Sport Sponsorship Research Articles

“Giving PUMA the boot”–A case study of a contemporary consumer sports boycott

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to offer a conceptual assessment of a contemporary consumer boycott of a global sports brand. A critical commentary is offered of the “Boycott PUMA” campaign with an examination of the positions and motivations of the different parties involved, specifically PUMA, the “Boycott PUMA” campaign, the Israeli Football Association and UEFA/FIFA.Design/methodology/approachThis article is a position and conceptual paper, designed to generate a discussion on what is an emotive consumer boycott campaign. A distinction is made between political boycotts and consumer boycotts, whether it is possible to separate sport from politics, and if PUMA's claimed position of neutrality in this conflict can be achieved.FindingsThe focus here is on PUMA's corporate social responsibility statement in which they claim that sport and politics do not mix, with their response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 undermining this claim. PUMA's commitment to social justice is being used by the “Boycott PUMA” activists to expose the disconnect between PUMA's stated vision and its actions.Practical implicationsPUMA's brand has been built on creating a particular type of brand image, with a positive image and brand awareness essential for this sports apparel company. If the company finds itself in a media spotlight their brand equity can become damaged.Originality/valueWith very little research available on the Israel/Palestine from a sport sponsorship and marketing perspective, this article offers an original and much needed assessment of a potentially significant campaign.

Communication Objectives of Sport Sponsorships

SPORT sponsorship is increasingly used as an organisational communication tool. Its effective use is generally diminished by a lack of coordination with greater organisational communication objectives. The alignment of the objectives of sport sponsorship with an organisation's greater communication objectives as a means of increasing sport sponsorship's effective use is dis- cussed. The validity of differentiating be- tween objectives of sport sponsorship for public relations and for marketing communication objectives was tested amongst a sample of South African sponsors, and a measuring instrument of sport sponsors communication objectives was developed.

Sport sponsorship as a booster for customer engagement: the role of activation, authenticity and attitude

PurposeIn marketing research, it is widely acknowledged that customer engagement leads to higher reputation, lower costs and increased revenues for firms. However, there are still open questions on how sport sponsorship can drive customer engagement. It is hypothesized that sponsors' activations correlate with customer engagement toward the sponsor. Specifically, the roles of sponsorship authenticity and attitudes toward the sponsor have received little attention in this context. Accordingly, this study aims to test the effects of sponsors' activations on customer engagement disposition (CED) and customer engagement behavior (CEB) by considering the roles of sponsorship authenticity and attitudes toward the sponsor.Design/methodology/approachAn online experiment with a factorial between-subjects design with 529 total participants was conducted. Data were analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and binary regression analysis.FindingsSponsors' activations can lead to positive or negative CEB, depending on how sport consumers evaluate the activation. Sponsorship authenticity reduces or enhances CEB following a sponsor's activation. Moreover, consumers' prior attitudes toward the sponsor influence the relationship between sponsors' activations and CED. The findings further showed that CED leads to CEB.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the sport sponsorship literature by empirically proving that sponsors' activations increase customer engagement toward the sponsors. Moreover, this is the first study testing consequences of sponsors' activations in relation to sponsorship authenticity and consumers' attitudes. Furthermore, the authors enrich the customer engagement literature by discussing the sponsors' activations as a marketing strategy to increase customer engagement and consequently firms' performance.

Sponsor effectiveness and its impact on League of Legends fan buying attitude

Introduction: The Brazilian League of Legends Championship is currently one of the main competitive tournaments in the eSports scene. For companies, being present in this niche expands a wide window of visibility for the sponsoring brands, so it is at this moment that they expose their products or services, and it is important to analyze the sponsor's effectiveness in the purchase attitude. Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of sports sponsorships in the League of Legends environment in Brazil and its influence on the purchasing attitude of sports consumers. Methodology: It is characterized as a quantitative approach. Composed of 215 fans, who watched at least one CBLOL game, in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and who are at least 18 years old. An adapted instrument was used that seeks to analyze the sponsor's effectiveness in the purchase attitude. The collection took place online during the years 2021 and 2022. Results and Discussion: According to the sociodemographic profile of the sample, most were men, young people, with complete high school and employed. All dimensions were positively evaluated, which leads to a good effectiveness of brand sponsorship strategies. According to the global model, the results of the analysis showed a valence of 64% in the variation of purchase intentions. Thus, it is important that brands have strategies to be remembered by fans, because it is through this action that the buying attitude will occur. Conclusion: The dimensions analyzed here determined the effectiveness of sponsorship, which positively influences the purchasing attitude of League of Legends fans in relation to the products and services of the sponsoring brands.

