RMIT experts available for comment on AFL grand final

Psychology 

Dr Janneke Blijlevens (0435 795 947 or janneke.blijlevens@rmit.edu.au)

Topics:  the psychology behind AFL fandomship, standing out and fitting in theory, social identity theory, intersection of design, psychology and business decision making, behavioural insights 

“While it might seem logical that Victorians will automatically support Richmond in Saturday’s grand final, research tells us that’s not the case.

“When the group fans belong to becomes too large, like the entire state instead of just your team, supporters want to stand out.

“For example, research shows that fans choose teams in different cities to feel different and unique. This has to do with a theory called ‘optimal distinctiveness’, people strive to belong and fit in, but also need to stand out and be unique and different, and goes back to evolutionary psychology.

“Within teams, fans may join the cheer squad as a subgroup to stand out from the rest of their team’s supporters. This is another strategy to feel optimally distinct.

"Richmond's cheer squad is known for its strong sense of justice as they'll fight for each other. However, this also testifies to the cheer squad's very strong group cohesion and sense of connection. Interestingly, this very strong connection sometimes even leads to further differentiation within the cheer squad - the boycott members.

"GWS winning its first flag could see them increase their support base significantly. Basking in respective glory is a strategy that helps someone to fit in but stand out at the same time. If the Giants win, supporters will bask in their glory, which increases the supporters' own self-esteem and, at the same time, because of the win, stand out. Basic survival of the fittest!" 

Dr Janneke Blijlevens is a Senior Lecturer Marketing (Experimental Methods & Design Thinking) at RMIT University and the chair of its Behavioural Business Lab. Her work lies on the nexus of design, psychology, and business decision making. She is an expert in understanding what psychological principles and desires drive people’s decisions and uses these insights to inform and design behavioural interventions to benefit society. She's best known for her work on Sans Forgetica, an RMIT collaboration believed to be the first font designed to help people remember more of what they read.

Sports marketing

Associate Professor Con Stavros (0411 231 371 or con.stavros@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: marketing, sponsorship, fan behaviour, game day experience, consumptive practices, branding and promotion

"Saturday marks the eighth successive AFL grand final where an interstate team has faced off against a Victorian team. This resonates well with the AFL's focus of a truly national and competitively-balanced sport. 

"This grand final is notable for the first appearance of the GWS Giants, a club dubbed artificial by some given it was installed into the geographical heartland of Western Sydney as a marketing exercise, rather a reaction to natural supporter demand.

"While winning is no guarantee of success in the highly-competitive entertainment market that the Giants must live in, it sure beats losing. A grand final victory gives the Giants some much-needed oxygen and exposure in the Sydney market, allowing their marketing to build off a platform of much-needed success.

"The AFL grand final is one of the largest events on the Australian sporting calendar and provides a capstone to a season that the league has expertly crafted to provide an ongoing narrative of inherent drama, intrigue, competition and fan interaction that is well in line with the modern business practice of embracing sport as an ongoing and encompassing entertainment product, rather than just a series of events.

"Richmond's presence in the big game provides extra spice given their status as one of the most well-supported teams in the pantheon of Australian sport. This contrast to the relatively small following of the Giants provides an interesting choice for neutral fans who must decide whether their support - for the day - lies with a traditional team or a relatively new franchise.

"For fans, watching at the iconic MCG or through the medium of television or digital platforms, this may well be the last AFL grand final to be played in its traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot. It appears inevitable that we’ll move toward a twilight or evening grand final in the very near future as the AFL seeks to broaden the audience and impact of the event.

"As much as the big game is about the teams, the modern sport marketing imperative is to highlight the athletes and their individual star power. While the Tiger spotlight shines strongly on Dusty Martin, the recent events surrounding Giant's player Toby Greene and the AFL tribunal make the marketing script easy to write."

Associate Professor Con Stavros is an internationally-renowned sport marketing expert at RMIT University who can analyse both the marketing of sport and the business of marketing through sport. He has a very strong understanding of the AFL and its clubs, has published extensively on the business of sport from consumer, sporting organisation and sponsor perspectives and is also the editor-in-chief of the international journal Sport, Business and Management. 

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