The Football Fan's Journey How do the different channels influence the experience of a SL Benfica fan?

Mas e ’s Deg ee P og am in Da a-D i en Ma ke ing The Foo ball Fan's Jou ney How do he di e en channels in luence he expe ience o a SL Ben ica an? F ancisco Ma ia Ma ins Lou ei o Mas e Thesis p esen ed as pa ial equi emen o ob aining a Mas e ’s Deg ee in Da a-D i en Ma ke ing NOVA In o ma ion Managemen School Ins i u o Supe io de Es a ís ica e Ges ão de In o mação Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa MDDM NOVA In o ma ion Managemen School Ins i u o Supe io de Es a ís ica e Ges ão de In o mação Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa The Foo ball Fan's Jou ney How do he di e en channels in luence he expe ience o a SL Ben ica an? by F anciso Ma ia Ma ins Lou ei o Mas e Thesis p esen ed as pa ial equi emen o ob aining he Mas e ’s deg ee in Da a- D i en Ma ke ing, wi h a specializa ion in Ma ke ing In elligence. Supe ised by Ma lon Dalmo o, PhD, No a IMS July, 2024 pg. i STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY I he eby decla e ha ing conduc ed his academic wo k wi h in eg i y. I con i m ha I ha e no used plagia ism, any o m o undue use o in o ma ion o alsi ica ion o esul s along he p ocess leading o i s elabo a ion. I u he decla e ha I ha e ully acknowledged he Rules o Conduc and Code o Hono om he NOVA In o ma ion Managemen School. Lisbon, 2024 pg. ii ABSTRACT In o de o in e ac wi h i s ans, oo ball eams a e using a wide a ie y o con en ional and digi al enues, om an clubs and ma chday expe iences o websi es and social media accoun s. These channels os e a s ong eeling o communi y among ans in addi ion o b idging geog aphical di ides. Foo ball has become a uni e sal language ha uni ies ans wo ldwide in ou echnologically linked socie y. The s udy "The Foo ball Fan's Jou ney: How do he Di e en Channels In luence he Expe ience o an SL Ben ica Fan?" explo es he complex and dynamic in e ac ions ha ake place be ween suppo e s and hese many channels o communica ion. Th ough an emphasis on a den ollowe s o S.L. Ben ica, his s udy seeks o comp ehend how a ious media pla o ms in luence and augmen he an expe ience. Using a quan i a i e esea ch app oach, he s udy aims o iden i y he p ecise mechanisms by which con en ional and digi al in e ac ions suppo Ben ica ans' engagemen , loyal y, and gene al well-being. Foo ball eams hoping o imp o e hei an engagemen ac ics and cul i a e a mo e de o ed and engaged an base a e expec ed o bene i g ea ly om he indings. KEYWORDS Foo ball Fan Expe ience; Digi al Engagemen ; Social Media In e ac ion; SL Ben ica; Ma chday Expe ience; Fan Loyal y; Club Fans; Suppo e Engagemen . Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDG): pg. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. In oduc ion .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Con ex .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Resea ch Gap and Objec i es ................................................................................ 2 1.3. Wo k S uc u e ...................................................................................................... 3 2. Li e a u e e iew .......................................................................................................... 4 2.1. Consume Expe ience ............................................................................................ 4 2.2. Consume Jou ney ................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1. Consume Jou ney Map ................................................................................. 6 2.2.2. Planning and Implemen ing he Cus ome Jou ney Map P ocess ................. 7 2.2.3. Resul s on Implemen ing The Map ................................................................ 8 2.3. Consume Jou ney and Consume Expe ience on he Foo ball Indus y – Emo ional Ma ke ing ........................................................................................................................ 10 3. Me hodology .............................................................................................................. 11 4. Empi ical S udy ........................................................................................................... 13 5. Resul s and Discussion ................................................................................................ 