How Three Japanese City Marathon Brands Overcame Double Jeopardy

This study examines whether sport events contribute towards place marketing, urban development, and city re-imaging. In particular, non-elite sport events such as city marathons have a participatory character that also contributes to social cohesion and a healthier population. However, many cities desiring to copy such success find themselves surrounded by an increasingly competitive environment and therefore face daunting challenges including the trap of Double Jeopardy theory. Through the lens of the service-dominant logic (Vargo & Lusch, 2004) a literature review helped to identify crucial concepts and practices that when presented in the Service Dominant Value Cycle (SDVC) Model offers a systematic framework so that stakeholders know how to contribute optimally to developing a successful city marathon. SDVC Modeling applied in qualitative case studies serves to develop a comprehensive understanding of both the value co-creation process and areas of tensions in three highly successful city marathons in Japan. First, the study seeks to contribute to advance understanding of sport event planning from the service-dominant logic perspective applied to marathon staging in the Japanese urban context. Second, the study takes a service-dominant logic approach in an effort to develop a blueprint, which city authorities might lever for organizing city marathons. Finally, the study provides evidence-based insights based on a cross-case analysis of the three discussed city marathons in Japan.