Esports extension of a football brand: stakeholder co-creation in action?

Research question: There is no published research on how the launch of an esports section can influence the meaning of a sport brand. This research aims at finding out if and how the participation in sport simulation esports games influences the meaning of a football brand and if and how stakeholders co-construct this meaning in interaction. Research methods: Based on the theoretical concept of brands as complex and dynamic social phenomena, the research analyses the online discourse of fans and professional players of AS Monaco football and esports over two years during and after the launch of the club´s new sport simulation esports games section. Semi-structured interviews with football fans and the AS Monaco Head of Digital serve the purpose of triangulation to assure the proper interpretation of the discourse. Results: Football fans ignore or do not consider the launch of sport simulation esports games worth discussing. Esports fans are not concerned with football. The two communities evolve apart from each other. The lack of fit between the fanś associations with the sport brand and the brand extension does not diminish fan-based brand equity. The meaning of the brand to the football fans does not change. Two sub-versions of the AS Monaco brand with a very similar core meaning tend to develop. Implications: The concept of brands as complex dynamic social phenomena might need adaptation when applied to the field of football brands. If management aims to extend the brand via the launch of sport simulation esports games, management should organise events that link the traditional sport and esports in a way to make both fan communities experience the core meaning of the brand.