Conceptual Foundations of Sponsorship Research

This study maps the semantic evolution of sponsorship research to develop a richer understanding of how the field has evolved. Using Leximancer text-analytics software, we conduct a content analysis of 841 sponsorship article abstracts from over 150 scholarly journals (1980–2012). We map the semantic evolution of the sponsorship concept and formulate a new definition of sponsorship research. Four foundational pillars of sponsorship research are identified: (1) intellectual, (2) strategic, (3) behavioral, and (4) relational. Sponsorship research is theorized to involve the investigation of the delivery of value to companies arising from the strategic implementation of their sponsorship marketing objectives.     

Emerging Strategies for Sponsorship on the Internet

Internet sponsorship is a rapidly evolving communications platform at a fledgling stage for sponsorship-linked marketing. The complex and involving nature of the phenomena offers new research opportunities and the potential for innovative marketing strategies. The Internet presents the opportunity to combine aspects of traditional event/activity sponsorship and media sponsorship innovatively and to extend marketing strategy in new directions. This paper presents an overview of emerging Internet sponsorships strategies, and explores sponsorship extension strategies that relate to media, brand, channel development, consumer experience, and networking. Exploratory case studies confirm and extend the initial strategy discussion. Finally, future directions for researchers and practitioners are suggested.     

The Evolution of Scholarly Research on Sponsorship: Expectations About the Future of This Research Domain

This study examines how scholarly research on sponsorship has evolved from 2001–2011 and envisages the shape of this domain from 2012–2014. From the 6,240 words counted in 573 articles, we identified prominent themes around “sponsorship,” “sponsor,” “sport,” “brand,” and “marketing” from 19 key concepts. We assessed sets of concepts that best reflect the sponsorship theme by conducting a series of multiple linear regression analyses. Trend analyses from 2012–2014 indicated prospects for a dramatic increase in research activity around six topics. We anticipate the rate of sponsorship research will continue briskly in line with the continued escalation of global sponsorship expenditure.     

The Effect of Sport Sponsorship Programs of Various Sport Events on Stock Price Behavior During a Sport Event

This paper examines sporting event's spillover effect to investor's behavior through event study analysis using the GARCH (p,q) model, focusing on the stock price effects of a sport sponsorship program during and after a sporting event. Studying stock price behavior during a sporting event is attempted for the first time in the marketing and sponsorship literature. First, we provide some summary points from the review of 40 research works and interpretive claims, based on a conceptual and theoretical framework. Second, we consider daily stock returns of 28 listed companies that have sponsored 15 major sports events during the period 2000–2009, in order to examine the effect of major sporting events on sponsors’ stock returns and volatility. The three research hypotheses are supported. Research results show that stock returns and volatility changed significantly during and after the sporting event compared to pre-event period. Results show that stock price effects caused by sports events’ sponsorship programs are firm-specific, as well as sporting event-specific. The findings of this study are of high value for promotion managers as it allows them to become more critically aware of the practical wisdom of sporting events.     

Sports Sponsorship

This paper represents a response to calls for empirical studies into the role of sponsorship in the communication mix. A mail questionnaire was used to assess the extent to which UK build- ing societies were involved in sponsorship activities, particularly sport. Key issues such as the generation of quantifiable objectives, measurement of effectiveness and integration with other elements of the marketing mix were explored. While tlfere were some exceptions the general impression was that a lack of systematic analysis plan- , ning, implementation and evaluation, led to many initiatives failing to achieve their potential.     

品牌熟悉度和赞助方式对消费者响应的影响

文章通过研究了赞助事件中品牌熟悉度与赞助方式对消费者品牌态度与购买意愿的影响,得出以下结论：首先,与不赞助相比,品牌单独赞助时,消费者对低熟悉度赞助品牌的态度和购买意愿会显著提高,但对高熟悉度赞助品牌的态度和购买意愿则没有显著变化。其次,与单独赞助相比,当两个品牌共同赞助某一事件时,消费者对低熟悉度品牌的态度和购买意愿会显著降低;而对高熟悉度品牌的态度和购买意愿则没有显著影响。最后,文章为企业营销人员制定赞助策略提出一些有益的营销启示。     

UK Sports Sponsorship: Fair Play or Foul?

Sport sponsorship is a growth area which is under-researched yet which displays opportunities and threats for both sponsor and sport, as well as having important ethical implications. If sponsorship funding is to be attracted, sports need to supply evidence of the opportunities for sponsors; yet "sport also needs to ensure that the negative aspects of sponsorship are reduced and the positive encouraged." Marylyn Carrigan has a background in banking and export marketing and is currently Lecturer in Marketing and International Marketing at the Business School, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, England, where she also researches the areas of Corporate Philanthropy and Sport and Leisure Marketing. Her husband worked in industry before graduating in Sports Studies and Business, and currently works as a Youth Worker for the City of Birmingham Department of Leisure and Community Services with research interests in Sport and the 50+ leisure market.     

