Does the FIFA video game drive Brand Loyalty

Changing the game:

An Investigation on the Potential of Electronic Arts' FIFA

Soccer Video Game to Drive Soccer Club Brand Loyalty Among

Gamers

Evan Baechler

Prof. Whitney Wagoner | Prof. Susanna Lim | Mr. David Bruce

What is FIFA

Multiplayer online | Multiplayer offline / local | single player

Video

“FIFA is an authentic representation of

the real club soccer environment” - Matt Mahar, former Lead FIFA online producer

English

Spanish French Argentinean

Belgian English English Ivorian

Serbian

Manchester City FC | Italian Manager | UEA Owner

”Soccer is much further along in the process of

globalization than any other economy on the planet.” -Globalization Journalist F. Foer

Argentinean

Bosnian

A Global Strategy

•Mid 90s Strategic Shift

•Global Brand = Huge opportunities

•Sponsors

•Media Distribution

•Licensing

• Economies of Scale

Global is Resource-Intensive, Difficult to maintain

Time Af

fin

ity / E

ng

agem

ent

Video games : a powerful opportunity

•Digital environment is complex

•Control is difficult

•Videogames :

•Intimate*

•controlled

•Realistic

•Relevant

Video games are Realistic

Real

Rendered

Video games are Relevant

•Video Game Revenue > Box Office Revenue

in the US, 2010:

•72% of households played

•25.1 Billion USD

FIFA is Most popular sports game

•100m copies sold

•Top seller in every Global Region

Research Focus Hypothesis:

Electronic Arts’ FIFA Soccer video game is a powerful digital, global expansion tool

for Soccer Clubs.

Investigation:

•Does FIFA Drive brand loyalty toward foreign soccer clubs?

•how does this information affect the sports business environment?

•further research?

Literature Review: Brand Loyalty Attitude: Behavior: (not always purchase)

psychological commitment Congruent Brand Engagement

•Leads to a more valuable, more profitable org.

•Building loyalty is a process:

•Frequency / Satisfaction drive loyalty

2-dimensional

Informational Process

Identification Process

Volitional Process

Likert-Scale Equivalents

1................2…….………3……….….…4………..….…5………..….6

Frequency of Brand Exposure

Literature Review: Loyalty & Sports

Introduction Preference Formation

Preference Strengthened

Emerging Commitment

Identification

Preference Building Emerging Loyalty True Loyalty

•Fans vs Participants

•Self-Esteem

•Fan Socialization process

•Socialization agents: family, peers, school, community, and media

Literature Review: Video Games & Loyalty

•Violence: Video Games affect Attitude & Behavior

•More realistic Stronger effect

•RPGs: Gamers develop relationships with characters

•FIFA expertise self-esteem loyalty to game

Methodology

Survey: 368 Responses

•Screener Questions Isolate FIFA as loyalty-inducing variable

•Independent Variables: FIFA engagement

•Dependent variables: Loyalty scales

•Additional questions:

•Prior engagement with soccer

•Qualitative questions

•Social questions

•Implication Interviews: EA, Nike, MLS, ESPN

3-stage analysis

1 . N=23 2 . N=70 3 . N=171

No previous

relationship with team

No previous

relationship with

soccer

Average protocols

No previous

relationship with team

Investigated other

soccer variables

Double-checked #1

Ordinal Regression

Anyone identifying as a

FIFA user

Qualitative Questions

Social Gaming

Questions

Synthesis

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

strongly

Agree

Agree Somehwhat

Agree

Neighter Agree

nor Disagree

Somehwhat

Disagree

Disagree strongly

Disagree

Num

ber

of R

espo

nse

s

FIFA has made me more loyal to my FIFA team outside the video game?

respondents who Agreed FIFA made them more loyal to their favorite

FIFA team

67%

13% 20%

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

<1

month

1-6 mo. 6-12

mo.

1-2

years

2-4 yr. 4-6 yr.

Av

erag

e P

er-Q

ues

tio

n L

oy

alt

y S

core

Length of Relationship With FIFA Club

Attitudinal

Loyalty

Behavioral

Loyalty

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Amateur Semi-pro Pro World

Class

Legendary

Av

era

ge

Per

-Qu

esti

on

Loy

alt

y S

core

Change in FIFA Expertise

Attitudinal

Loyalty

Behavioral

Loyalty 1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Av

era

ge

Per

-Qu

esti

on

Lo

yalt

y S

core

How Frequently Respondents Switch Clubs

Attitudinal

Loyalty

Behavioral

Loyalty

0.5 1

1.5 2

2.5 3

3.5 4

4.5

Av

erag

e p

er-q

ues

tio

n l

oy

alt

y s

core

How Frequently Respondents Play FIFA

Attitudinal

Loyalty

Behavioral

Loyalty

stage 1 Analysis: Avg. Protocols Change in average reported loyalty scores given FIFA engagement

stage 2 Analysis: Ordinal Regression

•Ordinal Regression:

•for scale-based, non-discrete variables

•Reports Probabilities

•Independent variables: Dummy Variables (yes / No variables)

• Soccer player?

•Hometown club supporter

•FIFA Expert

•FIFA team Loyal

Soccer

Player

Hometown

Club Loyal FIFA Expert

FIFA team

Loyal

stage 3 analysis: synthesis

Qualitative analysis:

FIFA Informs | FIFA Is social | Virtual Players are Important

Social-Gaming Questions:

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Play by

yourself

Play offline

multi-player

play online

multi-player

2 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 4 4.4 4.8

You Lose with your FIFA team in

the video game to the computer

You Lose with your FIFA team in

the video game to a human during

offline multiplayer

You lose with your FIFA team in

the video game to a human durring

online Multiplayer

Your FIFA team loses a real game

outside of the video game

1=not at all disappointed

7=very disappointed

Average Disappointment given Scenarios involving

favorite FIFA Club

Introduction Preference Avidity

Social Motives

Less FIFA Engagement More

FIFA facilitates

knowledge, awareness,

and interest

around soccer

FIFA facilitates

connections with

club brand elements

(players).

Additional brand

engagements

catalyze loyalty.

Lower Value of Fan to Club Higher

FIFA Fan Socialization process

"I would have absolutely zero interest in Chelsea if it

wasn't for the game. The game is the sole driver of my

fandom."

"FIFA was how I got into European Soccer. Before my

FIFA days, I didn't even care about the World Cup. Now

soccer has become my career. I am employed as an

agent for FC Barcelona, to put on youth camps in the

United States."

Errors & Improvements

Errors in the Sample:

•Sample Size

•Low Sample Diversity Predictor of small fan population

Errors in Method:

•Scales are limiting

•No control group

Improvements:

•Use FIFA User Data instead of scales

•Compare to loyal non-gamers

Implications •FIFA is an information source

•FIFA becomes a viable Brand marketing medium

•Partnership opportunities / integrations

•EA gains bargaining power

Shifts in the FIFA Value Chain:

License

Develop

FIFA

product

Distr. &

sell

Manage

& Update

This study provides evidence that FIFA drives loyalty toward soccer clubs.

What Else can we learn?

League brands:

Relevant to

building MLS?

Other sports games /

Other samples:

•Other cultural groups

•Individual sports games

Emerging Tech:

Body movement-

controlled video

games

How / Why players

Select teams:

Inform Specific tactics for

elevating teams

Further research

Maintain Authenticity:

Within FIFA

Maintain Authenticity:

At Soccer’s Grassroots Core

Questions &

Comments

Does the FIFA video game drive Brand Loyalty

Business

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