Brand Equity Development in College Football

Abstract

While the marketing literature contains a substantial body of research focused on the benefits of strong brands, there is less research focused on the processes by which strong brands are created. In this research, the authors focus on the development of brand equity in the realm of college football. This non-traditional branding application provides an opportunity to study brand equity formation because data is available both on performance and consumer demand over time. College football is also of interest because of its cultural importance, and because organizational elements such as conference affiliations and the Bowl Championship Series may influence schools’ brand building investments. The authors investigate the influence of brand equity and customer base on investments in college football programs using a structural dynamic programming model. It is found that brand equity is primarily created through participation in BCS bowls. Notably, the authors find that after controlling for level of investment, small conference schools actually have preferred access to major bowl games.