Purpose: Social network sites are becoming more visual-centric. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of visual social network sites as a marketing platform. Design/methodology/approach: This paper comprises two experiments. The first experiment sought to examine the effect of social influence; while the second experiment examined the effect of image quality on the perception of quality and purchase intention. Findings: The first experiment showed that social influence did not affect perceived quality or purchase intention. In the second experiment, a one-way between-groups multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) adjusting for sport involvement showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Respondents in the experimental group reported higher levels of perceived quality (adjusted M=3.68) and purchase intention (adjusted M=3.23) when compared to the control group’s perceived quality (adjusted M=3.12) and purchase intention (adjusted M=2.17). Research limitations/implications: One of the limitations of this study is that it only examined the effects through a single social network site, i.e. Instagram. As there are other visual-centric social network sites, such as Tumblr and Pinterest, which operate slightly different from Instagram, it remains to be established how such effects vary across these social network sites. Practical implications: The results suggest that social influence on Instagram is limited and marketers should invest in images of high quality when marketing on visual social network sites. Originality/value: While there are many studies examining the effectiveness of marketing on social network sites, these studies have primarily focussed on earlier social network sites, such as Facebook. Newer social network sites that are more visual-centric, such as Instagram, are different from earlier social network sites and studied to a lesser extent. This study adds insights on the marketing effectiveness of visual-centric social network sites and deepens the understanding on marketing in general on social media.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to compare the purchase intention of counterfeit sporting goods between Singaporean and Taiwanese students using the Theory of Planned Behavior.Design/methodology/approach: – A quantitative approach was taken, collecting data from Singaporean and Taiwanese students studying in tertiary institutions. In total, 295 valid questionnaires were included in the data analysis.Findings: – The results showed that consumers’ attitude, subjective norm, and brand consciousness were predictive of purchase intention for both countries, whereas perceived behavioral control had an effect only among Taiwanese students. Further analysis showed that Singapore students had significantly higher positive attitudes toward the purchase of counterfeit sporting goods and higher levels of acceptance from peers in purchasing counterfeits.Research limitations/implications: – A limitation of this study was that respondents were selected from the undergraduate population and as such were relatively younger than the general population.Originality/value: – The findings of this study provides a better understanding on how these factors affect purchase intention of counterfeit sporting goods across countries.

Athletes are considered potential role models for young adults even though some of them exhibit inappropriate behaviours. In this commentary, the paper begins with a description of inappropriate behaviours of some athletes during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In this age of social media, news of such inappropriate behaviour can spread very quickly, particularly when the behaviour evokes an emotive response. However, social media can also be leveraged to spread positive messages. During this pandemic, athletes like other celebrities can be role models. They can encourage appropriate behaviours including social distancing to stem the spread of the virus through social media. The paper ends with a short discussion on the future of athletes as role models during a pandemic.

Research question: Advertising has been considered a less efficient vehicle of marketing communication. One recent study refuted that consumers’ attitude towards advertising was rather favourable in sport. This study compared consumers’ attitudes between advertising and sponsorship in sport and examined the antecedents (beliefs) and consequence (purchase intentions) of attitude in advertising and sponsorship. Research methods: Data were collected from 324 consumers. For testing of psychometric properties of the measures, a confirmatory factor analysis and a multiple invariance test were employed. A paired t-test, structural equation modelling, and invariance tests were conducted to test the research hypotheses. Results and Findings: There was no significant difference in consumers’ attitudes between advertising and sponsorship which were both deemed favourable. The path analyses revealed two positive beliefs (product information and hedonism/pleasure) and one negative belief (falsity/no sense) as significant predictors of attitude in both models. Good for the economy was an additional significant predictor of attitude in advertising but it was not so in sponsorship. The strengths of the three path coefficients were statistically identical across the two models. Attitude was a significant indicator of purchase intentions in both models; however, the invariance test revealed that the path in adverting was statistically stronger than that in sponsorship. Implications: This study provides important knowledge about consumers’ cognitive structures that could explain their decision making processes. Sport marketers could develop their promotion strategies more successfully, conveying their intent in a manner consistent with positive beliefs and avoiding negative beliefs.

Politicians and sports organizations have often relied on economic benefits to justify their decisions in hosting major sports events in their countries. Consequently, there are comparatively few studies on the non-economic benefits of hosting major sports events. The purpose of this research is to determine whether there is any change in the level of national pride in the hosting of the Youth Olympics Games held recently in Singapore in 2010. Two separate surveys were conducted among students from a tertiary education institution in Singapore two months prior to, and after, the event. Results showed a significant increase in the level of national pride. Specifically, the increases in the level of national pride were more pronounced among males and those who were more involved in sports. The results concur with previous studies that have reported an increase in national pride following the hosting of a major sports event. As this is a case study focusing on the Youth Olympic Games, which arguably is on a distinctly smaller scale compared to the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, future research needs to be conducted on other major sports events to determine the generalizability of the findings.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore cycling tourists’ experience in Singapore using an exploratory case study. Design/methodology/approach: Tourist’s spontaneous reviews ( n =409) posted on TripAdvisor were collected and analyzed through Leximancer. Findings: The software identified 31 concepts grouped into five dominant themes of tourists’ experiences. In order of relative importance, the themes were tour, bike, guide, experience, and cycling. It revealed that most tourists have a favorable impression of their cycling experience in Singapore. Originality/value: The findings suggest cycling tours can provide tourists with pleasurable experiences. Tourists embark on cycling tours in Singapore to learn more about the city and enjoy new experiences. However, to meet tourists’ expectations, bicycles must be well-maintained and accessible. In addition, tour guides should be attentive and knowledgeable. These have a direct effect on tourists’ satisfaction level with cycling tours.