16 5.1. Digi al Usage ........................................................................................................ 28 6. Conclusions and Fu u e Resea ch .............................................................................. 29 Bibliog aphical Re e ences .............................................................................................. 30 Annexes ........................................................................................................................... 33 pg. i LIST OF FIGURES G aph 1.T anspo a ion used o ge o Es ádio da Luz on game day ...................................... 16 G aph 2. Use o Food & Be e age es ablishmen s a ound he s adium ................................. 17 G aph 3. Use o Food & Be e age es ablishmen s a ound he s adium ................................ 17 G aph 4. Use o he Fan Zone ................................................................................................... 18 G aph 5. People who use App – P e-Game .............................................................................. 18 G aph 6. App and Social Media Expe ience ............................................................................. 20 G aph 7. P e-ma ch A mosphe e - G aph 8. S adium En e ainmen .................................... 20 G aph 9. S adium WiFi usage and Speed sa is ac ion ............................................................. 22 G aph 10. S adium sound, Illumina ion and Sc eens pe o mance´s sa is ac ion .................. 22 G aph 11. Impo ance o App and Social Media usage du ing he game - O e all ................. 23 G aph 12. Impo ance o App and Social Media - Below 18y .................................................. 23 G aph 13. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 18y o 29y ................................................. 24 G aph 14. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 30y o 39y ................................................. 24 G aph 15. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 40y o 49y ................................................. 24 G aph 16. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 50y o 59y ................................................. 25 G aph 17. Impo ance o App and Social Media – Abo e 60y ................................................. 25 G aph 18. Usage o Ben ica App du ing he game - G aph 19. Usage o Ben ica Social Media du ing he game ............................................................................................................... 25 G aph 20. Pos -Game digi al usage .......................................................................................... 26 G aph 21. Money spen du ing he game day ......................................................................... 27 G aph 22. O e all Game Expe ience ........................................................................................ 27 pg. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Sociodemog aphic Gende /Age - Table 2. Sociodemog aphic Gende /S udies ...... 14 Table 3. Sociodemog aphic Age/Occupa ion .......................................................................... 15 Table 5. People who use Social Media/Age ............................................................................. 19 Table 6. Me chandising/Money spen on he en i e jou ney .................................................. 21 pg. i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CX Consume Expe ience pg. 1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. CONTEXT “Foo ball is mo e han wen y- wo men chasing a ball o 90 minu es. Fo many people oo ball is a ques ion o li e and dea h. Foo ball is passion. I 's iden i y. Foo ball is he wo ld’s la ges spo o child en and you h. Foo ball is he wo ld's la ges media p oduc . O he s will say ha oo ball i s and o emos is a game wi h speci ic ules.” (Goksoy , 2014) Ne e heless, we can acknowledge ha oo ball has e ol ed in o much mo e han jus a game in he mode n day. A comple e cul u e is buil a ound a lo e and en husiasm o a spo ha has mo ed and will con inue o mo e a g ea numbe o people. Thus, looking a hings om he same angle, Akmaljon Tu aqulo (2023) in es iga es how oo ball a ec s socie y and highligh s how impo an i is in ways ha go