The Impact of Sports Sponsorship on Brand Value in Major Sports Events -- The Case of Qatar World Cup

Abstract

Sports sponsorship has steadily risen to the top of the list of marketing strategies used by companies, particularly sports and fashion brands. The most recent significant sporting event to draw a record-breaking number of spectators and attention is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The main sponsors of the event have also attracted public attention. A study on the sports sponsorship of the Qatar World Cup can, on the one hand, examine more important factors, evaluate its marketing effectiveness, and offer examples for sponsor brands. On the other hand, it can also offer rationalization suggestions for the event organizers and sponsors to improve their sponsorship effectiveness and brand value, further promoting the joint development of both parties as well as the development of the sports industry and sponsor brands. The research perspective and theories around sponsorship marketing are further enhanced by this study. This study has sequentially suggested three elements in sponsorship activities that may affect the value of sponsoring brands, including audience involvement, media publicity, and co-sponsorship, using primarily quantitative analysis. Consumer audience participation, the success of media publicity, and the perception of co-sponsorship are all significant elements that have an impact on the brand value of sponsors in the modern sports sponsorship environment. This paper takes sports event consumers as the investigation target, builds a research model based on theoretical research and literature studies, and proposes research hypotheses in order to clarify the mechanism of audience involvement, media publicity, and co-sponsorship on the brand value of sponsors. In order to carefully study and develop conclusions on the effects of sponsoring significant athletic events on sponsor brand value in several dimensions, data were collected widely through surveys and analyzed using SPSS. Media publicity had a significant positive impact on brand value, and co-sponsorship and audience involvement had an indirect impact on brand value. It was discovered that the better the sponsorship image, the greater the impact on audience involvement and co-sponsorship, and the greater the impact on brand value. Finally, the paper offers pertinent countermeasures for brands to perform sponsorship activities and create brand value, in order to encourage the development of sports event sponsorship, based on the research findings and the present state of sports sponsorship.