The Links Between Objectives and Function in Organizational Sponsorship

This paper presents the results of a postal survey of 54 large companies who use some form of sponsorship in the UK. The main purpose was to examine the links between the objectives of sponsorship, and the main types of sponsored activity and to achieve an insight into which organizational functions are responsible. The results indicate that functional objectives for sponsorship generally differ, and that this is reflected in the choice of sponsorship activity. However, the primacy of the corporate image objective is manifest. The number of arts and sports events sponsored are about the same for all organizations, but arts sponsorship is mainly a public relations activity. The marketing function is most concerned with sports sponsorship. Community sponsorship is still commercially unimportant.     

Citizen Preferences for the Corporate Sponsorship of Public-Sector Park and Recreation Organizations

ABSTRACT

Corporate sponsorship of public-sector organizations is becoming more commonplace. However, few studies have examined citizen attitudes toward sponsorship of public-sector organizations. Using parks and recreation as the study context, this research assessed general citizen support for corporate sponsorship as well as preferences for specific sponsorship promotional activities and contractual conditions. Given that previous research has linked sponsorship attitudes to individual and contextual factors, relationships between socio-demographic, park use characteristics, and sponsorship support were also examined. A mail survey of 578 citizens in the Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pennsylvania MSA indicated that a majority supported corporate sponsorship of park and recreation agencies. Sponsorships by local businesses and sponsorships that provided free products received the most favorable evaluations. Sponsorships involving naming rights, exclusivity, and user fees were evaluated least favorably. However, older adults, minority citizens, and park users were less likely to favor a number of specific sponsorship activities and conditions. Implications for sponsorship program design and future citizen-based research are discussed.     

An Investigation of Children's Ability to Identify Sponsors and Understand Sponsorship Intentions

Sponsorship has become an important tool for companies that target children with their market offerings. Despite growing firm interest in assessing sponsorship effectiveness and public concern about the effects on children, research to date has not investigated how sponsorship functions for children. This article addresses both issues by examining children's perceptions of sponsors (i.e., ability to identify sponsors in different conditions) and their perceptions of sponsorship (i.e., ability to understand sponsorship intentions). Because prior research on these issues is scarce, the conceptual reasoning relies on findings from advertising literature pertaining to children and sponsorship literature. An empirical study features sponsorships in a theme park for children. The results reveal implications for managers and public policymakers, as well as avenues for further research.     

Small Business and Sport Sponsorship

This exploratory study examines 18 small organisations who engaged in the sponsorship of local sport, rugby league teams, in Australia. The literature sponsorship is applied to local activities and small business, thus filling a gap in the literature. The study examined seven main areas: (1) Responsibility for sponsorship arrangement; (2) Firms objectives for choosing sponsorship; (3) Types of other spon- sorship activities; (4) Perceived sponsorship effectiveness; (5) Sponsor- ship and the promotional mix; (6) Sponsorship entitlements; and (7) Demographic questions about the organisation. Similarities and differ- ences to results of earlier literature in this area are discussed. Directions for hture research are also explored.     

Sponsorship effects on brand image: The role of exposure and activity involvement

Sponsorships capture a significant proportion of marketing budgets. In firm evaluations of the effectiveness of sponsorship engagements, image improvements represent the most important company objective. This study develops and tests a framework for explaining how exposure and activity involvement moderate the effects of event image, event–sponsor fit, and event commercialization on sponsor image. Using empirical data collected at a large sporting event with multiple sponsors, the authors show that increased sponsorship exposure reduces sponsor image if respondents perceive a low fit between the event and sponsor or high levels of event commercialization. Involvement in the sponsored activity improves the sponsor's image, in that the effect of event commercialization is positive for highly involved persons. This paper concludes with some reasons for the findings, implications for the choice and design of sponsorships, and further areas for research.     

Arts Sponsorship Versus Sports Sponsorship: Which Is Better for Marketing Strategy?

This paper identifies the distinctive features of nonprofit arts sponsorship relative to profit driven sports sponsorship and shows that although arts sponsorship has been little researched, it is a potentially important means of marketing. The methodology employed was a literature review on sponsorship that attempted to distinguish arts sponsorship from sports sponsorship. Then, we present the findings from 23 in-depth interviews with arts sponsee managers, to reveal how they see themselves (as sponsees) being differentiated from sports sponsees. The literature and interview findings are brought together in a discussion that highlights the differences between arts sponsorship and sports sponsorship in terms of target audience, the relationship cost/benefit, range of emotions elicited, awareness, marketing metrics, goodwill, and learning potential. Finally, suggestions are made for future research.     