beyond jus en e ainmen . Acco ding o him, oo ball has e ol ed in o a phenomenon ha is deeply ing ained in na ional iden i y and ins ills a sense o a ilia ion in i s suppo e s. Tu aqulo (2023) asse s ha oo ball is a powe ul ool o p omo ing alues like pa io ism, communi y cohesion, and making he mos o leisu e ime, and ha i may hus ha e an impac on socie y no ms and a i udes. As a esul , oo ball eams a e inc easingly connec ing wi h hei ollowe s h ough a a ie y o con en ional and digi al pla o ms, including as websi es, social media, an clubs, and ma chday expe iences, in an e o o b eak down geog aphical bo de s and p omo e a eeling o communi y among suppo e s. In ou inc easingly echnologically linked socie y, oo ball has become a uni e sal language ha connec s suppo e s wo ldwide. In he con ex o oo ball, howe e , i mus be acknowledged ha ans a e now ea ed like cus ome s. The e o e, in o de o sa is y he equi emen s and in e es s o hese suppo e s, clubs mus comp ehend he an expe ience om beginning o end. To o e a ho ough backg ound o his s udy, i is necessa y o apidly discuss he wo main a eas ha he li e a u e e iew will co e : consume jou ney and consume expe ience, bo h o he bene i o cu en and u u e esea ch. A se ies o con ac s ha "in ol es all ac i i ies and e en s ela ed o he deli e y o a se ice om he cus ome 's pe spec i e" is e e ed o as a "consume jou ney" (Zome dijk and Voss 2010, p 74). In his ins ance, he jou ney o a oo ball an on a ma ch day will be examined, conside ing a a ie y o con en ional and digi al aspec s while always keeping in mind he o e ings o SL Ben ica. On he o he hand, comp ehending consume s and hei expe iences using p oduc s and se ices om companies in physical and online e ail en i onmen s is one o he p ima y objec i es o ma ke ing. In he domains o consume beha io and ma ke ing, expe ience is no as pg. 8 Figu e 1. The se en s eps o plan e execu e jou ney mapping. (Be man,2020) 2.2.3. RESULTS ON IMPLEMENTING THE MAP Consume Expe ience Op imiza ion. Posi i e cus ome expe iences, acco ding o Be man, B. (2020), ely on p o iding unique, use ul, and ele an in o ma ion in addi ion o o he b and in e ac ions. A business migh disco e me hods o enhance he gene al cus ome expe ience by aligning he solu ions o e ed by hei b and wi h hei comp ehension o he d i ing o ces and issues aced by hei clien ele. P o iding o hei undamen al needs in an e icien manne boos s hei engagemen and p omo es he de elopmen o mo e pg. 9 posi i e assessmen s. In ligh o his, he au ho sugges s he ollowing key c ucial ac ions o maximize he cus ome expe ience while u ilizing he consume jou ney map: • P io i ize You Goals: Conside ca e ully which s ages o he cus ome expe ience a e mos c ucial o you company's success and seize c i ical u ning poin s. Use his o you ad an age o s eng hen ies wi h loyal ollowe s, o ins ance, i p ospec i e buye s a e s ill in he con empla ion s age and ou inely subsc ibe o you YouTube channel. • Adop an Omnichannel S a egy: By implemen ing in o ac ion an omnichannel ma ke ing s a egy, businesses may ge a weal h o da a and a comp ehensi e unde s anding o he consume expe ience. This p ocess makes i possible o p o ide cus omized cus ome expe iences o a e y high deg ee. Use omnichannel analy ics echnologies o cap u e and analyze in ica e c oss-channel in e ac ions. • Pe sonalize In e ac ions a E e y S age: De eloping signi ican and ailo ed expe iences o you a ge audience a e e y s age and in e ac ion is essen ial o de eloping a cus ome jou ney map. U ilize ele an da a insigh s o pe sonalize online and in-s o e shopping expe iences acco ding o consume p e e ences and equi emen s. • P omo e a Rela ionship Based on Mu ual T us : Es ablishing a ounda ion o us is essen ial, especially when dealing wi h cus ome s who ha e low le els o us . Suppo you ma ke ing p omises wi h loyal y p og ams, pe sonalized ewa ds, and excellen cus ome se ice. Being us wo hy and since e may help you c ea e ela ionships wi h you cus ome s ha las a li e ime. This speci ic opic will be co e ed in mo e dep h la e in his p ojec . pg. 10 2.3. CONSUMER JOURNEY AND CONSUMER EXPERIENCE ON THE FOOTBALL INDUSTRY – EMOTIONAL MARKETING As oo ball is a spo ha a ouses a mul i ude o emo ions, I hink i 's essen ial o unde s and how clubs can exploi ha . In he ma ke ing sec o , emo ions a e qui e