스포츠 팀과 스폰서 기업의 ESG 활동이 자신 및 스폰서십 파트너의 이미지에 미치는 영향 : 쌍방향의 이미지 전이를 통한 시너지 효과를 중심으로

This study aimed to examine the effect of sport teams’ ESG on their own and their sponsors’ image and the effect of sponsors’ ESG on their own and their teams’ image. In addition, this study tried to explore the relative effectiveness of concurrent ESG of both sport teams and sponsors over sport teams’ and sponsors’ ESG on their own and their sponsorship partners’ image. For this purpose, t-tests and ANOVAs with multiple comparisons tests were conducted with scenarios that represent 5 experimental conditions(n=510). The results of this study are as follows. First, sport teams’ ESG had a positive effect on their own and their sponsors’ image through traditional, unidirectional image transfer. Second, sponsors’ ESG had a positive effect on their own and their teams’ image through reverse image transfer. Third, concurrent ESG of both sport teams and sponsors led to higher sport teams’ and sponsors’ image through bilateral image transfer than sport teams’ and sponsors’ ESG. These findings provide both sport marketers and sponsor marketers with insight into how they develop ESG strategies that enhance sport teams’ and sponsors’ image in sport sponsorship.

Конкурентная оценка маркетингового потенциала вида спорта

Marketing potential, as a scientific and practical category, is used to determine market opportunities for the development of an organization or product. Its universal nature allows us to explore the problems of improving the efficiency of marketing management in various fields of activity, including sports. The social significance of sports can significantly influence the readiness of specialists to adapt universal marketing strategies and tools to their activities. Relying on economic support from the government, the management of sports organizations and, above all, federations underestimate the market opportunities and marketing potential of their sports. The article discusses the specifics of assessing the marketing potential of a sport based on the analysis of the characteristics of their presence in the markets that make up the modern sports industry. The purpose of the study is to determine market criteria for assessing the marketing potential of a sport, suitable for practical use by sports federations. The author proposes an original methodology for analyzing the marketing potential of sports, taking into account the presence of sports federations in eight key markets: sports events, services, goods, facilities, personnel, as well as in the sports industry infrastructure market, sponsorship and quasi-sports products. In accordance with this, the criteria for evaluating the marketing potential recommended to the management of sports federations are determined.

The Effect of Sport Sponsorship on Brand Equity: A Study Within the Context of Professional Soccer

This study examines the effects of sport sponsorship on brand equity. More precisely, the impact of sport sponsorship is assessed for each of Aaker’s (1991) components of brand equity: brand personality; brand awareness; brand associations; perceived quality; brand loyalty. Research is conducted within the domain of a sports team sponsorship, specifically Nivea Men’s sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club. The results demonstrate that all five components of brand equity are positively influenced by sport sponsorship, ultimately supporting the proposition that sport sponsorship has a positive impact on brand equity. While sponsorship may not by itself be sufficient for brand equity building or sales enhancement, sponsors should be able to leverage their association with the team to promote their benefits and motivate fan engagement.

Sports sponsorship as a communication tool used in corporate reputation management: A case study of Kenya Commercial Bank

This study aimed at determining the image stakeholders have towards KCB as a sports sponsor. Corporate image is defined by the constructs of good feeling, trust, admiration and respect, as informed by Fombrun and Gardberg’s RepTrakTM Pulse tool. A case study design was used in order to gain in-depth information about KCB. This study was premised on Stakeholder Theory as it focuses on the impact of a company’s activities on stakeholders, whereby these activities may result in a positive or a negative view of the company. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. This study was conducted in Nairobi County, and participants in this study were external stakeholders of KCB. Respondents included 10 players from KCB Rugby Football Club, 10 supporters (fans), 10 KCB agents and 15 KCB clients. A quantitative method of collecting data was used. Data was generated using a Likert-type scale questionnaire informed by RepTrakTM Pulse. Findings from this study revealed that KCB’s reputational capital is enhanced because it sponsored sports. Most of the respondents took a neutral stance on the statements informing the constructs of good feeling, trust, admiration, and respect. A small percentage of the respondents expressed disagreement with the statements, while a considerable percentage were positive and agreed with the statements. KCB’s corporate image is favourable as stakeholders have a good feeling towards it, trust and admire and respect it on account of sponsoring sports.

