Total number of exclusivity content posts


the scenes at Arsenal were used most frequently, however, what is particularly interesting is

the lack of historic posts published by Arsenal. Interesting due to the fact that when analysing

the data to decipher which single post generated the most likes, it was a post that contained

historical qualities that generated 68,350 plus likes, the second highest value of likes

generated by a single post. Example below:

This fact invites room for discussion as to why this photo was so popular with followers, it

also brings into question with regards to why Arsenal have not yet spotted this trend and

acted upon it to their advantage; This highlights room for marketing recommendations which

will be further discussed in the conclusion and recommendations section of this study. Just

like behind the scenes content, historical content evidently strikes a chord with Arsenals

followers, however, historic content will have an edge in solidifying arsenals Instagram

community to the brand, as it draws reference to the nostalgic successful past of pervious

Arsenal teams/players.

Historic content takes the approach of developing a relationship with consumers based on a

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shared signification on which the consumers experience is founded, that is to say it brings

together individuals around a shared interest, emotion and passion (Heilbrunn 2003).

Reinforcing their social identity, this is important for fans to feel connected with their

supported team.

Brand to consumer relationships gradually develop into stronger bonds when a consumer

customer perceives that a mutual way of thinking exists between him/herself and the supplier

or service provider, this touches upon the concept of empathy, which is an important

dimension in the perceived quality of Arsenals Instagram account (Gronroos, 2000).

4.4 Consumer Engagement Sub Category Analysis

This chart offers an insight into what type of image was used most frequently in terms of

the amount of posts that contained the two consumer engagement content sub categories.

This graph discloses that there is a vast difference between the posts holding Questions and

opinions (QO), compared to contests and challenges (CC).

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Figure 6. Total number of consumer engagement posts


It has been made evident that Arsenal has sustained continued increases of engagement via

likes and comments, this graph provides a clear indication that the majority of posts

published have had an element of (QO) contributing to the increases in engagement

throughout the 13 months. Arsenals marketers have detected the significant positive

difference that asking probing /conversation enticing questions (via photo captions) has had

in yielding the desired effect in boosting engagement activity.

Arsenals marketers have taken advantage of the fact that sport touches fans in a unique and

powerful way, the majority of football fans are extremely opinionated and relish at the

opportunity to voice their thoughts about their clubs; asking for fans opinions and providing a

comments section allows for a genuine

personal interactive exchange, which

empowers supporters, making them

feel as if their opinions and ideas are

valued to some extent.

The post below is a prime example

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(Question)

(Fans Answers)

Dec-12

Jan-13

Feb-1

3

Mar-13

Apr-13

May-13

Jun-13

Jul-13

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3Oct-

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Questions and Opinions

Contests & Chal-lange


of inviting consumer’s questions and opinions, which fans then take the liberty in putting

forward their views and inputs:

This frequent use of asking questions to invite engagement is essential for building

relationships. This is based on Chaffey’s (2007) Engagement theory, which states that

repeated interactions strengthens emotional, psychological or physical relations between the

organisation and the consumer.

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(Fans Answers)


When asking fans how they feel about the club or probing them for an opinion, it leads

consumers away from superficial commentary into more complex and insightful

comments/conversations, an element of ‘Stable Exchange’ from Taylor’s (1987) Social

penetration theory. This type of conversation creates opportunity for the club to unearth large

quantities of rich information for market research which can be tailored into new ideas for the

Arsenals Instagram campaigns.

When interpreting this graph it is evident to see that posts labelled under the contests and

challenges sub category has a negative trend line. However when analysing which post

generated the most conversation in the comments section, data showed that it was one of only

18 posts that were branded under contests and challenges that produced 3680 comments;

followed by the second highest 3350, from a post that was also labelled under contest and

challenges. Example:

Above is the post in question, a simple guessing game that challenges followers to name the

first team player concealed in the all in one reindeer costume.