impo an . This link has been well esea ched and examined. Se e al schola s ha e sc u inized psychological ideas in de ail o comp ehend how emo ions impac ma ke ing s a egies (Consoli, 2010). Nume ous indus ies such as ou ism, e ail and consume engagemen and sa is ac ion ha e in es iga ed he in luence o emo ions. I is impe a i e ha his elemen be conside ed in any esea ch o he cus ome jou ney due o he wide- anging applica ions and subs an ial impac o emo ions. Addi ionally, s udies on consume beha io and expe ience ha e ocused on emo ions (Akgün e al., 2013). The applicabili y o his a iable ex ends o con ex s including spo s, whe e ans' emo ional in ol emen can ha e a subs an ial in luence on hei whole expe ience and conduc (Kwak e al., 2011). Resea che s may lea n mo e abou how consume s engage wi h businesses, make decisions, and o m loyal y by including he s udy o emo ions in o hei esea ch. In conclusion, we can say ha by appealing di ec ly o emo ions, oo ball clubs will be able o imp o e and p ese e hei ela ionship wi h hei ans, p o iding hem wi h an e e be e expe ience and consequen ly mo e sa is ac ion. pg. 11 3. METHODOLOGY Bea ing in mind all he in oduc ion and consequen p oblems o he p ojec , i is now essen ial o de ine which me hodological ools will be used so ha his same p oblem can be answe ed e ec i ely and e icien ly. The e o e, he op ion ha bes i s he p ojec is o ca y ou an online su ey o collec speci ic da a ha is essen ial o sol e he p oblem de ined abo e. Ne e heless, because o hei impa iali y and accu acy, which make i possible o consis en ly ga he and in e p e nume ical da a, quan i a i e app oaches a e c ucial in esea ch. These s a egies make i easie o apply complex s a is ical ools o ind ends and es hypo heses, as well as o gene alize esul s o bigge popula ions and make in es iga ions ep oducible. Fu he mo e, he scien i ic communi y commonly accep s quan i a i e app oaches as scalable, cos -e ec i e, and ime-e icien , which enhances he alidi y and impac o he esul s gained. Then, i s ly, we need o de ine wha an online su ey is. Acco ding o Van Selm & Jankowski (2006), one o he mos used me hods o ga he ing da a is he online su ey, some imes known as an in e ne su ey. In his ype o su ey, a a ge sample is gi en a se ies o ques ions o answe o e he Wo ld Wide Web. They also a gue ha he use o his me hodological ool should always " ule ou " a ge ing people wi h a high le el o In e ne expe ience and should ha e he main objec i es o ob aining a high numbe o esponses as well as hei quali y and cla i y. In his speci ic case, conside ing ha in e ne su eys a e easily accessible as well as easy o use, hey we e also employed as an in es iga i e app oach. So ha , he p ima y objec i e o he su ey is o ge insigh ul eedback om cus ome s o p o ide a comp ehensi e unde s anding o he ac o s in luencing hei decisions on game day. The e o e, ou o he in e es o bo h pa ies, he online ques ionnai e men ioned abo e was cons uc ed wi h he suppo o some SL Ben ica o icials in o de o p o ide impo an in o ma ion bo h o he ealiza ion o he p ojec and o he analysis and ac ion o he club in ques ion. In his way, he a ious s ages o he consume jou ney we e aken in o accoun as he basis o he ques ions. Thus, all he acili ies used a each s age we e conside ed in o de o unde s and hei use ulness and ele ance on a an's ma ch day. On he o he hand, I was esponsible o sending ou he ques ionnai e o SL Ben ica Fans ia email, SMS o social media. Thus, he sample chosen includes all hose who usually a end SL Ben ica ma ches, and he gende o age o he esponden s is i ele an . This way, we'll y o ge as many esponses as possible so ha u u e analyses can be acili a ed by he la ge amoun o da a a ailable. pg. 12 In conclusion, in e en ial analyses will be ca ied ou in he u u e o d aw conclusions and ecommenda ions ha a e essen ial o sol e he p oblem de ined abo e. I should be no ed ha Excel and Qual ics pla o ms will be used o ca y ou all he necessa y analyses. These will be di e se and will endea o o a i e a he expec ed esul in an e ec i e and e icien manne . pg. 13 4. EMPIRICAL STUDY In o de o conclude my esea ch, i is impo an o desc ibe and explain how he su ey is cons uc ed. The main goal o my esea ch is o map he jou ney o a oo ball an on a ma ch day, aking in o accoun hei sa is ac ion du ing all s