How a Sensational Event Influences Sponsorship Effects: Applying Neuromarketing

PURPOSE Neuromarketing measures and analyzes the unconscious response of consumer brain waves to marketing stimuli in real time. This study examined how a sensational scene (accident) in a sport game influences the sponsorship effects through electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. METHODS The current study uses an experimental method. First, as an experimental stimulus, a video of F1 racing edited in a total of 9 min and 39 s was used, and an accident scene was inserted in the middle of the video. A total of 46 people participated in the experiment, and all participants watched the F1 video, including the accident scene. Participants' brain waves were observed in two prefrontal and two occipital lobes. The relationship between scene sensation and sponsorship effect was analyzed based on alpha waves and the sponsor brand recall measured by questionnaires. RESULTS First, the accident scene of the race caused the power of alpha wave to be abruptly reduced (i.e., alpha blocking). Second, the difference between the alpha power level of the group that recalled the sponsor brand and that of the group that did not recall was statistically insignificant; hence, the hypothesis was rejected. Third, the right-brain dominance (negative emotion) in the accident scene of the race was statistically insignificant; therefore, the hypothesis was rejected. Finally, the group that recalled the sponsor brand showed a left-brain dominance (positive emotion), which was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed the marketing communication and neuromarketing theories on the sponsorship effects created by stimulation, attention, and memory in a sport sponsorship setting, observing alpha blocking phenomena in a sensational scene (accidents). In addition, it was revealed that the group that watched the same accident scene relatively positively and exited remembered the sponsor brand better than the group that did not watch it. The result implied that sport fan’s personal trait (e.g., sensation seeking) to sensation in sponsorship activities affects the sponsorship effect. The results also emphasized the importance of selecting target customers of sports fans in sponsorship to maximize sponsorship effects.

Newspaper framing of food and beverage corporations’ sponsorship of sport: a content analysis

BackgroundUnhealthy diets are a leading contributor to obesity, disability and death worldwide. One factor cited as contributing to rises in obesity rates is the pervasive and ubiquitous marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages (F&Bs) across a variety of mediums, such as sport sponsorship at both professional and amateur levels. Despite increased academic attention on the detrimental impacts of sport sponsorship within the obesogenic environment, this has not been matched by legislative action. One explanation may be the way that F&B corporations’ sport sponsorship is framed within policy debates. Framing is the deliberate ways in which (often contested) issues are presented in communication. This paper examines how sport sponsorship by F&B corporations is framed through media reports.MethodsThis study employed a mixed methods content and framing analysis. First, we conducted a quantitative newsprint content analysis (n = 234). This then informed and directed a thematic framing analysis of a sub-set of articles (n = 54) that specifically associated sport sponsorship by F&B corporations with obesity and childhood obesity.ResultsThe findings suggest that two competing frames are evident within newspaper coverage: 1) public health and 2) industry. The public health frame rejects the sponsorship of sport by High in Fat Sugar and Salt (HFSS) product corporations in particular, calling for such sponsorship to be restricted or banned. The industry frame characterises sponsorship of sport as a form of corporate social responsibility, positioning industry as good moral actors and part of the solution to childhood and adult obesity. These frames are evident across other Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs) policy debates. However, the prominence of industry actors within the sample is potentially indicative of their discursive power within this space, particularly with their emphasis on the financial maintenance of sport as well as encouraging physical activity, contributing to the lack of regulatory development of sport sponsorship by F&B corporations.ConclusionsThe findings of this study are particularly useful for public health organisations who seek regulatory change, as it may provide further insight into countering industry framing practices, raising the salience of regulation of sport sponsorship and thus increasing the likelihood of regulatory development that seeks to improve population health.