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(Challenge/Contest)

(Sample of Replies)


A simplistic but effective means of generating masses of engagement and online

traffic to the Instagram profile, consumers feel influenced by their counterparts within this

online community to take part and are instantly compelled to post a reply. This technique

produces a ripple effect in terms of engagement; for example when a follower comments on

Arsenals photo it notifies their followers via their ‘following activity’ timeline who then are

aware and are instantly notified about this exchange, giving them a choice to view the post at

their own leisure.

Arsenal now have 673,759 followers, if Arsenals marketers could contrive a way to entice

at least 50% of all followers to comment and like photo contest content, then the ripple effect

could amass a significant amount of awareness and potentially attract new followers.

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4.5 Match Related Sub Category Analysis

The

graph above reveals how many published Pre-match (PM), During-match (DM) and Post-

match (PTM) posts were shared on arsenals Instagram account throughout the 13 months. It

can be seen here that Pre-match content has been used most frequently, with posts directly

after the match following the same trend. Posts during matches however are rarely used by

Arsenal; this is where one of Arsenals biggest weaknesses lie in relations to Match related

posts.

Here are some examples of Pre-match During-match and Post-match posts:

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Dec-12

Jan-13

Feb-1

3

Mar-13

Apr-13

May-13

Jun-13

Jul-13

Aug-13

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3Oct-

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0

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10

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25

Prematch

During match

Post Match

Figure 7. Total number of match related posts


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Pre-Match

During- Match



Post-Match


The images above are an example of how arsenal use posts to generate a ‘narrative’ or

‘story’ of a specific football match, an approach that sparks a connection with the audience

and inspires then to act (Uganec, 2013). This approach employs a pull strategy to engage

consumers, a form of inbound marketing (Godin, 1999). Inbound marketing has currently

been one of the most effective marketing methods for doing business online, by publishing

the right content in the right place at the right time, Arsenals relationship marketing efforts

become helpful, entertaining, and relevant without being interruptive (Hupspot, 2013).

There are four major themes to inbound marketing, which Arsenal seems to have employed

into their relationship marketing approach. Starting with:

Content creation (Creating targeted content that fulfil consumers wants and needs)

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Arsenal produces content showcasing the ins and outs of the football club, with real match

related content, training photos and videos, which fans find fascinating and engaging.

Lifestyle marketing & Personalisation (Marketing around consumers lifestyle and preference)

Arsenal have recognised that fans go through stages as they interact with the football team,

(Pre-match, During-match, Post-match) and the content published by Arsenal mirrors fans

thoughts and feelings towards the club at that moment in time, for example the first picture

above plays on fans anticipation for the next game, the second plays on the shared elation

fans feel during a winning game, and the third is used as shared celebration when having won

a match. Marketing around this emotional affinity is paramount in attracting and retaining

sports consumers.

Multi channel (Approaching consumers where they are, through channels where they

prefer to interact with the company)

Instagram is the leading social media platform in terms of active engagement, having a

community an eighth of the size of parent company Facebook, Instagram registers 15 times

the engagement and double the engagement user base (L-2 Intelligence report, 2014), as

illustrated in the figures below, this inevitably predicts the further growth of Arsenals

already 677,000+ follower base in coming years, a channel ripe for relationship marketing

efforts to be directed through.

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(Source: L-2 Intelligence Report - Instagram 2014)


The unpredictable nature of a football game facilitates Arsenals marketers to create

differing match related content depending on the outcome of every game, a way to keep

followers continually engaged. Players in training, during and after a game will produce

different play, stats, actions and goals which add to the never-ending amount of valuable

content in which arsenal marketers have wielded and exploited advantageously to build an

affinity with consumers via Instagram.

There are aspects of matches that are intangible, ephemeral and subjective, which makes

games very personal in nature (Newman et al., 2013), Arsenals marketers have utilised the

emotional content from games which may contrive a spectrum of feelings, from sheer elation

to deep disheartenment; and used it as a means of epithetical association with fans. This

emotional association is designed to establish and maintain a profitable, long term

relationship with fans (Newman et al., 2013).

