Fan tokens - first of its kind scientific study

⚽ 🟥 FAN TOKENS!! Often criticised for exploiting fans and belittled for offering trivial features. But where does this backlash come from? And who is actually asking fan token owners their opinion? 👇🏾
 
🔎 At last, the first scientific, peer-reviewed study on the cultural phenomenon of fan tokens!

🔎 To understand why fans choose to consume fan tokens, using identity theories of consumption.
 
*** WHAT ARE FAN TOKENS?
 
⚽ A novel type of digital asset that represent ownership or access rights within the ecosystem of a sports club.
 
*** WHAT CAN WE LEARN from fan respondents?
 
✅ Fandom is nuanced, diverse, and subjective.

✅ Fandom is a way of life, and consumption serves as the conduit to practice.

✅ Buying fan tokens is a form of consumption (like buying merch), to express one’s identity and dedication as a fan.

✅ Fan tokens go beyond passive leisure (like buying merch); they are a form of “playbour” (play + labour) – entertainment with productive outcomes.

✅ Gamification is popular in contemporary consumer culture.

✅ Fan tokens are exciting and fans love to see their clubs innovating and not being stuck in the past.
 
*** FIRST OF ITS KIND STUDY

🔎 The study points out its limitations in that there is limited research on this phenomenon. Used by 150+ sports organisations in 25 countries, with £262million+ spent by fans, it’s great to see this first scientific, dedicated study – and surely it will pave way for more analysis.  
 
*** MY REFLECTION
 
💭 Socios.com has created an innovative platform and mechanism for clubs to engage with a whole new tier of fans… But it’s the clubs that must decide what value they offer through this engagement medium. And how do they decide what is value for fans…? 👀 Yep, you got it!
 
*** PS. This excerpt stood out for me:
 
🌎 "When sports clubs embrace innovation, they demonstrate their adaptability to broader cultural and technological shifts, thereby strengthening their relevance in a world undergoing constant transformation."

🎓 Article: https://lnkd.in/dcV-EK-y
🎓 Authors: Argyro Elisavet Manoli, Kevin Dixon and Georgios Antonopoulos

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