Unlocking the black box of sponsorship in participant-based sport

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop a more precise evaluation of sport sponsorship efficiency in participant-based sport, by investigating the specific aspects of participants' attitude and behavior toward sponsors. In more detail, this research develops a comprehensive sponsorship model in the participant sport context, integrating the following constructs: sport involvement, sincerity, social media use, beliefs about sponsorship, satisfaction with event, sponsor's image, awareness of sponsors, attitude toward sponsors, purchase and word of mouth intentions.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method was utilized and 1,056 questionnaires were effectively collected and analyzed via SPSS and AMOS. Using structural equation modeling, this research tested a conceptual framework analyzing the role of different factors for sponsorship efficiency in a participant sport context.FindingsThe present research proposes a model of 10 variables which altogether permits a complete comprehension of how to expand the linkages among antecedents and outcomes of sport sponsorship in participant-based sports. The proposed factors assume a critical role in upgrading sponsorship effectiveness, which is reflected through a continuum of responses that regularly begins with sponsorship awareness and, at last, leads to increments in participants' purchase and word of mouth intentions regarding sponsors' products.Research limitations/implicationsVarious implications for future studies as well as strategies to boost the advantages for sponsoring firms in participant-based sports, can be drawn from the suggested model.Originality/valueUp to the present, there is a scarcity of research exploring the effectiveness of sponsorship in participant-based sports. The majority of sponsorship studies measure the impact of sponsorship on spectators, neglecting the role of participants as potential vehicles in the sport sponsorship setting. This study is the first to exploring the role of sport participants in sport sponsorship literature, provides a comprehensive framework, which can guide future studies and enhance sponsorship efficiency in a participant sport context.

That VIP feeling: Activation, measurement techniques and best practices in sport sponsorship

The primary goal of this research was to examine current trends in sport sponsorship, particularly in the areas of goal setting, sponsorship activation and assessment of sponsorship effectiveness. The secondary goal was to identify best practices in sport sponsorship. Sponsorship executives representing North American professional sport properties, corporate partners and third-party agencies participated in in-depth interviews. Data was content analysed to produce information in three main areas of interest: sponsorship goals, activation strategies and evaluation processes and measures. The results highlight the value of customising sponsorship agreements to fit the business goals of individual sponsors as well as the strong presence of social media in sponsorship activation strategies. Greater sponsor expectations in terms of return on investment measurement and the increased role of analytics in the evaluation of sponsorship effectiveness are also uncovered. A number of best practices in sport sponsorship, practical implications and directions for future research are discussed at the conclusion of this paper.

The Impact of Sponsorship on Social Media Engagement: A Longitudinal Examination of Professional Sport Teams

Abstract: Social media has become an important frontier in the sport sponsorship paradigm (Dees, 2011), offering brands a powerful mechanism to stimulate consumer engagement (Vale & Fernandes, 2018). Despite this potential, the extent to which social media content, as part of a sport sponsorship’s leveraging activities, can yield consumer engagement behaviors is unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of integrating sponsors into the social media posts of sport organizations on fan engagement. A total of 13,542 Instagram posts from four professional sports teams were extracted from 2017–2019. A regression analysis revealed that sponsored content negatively affected engagement levels. Consequently, brands need to be more cognizant that simply sponsoring content in an inauthentic, forceable manner may not yield the results they are seeking through their association. Furthermore, sport organizations need to reconsider their social media strategy, working with partners to organically embed sponsors into content.

"Bringing you the best": John Player & Sons, Cricket, and the Politics of Tobacco Sport Sponsorship in Britain, 1969-1986.

