Understanding Sponsorship: A Consumer-Centric Model of Sponsorship Effects

A crucial component of many marketing programs, sponsorship has not always received the same research attention as other tactical marketing levers. Although research has been conducted to fill that gap in recent years, we lack a comprehensive, rigorous summary of what is known about sponsorship to capture and interpret that learning. Toward that goal, we offer a new definition of sponsorship and describe a three-step consumer-centric model of sponsorship effects. Highlighting a sequence of antecedents, mediators, and consequences for sponsorship, we also detail the prevailing input, output, and process factors identified in past sponsorship research. Finally, based on our analysis, we derive key summary insights and provide a roadmap for future research.