2026-05-27T21:05:09Zhttps://riuma.uma.es/rest/oai/request

oai:riuma.uma.es:10630/354072026-02-03T11:34:57Zcom_10630_2254col_10630_37953

Navarro Lucena, Fernando Jesús Molinillo-Jiménez, Sebastián Anaya-Sánchez, Rafael 2024-11-29T12:41:21Z 2024-11-29T12:41:21Z 2024 Navarro-Lucena, F., Molinillo, S. and Anaya-Sánchez, R. (2024), "Effects of the spectator's emotional attachment to esports players on the sponsoring brand", Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARLA-05-2024-0094 https://hdl.handle.net/10630/35407 10.1108/ARLA-05-2024-0094 Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand whether the spectator’s emotional attachment to esports’ players is key for the sponsoring brand’s outcomes. A theoretical model based on the attachment, social influence and brand communities’ literature is proposed. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an online survey from a sample of 1,355 regular esports viewers. The proposed conceptual model was evaluated using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results showed that emotional attachment to esports players exerts a large effect on the viewer’s engagement with the community and his or her intention to view its content for longer. These two variables are key in explaining the viewer’s intention to perform positive behaviors toward the sponsoring brand, such as recommendation, purchase intentions and co-creation. Originality/value This study improves the understanding about the effects of the viewer’s emotional bond with esports players and the bond’s impact on the development of positive behaviors toward the sponsoring brand. spa http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internacional Apego (Psicología) - En los videojuegos Marketing en Internet Effects of the spectator's emotional attachment to esports players on the sponsoring brand. journal article