This article explores some of the marketing strategies associated with the British tobacco industry's sponsorship of sport during the 1960s and 1970s. It focuses on the British cigarette and tobacco manufacturer John Player & Sons and the firm's pioneering initiative to sponsor one-day cricket, which began with the John Player League in 1969. The league was enormously popular and gained significant broadcast coverage, becoming an invaluable means of increasing public exposure for the company, in the context of the ban of cigarette advertising from British television. At a time when the link between smoking and disease was making headlines, John Player & Sons nimbly deflected attention away from the health issue, and instead consciously repositioned the tobacco company as a generous benefactor of the nation's sport and leisure. Less conspicuously, but even more powerfully, spokespeople for the tobacco industry actively mobilised influential opinion behind the scenes in political circles. We show particularly how Denis Howell, Minister for Sport from 1964 to 1969 and from 1974 to 1979, became a valuable ally, acting as a bulwark against more restrictive government interventions into the sponsorship of sports by the tobacco industry. This alliance exposes changing industry-government relations and presents new historical context to better understand the way British tobacco manufacturers proactively sought to elide restrictions on their advertising activities from the 1980s onwards.

Participant or spectator? Comprehending the sport sponsorship process from different perspectives

PurposeDespite the fact this is already known over how sports spectators interpret sponsorship content, less is known about participants’ sentiments toward sponsors, which are sometimes crucial to the survival of participation sporting events. Various researchers have examined at how spectators recognize or recall sponsors, but very few have explored it from the viewpoint of sport participants. This research portrays a shift in focus from spectator-based to participant-based marketing by studying the differences over how participants and spectators perceive sport sponsorship, recognizing the current knowledge gap regarding the process of sponsorship in participant-based sports. Sponsorship previous research has focused on the effectiveness of sport sponsorships utilizing variables such sponsor recognition, desire to sponsors’ products and anticipated sponsorship advantages (Koronios and Dimitropoulos, 2020). The examination of sport sponsorship from the standpoint of the sport spectator is something that many of the past studies have in common. The application of past research analysing sport sponsorship from a distinct perspective: that of the sport participant, distinguishes the present study. In addition, the present study explores the distinctions in sponsorship effectiveness between spectators and participants, a topic which hasn't been addressed at before in sponsorship literature.Design/methodology/approachThis study depicts a move away from spectator-based to participant-based marketing, utilizing contemporary implicit physiological variables to measure participants’ and spectators’ awareness of and attitude toward sponsors, and it proposes a model of their purchase intentions toward real sponsors of a martial event. A total of 1,332 questionnaires were collected and analysed.FindingsFactors such as sport involvement, social media use, sincerity and beliefs of sponsorship were found to have a significant effect on purchase intention of spectators and participants. And crucial differences in the significance of various antecedent factors between spectators and participants were detected in the formation of positive purchase and word-of-mouth intentions.Originality/valueThis paper gives prominence to contemporary methodological advances in the field of implicit social cognition and their relevance to sponsorship. This is the first sponsorship research which examines the effectiveness of sponsorship variables under the implicit–explicit variables dichotomy.

The Effect of Organizer-Sponsor Congruence on Sponsor Credibility and the Moderating Role of Involvement

Sports sponsorship has been increasingly used as a marketing tool and as a financial support for the organization of sporting events. The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumer involvement with the brand, the product and the sporting event moderates the organizer-sponsor congruence, and enhances the perceived sponsor credibility. The sample consisted of 700 runners who participated in three street racing events. Data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling. The congruence between the brand and the event sponsorship did not affect the consumer’s perception of the sponsor’s credibility. The perceived sponsor credibility was enhanced by the congruence between the sponsor's product and the sponsorship, and by the consumer's involvement in the sporting event. The empirical evidence of the hypothetical relationships confirmed in this research sheds light on the mechanisms by which sponsorship leads to a beneficial consumer response.