ages o he p ocess. The e o e, he su ey and he consequen consume jou ney a e di ided in o h ee dis inc s ages: P e-Ma ch, Du ing-Ma ch and Pos -Ma ch. In his i s s age, he P e-Ma ch, i is possible o sepa a e he ques ions in o T anspo and Food, SL Ben ica App and Social Ne wo ks, En i onmen and las ly Me chandising. The main aim o his s age is o unde s and all he poin s o con ac and hei e ec i eness be ween club and ans om he momen hey lea e home un il he ma ch s a s. On he o he hand, in he second s age, he ques ions add ess a ious issues ha seek o unde s and an beha io du ing he 90 minu es o he game. Thus, he opics add essed a e he condi ions he s adium has o o e (Res au an s, Wi-Fi, Sound, Ligh s and Sc eens), as well as he in e ac ion wi h he App and Social Ne wo ks and inally he En i onmen and Anima ion expe ienced. Finally, he Pos Game s age includes di e en ques ions abou he sa is ac ion and quali y o in e ac ion, digi al ouchpoin s and he possibili y o eedback and sugges ions o analysis. The e o e, in o de o be able o ully analyze he da a collec ed, he online su ey includes mul iple choice ques ions, yes/no ques ions, many Like scales and e en open-ended ques ions whe e he esponden is allowed o gi e hei opinion and sugges ions on he abo e-men ioned opics. Ha ing said ha , i is impo an o ha e a clea and de ined a ge audience whe e he esul s om my esea ch align wi h he p oblem o his heses. This way, my a ge a e SL Ben ica ans o all ages and gende s who a end he ma ches, his will allow me o unde s and he di e en pe spec i es and ways o expe iencing a ma ch day. The e o e, below I will p esen a b ie analysis o he sociodemog aphic da a collec ed h ough he su ey o 219 pa icipan s. pg. 14 Table 1. Sociodemog aphic Gende /Age Table 2. Sociodemog aphic Gende /S udies Looking a he ables abo e, you can see ha he as majo i y o he audience is male (143) and aged be ween 18 - 29 (59) and 40 – 49 (39). I should be no ed ha hese igu es a e due o he ac ha oo ball, and consequen ly SL Ben ica, has many mo e male ans han emale ans. None heless, nowadays he e is a huge mobiliza ion o women o spo , who a e inc easingly making hei p esence el in s adiums, and his can be seen in he 65 esponses I ecei ed. In Table 2, we see a ela i ely high le el o educa ion in bo h gende s, which shows ha he pa icipan s a e qui e li e a e and able o answe ques ions e ec i ely, aking in o accoun hei ideas and opinions. I should also be no ed ha in bo h ables we ha e 10 in alid answe s, which shows human e o . I won' ake hese in o accoun o u u e analyses. Row Labels Coun o Age Female 65 < 18 yea s old 4 18 - 29 yea s old 51 30 - 39 yea s old 4 40 - 49 yea s old 3 50 - 59 yea s old 2 60 + yea s old 1 Male 143 < 18 yea s old 1 18 - 29 yea s old 59 30 - 39 yea s old 26 40 - 49 yea s old 39 50 - 59 yea s old 14 60 + yea s old 4 Did no answe 10 50 - 59 yea s old 1 Did no answe 9 P e e no o say 1 60 + yea s old 1 G and To al 219 Row Labels Coun o S udies Female 65 Seconda y School 15 Bachelo Deg ee 42 Mas e Deg ee 8 Male 143 PhD 1 Seconda y School 40 Bachelo Deg ee 69 Mas e Deg ee 31 O he 2 Did no answe 10 Bachelo Deg ee 1 Did no answe 9 P e e no o say 1 O he 1 G and To al 219 pg. 15 Table 3. Sociodemog aphic Age/Occupa ion Acco ding o able 3, which ela es age o cu en occupa ion, we can see ha a la ge p opo ion o esponden s a e s ill s uden s in he 18-29 age g oup. On he o he hand, in all he o he age g oups, he pa icipan s a e mos ly employees. Row Labels Coun o Occupa ion < 18 yea s old 5 S uden 5 18 - 29 yea s old 110 Unemployed 1 Employed 32 Sel -Employed 4 S uden 72 O he 1 30 - 39 yea s old 30 Unemployed 1 Employed 24 Sel -Employed 5 40 - 49 yea s old 42 Unemployed 2 Employed 32 Sel -Employed 8 50 - 59 yea s old 17 Employed 12 Sel -Employed 5 60 + yea s old 6 Employed 1 Sel -Employed 1 O he 4 Did no answe 9 Did no answe 9 G and To al 219 pg. 16 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Ha ing analyzed he sociodemog aphic da a, i is now ime o s udy he esul s ob ained in he su ey. As men ioned abo e, he ques ionnai e is di ided in o 3 s ages ha p esuppose he s ages o a SL Ben ica an's consume jou ney. Fi s S age – P e-Ma ch Fi s ly, in he i s s age, which deals wi h he p e-ma ch momen , we can d aw a ious conclusions abou he jou ney and in e ac ions ha a an goes h ough un il he momen o he