I’m a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan (and a Texas Rangers fan and a Dallas Stars fan…well, kind of a Stars fan, anyway…). I pay attention when I see a product associated with the Cowboys. But not the Redskins or the Eagles or the Giants. My die-hard roots are deep and sturdy and aren’t easily swayed.

That’s true for most die-hard fans, according to a new study from Oregon State University (OSU) and California State University, San Marcos. Researchers asked a mix of average sports fans and die-hard fans to view generic ads, which were associated with either the home or rival teams and included strong or weak messages about product quality.

“We found that less identified [average] fans responded positively to strong, credible arguments,” said lead author Colleen Bee, an assistant professor of marketing in OSU’s College of Business. “What we found interesting is that this effect went away for [die-hard] fans when the ad featured a rival affiliation. Whether an argument was weak or strong did not make a difference—all that mattered was the association with the rival team.”

This is the first study, Bee said, to consider the combined effects of fan identification, sponsorship affiliation, and message characteristics.

Sponsorships, Bee said, are profitable—in fact, they account for $39.17 billion in yearly revenue worldwide—so companies should be aware that their message and thus their product may be viewed negatively when associated with certain teams.

“When you associate your product or brand with a team logo, you need to keep in mind that you will alienate the super fans of the rival team, and potentially lose customers,” she said. “On the other hand, you can also leverage that social identification to win over those sports fans who will view this sponsorship favorably simply because it is their team.”

(photo credit: GlacierTim via photopin cc)

There was a lot of industry news this past week you may have missed. Here are some headlines that caught our eyes.

Ashley Capps, Charlie Jones and More Get Rained On, Pay $10 for Beer, Take Shots and Name ‘Douchiest Agents’ at Touring Panel
–Billboard
From mainstay festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo to brand new niche festivals like the Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit, music fans have come to embrace festival experiences. Amid the increasing competition and with the same pool of artists to choose from, how do promoters continue to keep their festivals fresh? That was one of the biggest questions Ticketfly Founder & CEO Andrew Dreskin had for the panel of festival game-changers at the 10th annual Billboard Touring Conference.

Live Nation’s Earnings Reveal Concert Boom; Can It Continue?
–Forbes
According to Mogil, Live Nation and its subsidiaries drew 2.5 million concert-goers for EDM performances alone, thanks in part to 18 electronic festivals, nearly double last year’s total. Across all genres, the company launched 16 new festivals, bringing its total to 69 over the past year.

Which is More Important When Choosing a Facility: Price or Airport Proximity?
–MeetingsNet
Ten to 15 years from now, the majority of meeting decision-makers will be Gen X (age 33-46) and Gen Y (age 18-32). So conference centers and hotels need to learn more about what matters to this group—and fast. That was the thinking behind the International Association of Conference Centers study, “The Intergenerational Preferences of Meeting Planners,” which was presented at IACC’s annual meeting in March and will be expanded for 2014.

How The Most Brain Friendly Conference Makes Attendee Networking A Priority
–Midcourse Corrections
According to studies by ASAE, MPI and PCMA, people attend conferences for networking and learning (education.) If those are the top two products that our conferences are selling, doesn’t it make sense that we should focus on improving those two products?

The Reality of Google Glass
–The Meeting Professional
Early Glass adopters (Google calls them “Explorers”) find they have paid $1,500 for the privilege of explaining all of the things Glass doesn’t do. It’s not constantly recording video (it has a 10-second limit on videos). It’s not always on. It doesn’t do facial recognition (officially, at least). There’s no virtual reality overlay on the world. It is, as wearable-tech guru Amber Case calls it, “calm technology.”

(Image via A Turner Archives)

You may want to take your clients out for dinner this Thanksgiving in the U.S. According to a recent study from Leiden University in Holland, trust is increased after eating food that contains tryptophan, which is found in fish, eggs, spinach, and turkey.

Researchers discovered that the amino acid stimulates the production of serotonin, which has a positive effect on mutual trust.

“Mutual trust is an important condition for co-operation,” said psychologist Lorenza Colzato. “Society functions in the first place on the basis of mutual trust. After that, such institutions as the courts and the police come into play.”

The researchers  tested people by adding tryptophan to their orange juice and then having them play a trust game. Those who had taken tryptophan, compared to a placebo group, were more trusting during the game.

“These results support the idea that ‘we are what we eat’: the food one eats has a bearing on one’s state of mind,” Colzato said. “Food can thus act as a cognitive enhancer that modulates the way one thinks and perceives the physical and social world. In particular, the intake of tryptophan may promote interpersonal trust in inexpensive, efficient, and healthy ways.”

(photo credit: The Vault DFW via photopin cc)

All the Twitter employees arrived to work at 6 a.m. on the day the company’s IPO was announced. Big screens were brought in and everyone reveled in the news. Then it was back to work as normal.

Nothing’s really normal with Twitter, though, and this was evident by what its COO said at the Covington & Burling Sports Media & Technology conference presented by SportsBusiness Daily/Global/Journal in New York on November 13.

“Twitter is the only platform that is live, public, conversational, and widely distributed,” Ali Rowghani said. “And it’s hoped that the open visibility required by the IPO will make Twitter even better.”

Rowghani touched on several points in his discussion about Twitter and how it relates to the business of sports.

“Advertisers care more about engagement than reach,” he said. “Remember, the conversations you drive on Twitter are valuable to you. View them as an asset to be optimized.”

Looking forward, Rowghani said that there will be more video on Twitter and customized timelines will increase in popularity.

He also dropped this highly tweeted statement: “You’re going to be able to change the channel directly from a tweet in the future.”

That prompted someone to reply: “Meh. I’ll be impressed when you can walk the dog from a Tweet.”

Give them time. I’m sure Twitter is working on that, too.

Congratulations to the following members, members’ venues, and Allied members nominated in the 25th Annual Pollstar Awards.

Facility Executive of the Year
David Kells (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN)
Lee Zeidman (Staples Center/Nokia Theatre L.A. Live – Los Angeles)
Ralph Marchetta (US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ)
Sally Williams (Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN)
Sean Saadeh (Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY)
Trey Feazell (Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA)

Theatre of the Year
Beacon Theatre (New York, NY)
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live (Los Angeles, CA)
Radio City Music Hall (New York, NY)
Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN)

Arena of the Year
Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)
BOK Center (Tulsa, OK)
Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
Madison Square Garden Arena (New York, NY)
SAP Center at San Jose (San Jose, CA)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)

Red Rocks Award for Small Outdoor Venue
Filene Center At Wolf Trap (Vienna, VA)
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
The Mountain Winery (Saratoga, CA)

Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (The Woodlands, TX)
Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (Toronto, ON)
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park (Alpharetta, GA)

Best New Major Concert Venue
Perth Arena (Perth, Australia)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, NE)

International Venue of the Year
Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne, Australia)

Sound Company of the Year
Clair

Staging/Equipment Company of the Year
Mountain Productions