A Model for Screening Sport Sponsorship Opportunities

The prolific submission rate of sport sponsorship pro- posals to corporate marketing decision-makers warrants the avail- ability of a comprehensive screening instrument. Due to the limited number of instruments available Irwin and Assimakopoulos (1992) proposed the Sport Sponsorship Proposal Evaluation Model (SSPEM). This theoretical model featured a compilation of contem- porary sport sponsorship evaluation criteria with distinctive weight- ing and grading scales. The purpose of the current study was to subject the model to empirical testing in an effort to confirm the retention and categorization of contained criteria. Based on the results of this investigation modifications were made to the original model thereby enhancing its universal effectiveness to corporate decision-makers.     

Sponsorship

Sponsorship, the ‘soft sell’ of advertising, may well become a typically British compromise reached by Professor Alan Peacock's Home Office committee ‘to assess the effects of the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the BBC's home services’. The author, who is one of the pioneers of British commercial television, has written this survey of television sponsorship opportunities, particularly for advertisers who are now contemplating the allocation of millions of pounds to this ‘new’ television medium.     

The Raising of Corporate Sponsorship: A Behavioral Study

Research was conducted in order to define a “buyer behavior” process for the purchase of sponsorship at a corporate level. A series of interviews was carried out with a number of organizations that are currently involved in sponsorship of varying kinds. A consideration was made to include a balance of sponsorship types—small and large—as well as arts, sports, and events, although no attempt was made to identify how the process differs across sponsorship type. Our results show that while sponsorship and fundraising are flipsides of the same coin from the nonprofit sponsorship-seeker's perspective, the sponsorship provider sees the act of sponsorship as a commercial profit-making venture. This is a conundrum that has wide-reaching consequences for the sector.     

Sponsorship portfolio as a brand-image creation strategy

The meanings held by events are sometimes transferable to a brand through sponsorship. The perceived sponsor-property fit affects brand evaluations. This research hypothesizes that in the case of a sponsorship portfolio, the source of image transfer can be composite, and brand image association may depend on the perceived fit between sponsorships. Building on theories of social cognition and categorization, this research proposes two dimensions of fit: sponsorship category relatedness and event personality fit. Two experiments show that categorical relatedness between sponsorships not only leads to the creation of a unified brand personality for the sponsor, but also enhances brand meaning consistency and clarity. Central category-related traits cue a category membership framework that integrates sponsorships in the portfolio. Under conditions of category ambiguity, the impact of event personality fit emerges. Interestingly, the findings suggest that sponsored properties having a “spiky” brand personality (having both high and low performance on dimensions) may communicate most clearly in a portfolio.     

Sponsorship Works Differently from Advertising

Commercial sponsorship has become increasingly common in recent years. This paper discusses the nature of sponsorship and, in particular, compares it with mainstream advertising. It argues that, despite superficial similarities between the two, crucial differences also exist. The implications of these differences are discussed both in general terms and in relation to the specific problems of evaluating the effectiveness of sponsorship. In doing this, original case history material is used to illustrate the points made.     

Understanding Consumer Response to Sponsorship Information: A Resource‐Matching Approach

Sponsorship of sporting teams and events has become an increasingly popular form of corporate and brand communication. Despite the continued growth of sponsorship spending, the corresponding literature base is highly fragmented and little agreement exists related to the psychological mechanisms underlying response. This paper integrates several prominent sponsorship research streams in promoting a “resource‐matching” perspective of cognitive elaboration and attitude change. This research holds that in the absence of clear functional fit between sponsor and event, identifying a basis for sponsor–event fit is likely to require some degree of cognitive effort. The results indicate stronger social identification with the sponsored event influences the favorability they attribute to sponsor motives and promotes stronger perceptions of fit between the sponsor and the sponsored activity. Further, the results indicate fit perceptions mediate the relationship between attribution and sponsorship response. Consistent with ELM theory, when cognitive resources are insufficient for the complexity of the fit‐matching task, social identification may still act as a peripheral cue in driving a positive affective response to sponsorship information.     

Sponsorship relationships as strategic alliances: A life cycle model approach

In recent years, academics and practitioners have recognized that sponsorship relationships operate as strategic alliances. Additionally, they have emphasized the lack of analytical approaches which allow an understanding of the developmental process of such alliances. In an attempt to fill this gap, we examine how key sponsorship characteristics change over different stages of the life cycle (formation, operation, and outcome) to determine the success or failure of the relationship. Specifically, we propose a life cycle model that articulates general paths in sponsorship relationship developmental stages and the behavior pattern of sponsorship characteristics. Throughout this framework, we illustrate our reasoning with examples drawn from the UBS/Team Alinghi sponsorship relationship.