ma ch. Below I will analyze some ele an da a abou his s age o he p ocess. In he i s ques ion, pa icipan s we e asked how hey usually a elled o he Es ádio da Luz on a ma ch day. In he g aph below, we can see ha 64 pe cen o ans a el in hei own ehicle o wa ch he game. Howe e , i is also impo an o no e ha 31% o hese ans a el by public anspo o o he paid anspo . The e o e, SL Ben ica should be conce ned abou his, as anspo and he amoun paid o i will inc easingly ha e an impac on an sa is ac ion. In his espec , we can also say ha he mo e solu ions SL Ben ica comes up wi h, he be e i s ans will be sa is ied. These solu ions include he p omo ion o ee public anspo ha can ake icke holde s om he coun y's main ci ies. G aph 1.T anspo a ion used o ge o Es ádio da Luz on game day In he second ques ion, when asked abou p e-ma ch ood and d ink a ound he s adium, he majo i y o pa icipan s we e in a o o doing so (74%). O hose who do, he places hey go o, can be qui e di e en , wi h some p e e ence o he usual ood ucks (87 pa icipan s). By checking he g aphs below, he club can see ha he e is less p e e ence o he op ions i o e s. pg. 17 G aph 2. Use o Food & Be e age es ablishmen s a ound he s adium G aph 3. Use o Food & Be e age es ablishmen s a ound he s adium Di ec ly ela ed o he abo e ques ions, i is also ele an o unde s and why pa icipan s p e e enues ou side he s adium o he Fan Zone wi hin i . As a esul , G aph 4 shows ha 74 pe cen o ans don' usually go o he an zone. We can also add ha , acco ding o he opinion gi en in esponse o he ques ionnai e, he ans conside ha he e is a lack o a mosphe e o he game, ha he p ices a e expensi e and ha SL Ben ica is no eally expe ienced he e. The club should he e o e change i s app oach in o de o mee he wishes and needs o i s ans. G ea e in e ac ion wi h ans, he use o club music and lowe p ices could be some o he solu ions o his p oblem. pg. 24 G aph 13. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 18y o 29y G aph 14. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 30y o 39y G aph 15. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 40y o 49y pg. 25 G aph 16. Impo ance o App and Social Media – 50y o 59y G aph 17. Impo ance o App and Social Media – Abo e 60y Di ec ly ela ed o he impo ance o he App and social ne wo ks is hei use. See he g aphs below. G aph 18. Usage o Ben ica App du ing he game G aph 19. Usage o Ben ica Social Media du ing he game To conclude his phase o he jou ney, i 's impo an o say ha he use o social ne wo ks and apps is unde a ed. Thus, he lack o in luence hey ha e on he sa is ac ion o he club's ans pg. 26 du ing his momen is no o ious. As men ioned in he li e a u e e iew, al hough digi al is inc easingly essen ial in people's li es, he oo ball momen akes p ecedence, pushing all hese digi al media in o he backg ound. Thi d S age – Pos -Ma ch Finally, he pos -ma ch momen . A his poin , he ques ionnai e asks abou he gene al expe ience o he ma ch day. I also gi es oom o opinions ha can be analyzed below. So, i s ly, s ill on he digi al side, we ied o unde s and whe he o no he SL Ben ica channels would be used pos -ma ch. We also analyzed which channels we e used and o wha pu pose. As we can see in he g aph below, he as majo i y o pa icipan s use digi al channels a his s age, pa icula ly o see he analysis and summa y o he game. The mos used channels a e social ne wo ks, he app and he club channel, BTV. I 's wo h no ing ha his is he second s age whe e digi al media a e used he mos . G aph 20. Pos -Game digi al usage Tha said, i 's also impo an o unde s and how much a SL Ben ica oo ball an spends on a ma ch day. Thus, he g aph below shows us some dispa i y in alues, wi h he 24 pe cen who spend mo e han 30 eu os s anding ou . This igu e indica es ha many people end up a elling om a away, hus making a a he la ge inancial e o hese days. Ben ica he e o e has he oppo uni y o make he di e ence. Mo e mo e and mo e people om all o e Po ugal o he Es adio da Luz. Th ough he e u n o he Ben ica ain o he dynamiza ion o p i a e anspo om he coun y's main ci ies. pg. 27 G aph 21. Money spen du ing he game day To inalize his analysis, i 's impo an o unde s and wha he eal impac o e e y hing men ioned abo e is on he inal expe ience o he SL Ben ica an. Th ough he g aph below, we can conclude ha he as majo i y o ans su eyed a e sa is ied