5. Conclusion/ Managerial Implications

Instagram allows organisations to build loyal relationships with a concentrated sample of

consumers who are already interested in the organisation and its products. Essentially, in this

instance the consumers show themselves to the organisation, it is then up to the organisation

to retain a following online by providing exclusive, personalised and contemporary content,

as Arsenal have done.

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Fundamentally Arsenals Instagram serves as an outlet to express the connection fans feel

towards the team with which they identify and consume the valued content on offer (Wann,

2006). According to Holbrook (1999) consumer value is an interactive relativistic preference

experience, interactive because the consumer interacts with the offer by consuming it;

preferential because it embodies a preference judgement; relative because it requires

comparison between this experience to a next; and experimental because value, which may

involve emotional, symbolic and socio-cultural benefits, can only be obtained by

experiencing the situation.

This relates to Arsenals Instagram, they deliver value that generates emotional, symbolic

and socio-cultural benefits. Developing social bonds between fans and generating a feeling of

being a part of a community with shared values e.g. friendship, sincerity, respect, pleasure

and positive emotions to each members lives. Social community based online platforms like

Instagram allows Arsenal to truly maintain rich relationships with much larger numbers of

their fans, essentially an intangible return of investment, which unlike monetary gains is

valuable in the long run as opposed to a short term benefit (Macarthy, 2013).

This study has highlighted that Arsenal are implementing a substantial degree of varied

relationship marketing approaches via different types of photo content. The most popular

posts are undoubtedly the ones containing exclusivity and behind the scenes related images,

match content is used to a reasonable extent but there is room for improvement in the

approaches taken by arsenal, this can also be said for historic and the contests and challenges

sub-categories.

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6. Recommendations

6.1 User generated content

Arsenal posting high quality and engaging photos on its Instagram is just the start of a

successful visual relationship marketing campaign. A recommendation for Arsenal would be

to take the initiative to generate more user generated content from their follower base. Brands

have now come to a realisation how effective user generated content is for marketing on

social platforms, this is where users upload multimedia as they interact with the brand;

essentially, unintentionally marketing the brand as well as exposing brand related content to

their personal followers. By utilising their fans enthusiasm and strong relational bond,

Arsenal can effectively turn followers into their brand ambassadors as they share photos and

videos from recent games, or other forms of consumer generated content.

6.6.1 Contests and challenges

It has been mentioned by Newman et al., (2013) that sport organisations should have

effective well thought out tactics to utilise to coincide with a social media marketing

campaign. Having analysed Arsenals use of Instagram it is evident that they have not yet

incorporated photo competitions or contests with an incentivising tangible reward as a return

for competition participation. This is where content based Instagram photo campaigns would

coincide with Arsenal enhancing their relationship marketing efforts. Not only will

consumers feel part of a community when taking part in a contest of this nature, they’ll also

be producing heaps of arsenal related content which amplifies Arsenals brand awareness

exponentially, and allows fans to contribute and collaborate with the club in a way that has

never been possible before online platforms like Instagram (Ryan & Jones, 2012).

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6.1.2 Potential contest (True Gooner Campaign)

A competition where arsenal’s followers are given the incentive to post creative photos that

have an arsenal related context behind it, whilst using the hash-tag #TrueGooner to aid in

tracking the competition activity. Incentives could be free stadium tours, discounted

refreshments on match days or a chance to get their photos featured on the official Arsenal

Instagram profile. These types of contests promote user generated content and can also be

used to build stronger relationships with international fans, for example a contest that has the

hash-tag #GlobalGooners; with rewards containing free merchandise etc. It’s a simple enough

idea and a gesture to bring the most influential followers closer to the club. It shows that the

club genuinely cares about their fans and appreciates their efforts in the Social Media space.

