The influence of communication on an effective relationship marketing strategy for sport unions in the new millennium

Relationship marketing is a paradigm shift and it is associated with the return of direct marketing both in business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets (Seth & Parvatiyar 1995). This paradigm shift in marketing focuses on acquisition and retention in building and ensuring long-term relations with clients and therefor requires the integration of proper communication principles. A long-term relationship is recognised as a very important and basic ingredient of marketing, securing and keeping customers and can be regarded as a tool for the new millennium. Many relationship marketing definitions are provided in services marketing, industrial marketing, bank marketing, advertising and business strategy. To best understand relationship marketing Morgan and Hunt (1994) propose that “.... relationship marketing refers to all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges.” A good relationship is characterised by commitment and trust. According to Morgan and Hunt (1994), relationship commitment and trust is influenced by relationship termination cost, relationship benefits, shared values, communication and opportunistic behaviour. The application of a successful relationship marketing strategy in practice is therefor based on the adherence to the principles of effective communication. In future, effective communication can be regarded a major contributing factor to the marketing effectiveness of enterprises in general and sport unions as a whole. Through proper implementation of the communication principles, the relationship marketing practitioner will in the new millennium, ensure survival in a tremendously competitive environment. Frikkie Herbst is a lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management and Communication Management at the University of Pretoria. Herbst: An effective relationship marketing strategy for sports unions 54 Communicare 18(2) December 1999 The researcher attempted to make a contribution to relationship marketing research by means of an empirical study undertaken in a sport environment. The study investigated marketing effectiveness, relationship quality and needs of the clients. This paper will provide a clear exposition of the different qualitative and quantitative methods employed and strengthened by the various procedures applied during the empirical investigation. Hypotheses were developed and the testing thereof attempted to provide important information on factors influencing the current relationship between a service provider (Sport Union) and its clients (season ticket holders). INTRODUCTION In the future, effective communication can be regarded a major contributing factor to the marketing effectiveness of enterprises in general and sports unions as a whole. Through proper implementation of communication principles, the relationship marketing practitioner will, in the new millennium, ensure survival in a tremendously competitive environment. The researcher attempted to make a contribution to relationship marketing research by means of an empirical study undertaken in a sport environment. This paper will provide a clear exposition of the different qualitative and quantitative methods employed and strengthened by the various procedures followed during the empirical investigation. Hypotheses were developed and the testing thereof attempted to provide important information on factors influencing the current relationship between a service provider (Sport Union) and its stakeholder (season ticket holders). DEFINING THE KEY CONCEPTS To introduce relationship marketing and communication as concepts in marketing and communication practice, some definitions should be discussed. l Relationship marketing Many relationship marketing definitions are provided in services marketing, industrial marketing, bank marketing, advertising and business strategy. An understanding of relationship marketing requires a differentiation between the discrete transaction and relational exchange. To best understand relationship marketing, Morgan and Hunt (1994) propose that “.... relationship marketing refers to all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges.”