Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion of innovations is fundamentally a communication theory whose main concern is to persuade people to adopt a new practice or product. The logic of persuasion embedded in this diffusion theory can be utilized in different communication settings including those in sport marketing and management. This theoretical approach identifies four distinctive components of diffusion: innovation, communication channels, time, and a social system. The innovation that has relative advantages, compatibility, less complexity, trialability, and observability tends to be adopted more rapidly by the target audiences. The innovation-decision process entails five steps: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. this theory categorizes different groups of people who steadily embrace new ideas: innovators (2.5%), early adopters (13.5%), early majority (34%), late majority (34%) and laggards (16%). The theoretical concepts in the diffusion of innovations assist sport marketers and policymakers in formulating persuasive sport development campaigns.