6.2 During game content

Arsenal are missing an enormous opportunity by failing to take advantage of in game posts to

raise awareness during the live event, after all, the paramount interest that draws fans to the

club is the elite level of football being played. The use of during game posts is a great way to

provide a platform for a real-time experience, in which fans can engage with the club and

fellow fans, which increases the ‘social media community’ factor that comes with Instagram.

During-game post’s can also be a way of engaging with non-attending fans by making them

feel ‘part’ of the live game event, and as if Instagram is the ‘go to’ platform to not miss out

in the match time experience.

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The diagram above is a visual representation of the cycle of match content, for the cycle to

perpetuate in a continuous stream of content, every component must fulfil its purpose. This

cycle encapsulates the fans interest in the club, influencing fans to continually consume

match content, making them feel a part of every section of the Pre-game During-game and

Post-game narrative (Brito, 2013).

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During Match Instagram Instant replay Live in game photos Half time statistics

Match Content Cycle

Pre Match Behind the scenes content Excitement arousing content Player statistics Pre game rival statistics Team sheets Pre match fan clips

Post Match Post match statistics Post match interview

clips (Linked to full interview on website)

Post match fan reaction clips

Figure 8


6.3 Historic content

With a history stretching as far back as 1886, Arsenal has a vast catalogue of historic content

which is rarely exploited on Instagram. Retro branding is a powerful tool that can be used to

generate and regenerate brand loyalty (Hudson, 2011). Brands that have a rich heritage like

Arsenal can use their legacy to generate strong emotional connections about value and

performance in consumers’ minds (Ritson 2009). Educating fans through a narrative of

historic content will bond fans to the Arsenal brand by enhancing trust, reinforcing

perceptions of brand identity which fans identity with, thus creating positive relational

emotions (Merchant & Rose, 2013). Storytelling has an enchanting way to engage consumers

and allows the brand to become more than an entity, but to be an experience. Ultimately, a

brand story appeals to the consumer’s emotions, builds trust, and personifies the brand.

The lack of historic content places an opening for a final recommendation. As displayed in

(Appendix B), Arsenal has used historic content on their official website. Instagram can be a

platform where short clips containing historic content can be published in order to redirect

followers to the main website. With Instagram, fans will be able to consume historic content

on their mobile devices direct from their timeline, making consumption far more user friendly

then having to sign in to the arsenal website and browse for content.

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DateLikes/Month

Comments/Month (PM) (DM) (PTM) (QO) (CC) (H) (BTS)

Total Posts/Mont

h

Total Consumer engageme

nt

Total match related content

Totalexclusivity content

Dec-12 20,858 384 7 1 3 0 0 3 13 18 0 11 16

Jan-13 65,279 1,827 10 2 1 0 0 3 17 22 0 13 20

Feb-13 92,188 2,280 2 2 0 4 2 3 13 15 6 4 16

Mar-13 36,688 1,109 2 1 1 0 0 0 6 6 0 4 6

Apr-13 87,244 1,657 4 0 1 5 1 1 7 10 6 5 8

May-13 150,043 3,729 2 0 3 13 1 3 11 16 14 5 14

Jun-13 109,012 2,352 0 1 0 10 0 1 8 10 10 1 9

Jul-13 328,602 7,991 6 3 2 27 0 1 25 27 27 11 26

Aug-13 533,105 14,966 14 3 5 35 4 0 27 35 39 22 27

Sep-131,100,40

0 20,296 11 1 10 41 2 2 30 42 43 22 32

Oct-131,266,40

0 17,231 15 1 9 44 0 8 32 44 44 25 40

Nov-131,679,80

0 22,271 16 4 12 36 0 2 26 44 36 32 28

Dec-132,174,20

0 38,976 23 4 14 50 6 4 37 58 50 41 41Appendices

Appendix A – Raw Data

Appendix B - Historic (Content Website)

the final afc rm

Documents