Are Brands Wasting Money On Sport Sponsorships?

Abstract

Marketers pour millions of dollars into sport sponsorship and need a better understanding of its effects. Consumers evaluate brands at different sponsorship levels as part of a broader advertising and marketing program; understanding how they do this is important in developing guidelines and norms for optimal marketing communications, planning, and budgeting. Accounting for brands’ spending on advertising outside of sponsorship and two distinct brand personality profiles, official Major League Baseball sponsorship is analyzed and associated with four dimensions of brand equity using the expansive BrandAsset Valuator database, covering five years. Fan consumption behaviors in terms of actively watching or attending games also are considered.