Abstract:
ABSTRACT
This research aimed to: 1) compare the decision to participate in running events as classified by personal factors; 2) study the factors of integrated marketing communication affecting the decision to participate in running events; and 3) study the development of integrated marketing communication affecting the decision to participate in running event. Mixed methods research used conducted. The quantitative sample was 400 participants in running events in the central region, derived from convenient sampling. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. For the qualitative research, an in-depth interview was conducted with the key informants of 3 running event organizers, derived from purposive selection. Data were analyzed by content analysis.
The research results showed that:
1. The different personal factors in aspects of gender, age, status, and occupation of running event participants revealed the difference in decision to participate in running events in the central region with the statistical significance level at .05.
2. The factors of integrated marketing communication affecting the decision to participate in running events in the central region consisted of event marketing (X5), public relations (X2), sale promotion (X3), and personal selling (X4), respectively. The equation had the predictive power at the percentage of 44.60, and it cloud be written as follows:
tot = 1.504 + 0.012X1 + 0.144X2** + 0.099X3* + 0.093X4* + 0.321X5**.
3. The development of integrated marketing communication helps make running event activities interesting. News and information collection using marketing communication through running event activities for runners easy access to information creates an online meeting point for members to exchange experience and information. This information can be applied to efficiently improve running events in the future.