Sponsorship-Linked Marketing: Sport Consumers' Attitudes and Behaviors

The rapid increase in sport sponsorship expenditure has been accompanied by a significant growth of research studies evaluating sponsorship efficiency in various sport contexts. Nevertheless, the majority of research studies have concentrated on the comprehension of the variables driving to behaviors. A more precise evaluation of sport sponsorship efficiency is of necessity, taking into attitudinal as well as behavioral constructs. This study focused on the exploration of the attitudinal and behavioral constructs in the context of sport sponsorship. More precisely, the aim of this research is to offer some elucidations of the effect of fans’ involvement with sport, the degree of their attachment with their favorite team, their beliefs about sponsorship and the anticipated sincerity of the sponsors on the awareness of and attitude toward real sponsoring firms, as well as its subsequent influence on future purchase intentions concerning sponsoring firms’ merchandise. Data from 2,752 fans were successfully gathered and analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling analysis. The results of a structural equation model provide an exceptional conceptual framework that underlines the significance of comprehending the role of important factors in sponsorship efficiency. The findings highlight the influential role of the examined factors in guiding sport clubs’ supporters to form favorable attitudes and purchase sponsors’ goods and services — an outcome of considerable significance for both the practitioners and academics in the field. Various implications for future research studies as well as strategies to boost the advantages for both the sport clubs and sponsoring firms can be drawn from the suggested model.

Image congruity in the love triangle among mega sport event organizer, sponsor, and consumers: the moderating effects of product involvement and consumer awareness

ABSTRACT Research question This research extends previous studies on sponsor-event congruity by introducing a larger framework based on triadic relationships among mega sport event organizer (MSEO), sponsor, and consumers. It also revisits the relationships among congruity, product involvement, and consumer awareness of the sponsorship. Research methods Data collected from American respondents (n = 631) were used to study the relationships between a MSEO, the International Olympic Committee, two of its sponsors, Coca-Cola and Airbnb, and their consumers. Results and findings Findings reveal that consumer–brand and sponsor-MSEO congruity influence affective commitment towards the brands. Yet, to interpret the influence of sponsor-MSEO congruity, it is preferable to use values over brand personality. Additionally, the model should be moderated by product involvement and consumer awareness. Implications Consumer–brand congruity and sponsor MSEO congruity are two potent and complementary constructs that should be used to listen to the consumer and to refine brand positioning. Additionally, triadic and dyadic (partial) models provide complementary results and should be used jointly.

Team identification and sponsors’ altruistic motives on the effectiveness of professional soccer sponsorship

ABSTRACT Research question: In a world where financial investment in sports sponsorship is at risk of committing corporate irresponsibility, how do professional sports team sponsors’ attribute altruistic motives and favorable attitudes towards the fans influence purchasing with decisions? Research methods: For this purpose, a sample of 2,647 fans from two of Portugal's most successful soccer teams completed a questionnaire. A Structural Equation Modelling analysis was carried out to test the model and the hypotheses. Results and Findings: Despite the highly commercial context, the high investments made by the sponsors are seen as altruistic by the fans most identified with the sports team. The model explained 46% of attitudes towards sponsors, but the most relevant result in sponsorship effectiveness was the strong mediating role played by the sponsors’ altruistic motives. Implications: This study extends previous research by providing a unique conceptual framework that highlights the importance of understanding how fans supported by the sponsor's altruistic motives view the sponsor's brand.

Adults’ Exposure to Unhealthy Food and Beverage Marketing: A Multi-Country Study in Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States

BackgroundFood marketing increases product appeal, purchasing, and consumption, using diverse strategies and locations to reach consumers. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine differences in adults’ self-reported exposure to various marketing strategies (brand and licensed characters, celebrities, and sponsorship of sports and cultural events) and locations (television, radio, and digital media) across 5 countries: Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional survey data on self-reported exposure to food marketing strategies and locations collected in 2018 by the International Food Policy Study. Participants (n = 21,678) aged ≥18 years completed an online survey. Exposures to unhealthy food marketing strategies and locations in the prior 30 days were self-reported. Regression models examined differences in marketing exposure and locations across countries. ResultsThe average number of unhealthy food marketing strategies to which participants reported being exposed ranged from 0.5 in the United Kingdom to 2.3 in Mexico. Self-reported exposure to strategies across all countries was highest for brand characters (32%), followed by licensed characters (22%). In total, the reported mean exposure of marketing locations was 1.6 in the prior month. Television was the most prevalent location (44%), followed by digital marketing (32%). Adjusted models indicated that the odds of reporting exposure to marketing strategies and marketing locations were higher for Mexico compared to the rest of the countries. ConclusionsAdults report a variety of exposures to unhealthy food marketing in all countries, but exposure was highest in Mexico. Special attention should be paid to regulating marketing strategies, such as brand characters and licensed characters, and locations, such as television and digital marketing.