Background
Sporting events in which participants are physically active are increasingly taking place on site and virtually. At virtual events, people take part at home or in the surrounding area, so that there is no need to travel to and from the event location. This means the carbon footprint can be reduced and time saved. However, a possible disadvantage could be that these people feel less part of a community of female athletes. The article entitled “Community Building in Virtual Participation Charity Sport Events”, which appeared in the Journal of Marketing Management, shows that this is not always the case.
Study design and results
The authors conduct a case study of virtual sporting events led by Team World Vision. They conducted semi-structured interviews with World Vision marketing managers and virtual running race participants, analyzed survey and podcast interview data, and conducted document analysis. Four overarching themes were identified as drivers of community building: social engagement, networking, impression management and fitness philanthropy.
Recommendations
The study uncovers the features of the virtual format that have helped build virtual communities and generate enthusiasm for the cause, such as digitized communication, personalized use of social media and technology-enabled opportunities for local and global networking, and adapted fundraising strategies virtual space. Fundraising must be adjusted so that donations are generated primarily while the activity is being carried out, i.e. timing of the approach is essential.
Contact
Chair of Sport and Health Mmanagement
Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer
Uptown München Campus D
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Phone +49.89.289.24559
Fax +49.89.289.24642
info.mgt@mh.tum.de