Social contexts

Social contexts refer to the social setting in which actors reside and value cocreation happens. Since value depends on how it is cocreated within a social context laden with personal meanings, socio-cultural factors, and marketing communications (Vargo & Lusch, 2008), social contexts influence how someone perceives something and may facilitate or impede value cocreation.

(1) Civic pride and love

Civic pride and love refer to the local residents’ pride and love of the place they live in. Most local businesses involved in Tohoku Food Marathon from the early stage ascribed their active participation to civic pride and love.

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First, a local sake vendor took the responsibility of gathering the sake required in the Sake Festival at a difficult and imminent timing. Informant K recollected the decision as below:

“The first edition of Tohoku Food Marathon was born from the efforts of the locals. When we were asked to prepare the sake required in staging the Sake Festival, it was two months before the event date. Without knowing what exactly the event is about, we have done everything we could. It was all about doing something for our hometown...It’s called civic love, isn’t it? I don’t care about revenue or profit, neither does the owner (of the sake vendor). (From 2014 to 2016) no profits at all, I would say.” (interview, informant K, sake vendor)

Love of one’s hometown motivated informant K and her company to provide their expertise before any prospects could be foreseen. Similarly, when informant I and his company considered sponsoring Tohoku Food Marathon, they did not judge the investment on the basis of profit and loss, instead, informant I stressed what he should do as a local business owner:

“I did not expect the sponsorship will bring any additional revenue...As a local business, we were just doing what we should do.” (interview, informant I, vendor)

In addition, informant I extended the civic love to the pride of local resources. Since he has pride in the abundance of local agricultural and cultural resources, he has been applying such resources in his business and his support of Tohoku Food Marathon.

“If you look at it from a broader perspective, you’ll realize we have endless possibilities. Not only do we have abundant agriculture produces, but also the experience and wisdom of senior citizens...Because there are resources available, we apply those resources in doing business.” (media coverage and interview, informant I, vendor)

Similarly, civic pride and love were observed among local residents who came out to support runners as volunteers. Informant N explained why he volunteered:

“Well, motives…it was not like we want to achieve any particular objectives.

It was just because runners came running in our neighborhood, so we should do what we could do. After volunteering, everyone felt good, and we were praised and thanked by the participants and event organizers.”

(interview, informant N, volunteer)

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A conservative business culture seemed to have refrained people from taking the risk to get themselves involved in starting new things. Informant K described the tendency as follows:

“Before the first edition of Tohoku Food Marathon was successfully held, some local people and businesses did not seem to care so much about it. It was the strong support from a local brewery that made the event possible.”

(interview, informant K, sake vendor)

When most local businesses waited on the sidelines, one local sake brewery and sake vendor (where informant K works for) took the initiative to support Tohoku Food Marathon. As the sake vendor took the responsibility of gathering sake from all six prefectures in Tohoku to be presented at the Sake Festival, they faced difficulties that have roots in the business culture of Japan. Informant K recalled the difficulties in the following statement:

“It’s very difficult to persuade sake breweries because there are many complicating factors. For example, many sake breweries only have their products sold at certain vendors.” (interview, informant K, sake vendor)

Some sake breweries were conservative in expanding sales channels, possibly due to uncertainty and the restrictions of established business network.

Finally, Table 3-1 and Figure 3-1 present a summary of value cocreation from the perspective of event stakeholders. The categories shown in Table 3-1 correspond to section 3.1 and 3.2, and summarize value cocreation practices engaged by the event stakeholders.

Specific practices under the respective categories are shown in italics, each representing a subsection in the category. Every specific practice is followed by an illustrative example. Value outcomes indicate the outcomes of value cocreation. Figure 3-1 supplements Table 3-1 by presenting the interactions and actors involved in each category of value cocreation practice.

In sum, event stakeholders enabled and enhanced the value propositions proposed by the event organizers. They did so by providing complementary expertise and investing additional resources into the event. During the event period, event stakeholders provided sports tourism elements to international participants. The service offering was smoothed by collaboration among sponsors, vendors, and volunteers. As they engaged in intercultural communications through a series of service encounters, those communications were interpreted for meaning and significance. Moreover, engagement in value cocreation is affected by personal and organizational objectives, as well as by the social contexts in which actors interact.

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Table 3-1 Value cocreation practices engaged by event stakeholders

Categories Specific practices and illustrative examples Value outcomes Enabling and

enhancing value

propositions

Provide complementary expertise

e.g. “(We have the license and expertise to sell sake, and the support of local breweries) Before the first edition of Tohoku Food Marathon was successfully held, some local people and businesses did not seem to care so much about it. It was the strong support from a local brewery that made the event possible.” (interview, informant S, sake vendor)

⚫ A modified or enhanced version of value propositions

⚫ Broader participant base

⚫ Brand and product image publicity for corporate sponsors and vendors Invest additional resources

e.g. “For the past two years we were just

cheering for the runners along the running route.

This year we wanted to do something more, so we asked people in the event organizing team to see what we can do.” (interview, informant N, volunteer at a refreshment station)

Providing sports tourism elements

Collaborate across organizational boundaries e.g. “Even though we don’t have the (language) skill required in serving international participants, there are always volunteers to help us out. Well maybe we have to study some English, but our first priority is to get those sake ready for all participants.” (interview, informant K, sake vendor)

⚫ Functional value

・reducing efforts

・providing information

⚫ Affective value

・fun

・satisfaction

⚫ Social value

・networking Engage in intercultural communications

e.g. “Though I don’t speak any foreign language, we can somehow understand each other through facial expressions and gestures. There were many people eating (our beef) right in front of me. Then I realized that conversation is not the only way to express happiness.” (interview, informant T, vendor)

⚫ Functional value

・sales

・marketing

・learning

⚫ Affective value

・fun

・satisfaction

⚫ Social value

・solving social issues

・networking

⚫ Destination image

・confidence toward local products Interpret the experience

e.g. “Maybe they were saying thank you, it’s delicious, will come again. I don’t know, but that gave me confidence and motivated me to

participate again next year.” (interview, informant T, vendor)

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International Participants Event Organizers

Providing sports tourism elements

Enabling and enhancing value propositions

Event Stakeholders

Sponsors

Vendors Volunteers

Collaborate

Legend:

Actors Value cocreation practices Interactions

Figure 3-1 Value cocreation from the perspective of event stakeholders

This chapter has identified and categorized value cocreation practices engaged by event stakeholders. The next chapter shifts the focus on the final missing piece in value cocreation:

the international participants.

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4. Value Cocreation from the Perspective of