Effect of long-term sponsorship of the Škoda Auto brand and international sport events on congruence of brand personality

Eva Čáslavová,Andrej Višněvský

doi:10.14712/23366052.2019.4

Abstract

The research examines the influence of long-term sponsorship on congruence (perceived consensus) of personal characteristics between Skoda Auto and sponsored international sport events such as the Ice Hockey World Championship and Tour de France. To identify personalities of these three subjects’ brands we used a standardised personality scale created by Geuens, Weijters and De Wulf in 2009, which was developed to measure brands of various product categories. To measure personality congruence we used the absolute differentiation method (Gwinner & Eaton, 1999). Data were collected via online questionnaires in January and February 2015. The research file formed a quote sample of 250 Prague respondents. Personal characteristics were evaluated via a seven-point Likert’s scale expressing a degree of agreement or disagreement. The results show that the Skoda Auto brand is mostly characterized by the Responsibility dimension, whereas the brands of international sport events such as the Ice Hockey World Championship and Tour de France are mostly characterized by the Activity dimension. Respondents marked Aggresivity and Emotionality as undescriptive dimensions of Skoda Auto, and Simplicity and Emotionality as undescriptive dimensions of international sport events.

Highlights

Sponsorship, aside from traditional advertising, is no longer an alternative way of brand promotion, but has become a full-fledged form of marketing communication
The identification of personalities of the Škoda Auto, Ice Hockey World Championship, and Tour de France brands indicated that the Škoda Auto brand received the best values of mean and standard deviation
The research of congruence of the Škoda Auto, Ice Hockey World Championship and Tour de France brands showed that the duration of sponsorship may influence the brand personality

Summary

Introduction

Sponsorship, aside from traditional advertising, is no longer an alternative way of brand promotion, but has become a full-fledged form of marketing communication. Despite the global economic crisis in 2008, total worldwide expenditures on sponsorship continue to grow. In 2015, global spending on sponsorship totalled USD 57.5 billion, of which sport sponsorship accounted for 70% (IEG, 2015). Sponsor’s brand products are interlinked with a sport event, but are these projects more efficient considering the sponsorship objectives? Neijens, Smit and Moorman (2009) pointed out a positive effect of image transfer in sponsorship even three months after the end of a sport event. Chanavat, Martinent and Ferrand (2010) identified lower efficiency of such transfer in a brand involved in sponsorship of multiple sports entities simultaneously. The studies referred to above indicate that global spending on sponsorship continues to grow, sponsorship is a complex topic deserving deeper investigation

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