wi h hei expe ience. On a scale o 0 (Bad Expe ience) o 5 (Excellen Expe ience), 95 o he pa icipan s a ed hei day as 4 o 5. Howe e , h ough an open- ended su ey, i was possible o conclude ha he e was some dissa is ac ion wi h a ious issues. These issues ela e o he cos , he poo a mosphe e du ing he game, he high olume o he music and he poo iming o he speake and DJ. G aph 22. O e all Game Expe ience pg. 28 5.1. DIGITAL USAGE The inal esul s o his s udy show ha SL Ben ica Fans use social media and app he mos du ing he P e-Ma ch and Pos -Ma ch phases o hei an jou ney. In he i s phase, ans y o keep up o da e wi h he club and o he suppo e s be o e he ma ch, such as up- o- he-minu e upda es on he eam and o he ele an in o ma ion. In he hi d phase, hese same ans aim o discuss and ind ou all he de ails ha may ha e been missed du ing he game. This in o ma ion os e s a ela ionship wi h he club and o he ans and ma ks he opening o a "discussion" on he way home. Howe e , in he second phase, he use o social ne wo ks and apps loses all i s ele ance because we' e in he momen du ing he game. So ans concen a e on a mo e senso y ace- o- ace expe ience and look o hei ellow ans o he h ill o a game wi h hei a o i e club. This disc epancy be ween phases p omo es he need o combine in e ac ion ia digi al pla o ms wi h he pe sonal and unpa alleled in e ac ion o expe iencing a oo ball ma ch. pg. 29 6. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH This in es iga ion en i led "The Foo ball Fan's Jou ney: How Do Di e en Channels In luence he Expe ience o an SL Ben ica Fan?" p o ides an in aluable insigh in o a ious ac o s ha shape an engagemen and sa is ac ion. Howe e , while he esul o he game emains he main in luence on a an's expe ience, he e a e o he ac o s such as in ol emen on social media, he quali y o se ices a he s adium and connec ions wi h he club, online o in pe son, ha a e c ucial. In oday's digi al wo ld, ans alue close bonds wi h hei clubs as undamen al o hei o e all happiness. Fu he mo e, his s udy con ibu es o academic knowledge by imp o ing ou unde s anding o he a ious ac o s ha in luence an sa is ac ion, speci ically in he con ex o SL Ben ica. On he one hand, i is use ul o businesses; o example, i sugges s ways in which clubs can imp o e hei in e ac ion s a egies wi h ans. I SL Ben ica wo ks on hese key poin s iden i ied abo e, i will be able o in e ac be e wi h ans, leading o be e expe iences and g ea e engagemen . I mus be acknowledged ha his s udy is no exhaus i e wi hou ecognising i s limi a ions. Mo eo e , his esea ch ocuses exclusi ely on SL Ben ica ans, which limi s he possibili y o applying hese conclusions o o he clubs o e en spo s. Addi ionally, biases may a ise due o he ac ha i is based on sel - epo ed da a, as hese a e based on indi idual pe cep ions and expe iences. To con i m and ex end hese esul s, u u e esea ch should in es iga e he expe iences o ans a di e en oo ball clubs and spo s. Pe o ming compa a i e s udies would also p o ide a be e unde s anding o how he a ious clubs use digi al and adi ional channels o engage ans. The use o longi udinal s udies would also be use ul in explaining how di e en changes ha e a ec ed an sa is ac ion and engagemen o e ime, hus desc ibing he changing na u e o he ela ionship be ween clubs and ans. The use o ad anced analy ical echniques and la ge olumes o da a could p oduce mo e accu a e me ics o measu e suppo e engagemen , hus guiding in o med s a egies. To conclude, u u e esea che s will add ess hese a eas and he e o e add alue o wha has been done he e by ocusing on gaining a b oade pe spec i e on he ac o s ha con ibu e o he sa is ac ion o ans who emain loyal h oughou he a ious s ages o hei an jou ney in he spo ing con ex . pg. 30 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES • Aichne , T. (2019). Foo ball clubs’ social media use and use engagemen . Ma ke ing In elligence & Planning, 37(3), 242–257. • Akgün, A. E., Koçoğlu, İ., & İmamoğlu, S. Z. (2013). An Eme ging Consume Expe ience: Emo ional B anding. P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences, 99, 503-508. h ps://doi.o g/h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.sbsp o.2013.10.519 • Be man, B. (2020). Pa hs o Pu chase: The Se en S eps o Cus ome Pu chase Jou ney Mapping. 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