The Effect of Sports Brand Collaboration Attributes on Product Attitude and Willingness to Pay: A Multiple-Group Analysis Based on Perceived Fit

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The purpose of this study was to explore how the attributes of sports brand collaboration products influenced product attitudes and how these attitudes affected willingness to pay, depending on the perceived fit between collaboration brands. An experiment was conducted with 168 university students based on a one-factor two-level (perceived fit: high vs. low) between-subject design. In the experiment, a survey was conducted after showing stimuli with sports brand collaboration product selected through a pilot study. The results revealed that originality had a more positive effect on product attitudes in the low perceived fit group, while symbolism had a more negative effect, confirming the moderating effect of perceived fit. Additionally, esthetics had a positive effect on product attitudes across all perceived fit groups, and product attitudes positively influenced willingness to pay. The results suggest that, regardless of perceived fit, the esthetics of sports brand collaboration products are the most important factor in forming positive product attitude, and that such positive attitude toward the product can lead to a higher willingness to pay. Additionally, since the originality and symbolism of sports brand collaboration products may have different effects on product attitudes depending on the perceived fit of the collaboration, sports brand managers should develop targeted collaboration strategies depending on perceived fit between collaboration brands.