Measuring sponsorship effects on consumer purchasing intentions

In this paper the role of sponsorship in achieving the managerial goals of a firm is studied. In addition, it is examined whether sponsorship can be attributed to the Public Relation Theory and Practice. A survey is conducted and a questionnaire was distributed to consumers living in Athens in order to examine whether firms, which use sponsorship as a strategic tool aiming to form relationships with the consumers, actually achieve their goal. The questionnaires which were distributed to the consumers were statistically processed using SPSS. Various aspects which may affect a firm’s managerial decision in undertaking sponsorships are analyzed. The obtained results are also used to investigate whether there is a connection between the organizational goals (related to sponsorship) and consumers’ behavioral/purchasing intentions

Towards an integrated framework of sports sponsorship life-cycle process and digitalization: a case study of Euroleague Basketball

El fenomen de la transformació digital està afectant la indústria de l'esport, incloses les pràctiques de màrqueting i específicament del patrocini. El procés del cicle de vida del patrocini és una pràctica ben establerta entre les organitzacions esportives que s'està transformant a causa del canviant panorama digital i les tecnologies emergents que obliguen les organitzacions esportives a digitalitzar els seus processos de gestió i innovar en les seves pràctiques de màrqueting. Per entendre millor com està afectant el canviant panorama digital en el procés del cicle de vida del patrocini esportiu, s'ha realitzat un estudi de cas longitudinal amb l'Euroleague Basketball seguint una lògica abductiva i utilitzant mètodes qualitatius. La recollida de dades es va dur a terme entre el 2018 i el 2022 amb tres rondes d'entrevistes semiestructurades amb directius, directors i directius de l'Euroleague Basketball. Primer el 2018, després el 2021 i, finalment, el 2022. Això es va complementar amb l'observació participant als esdeveniments Final Four 2018 i 2019 i la documentació secundària recopilada del 2018 al 2022 per aconseguir la triangulació de dades. El seguiment de l'Euroleague Basketball durant aquest període va permetre a la investigadora arribar a una comprensió profunda de l'evolució de l'organització pel que fa a l'adopció de tecnologies digitals per a activitats vinculades al patrocini i la digitalització dels processos dins del procés del cicle de vida del patrocini. L'estudi de cas mostra que hi ha una evolució en diferents conceptes de patrocini generats pel canviant panorama digital i es fan vuit propostes. La investigació va revelar que la digitalització del patrocini i les pràctiques de màrqueting més àmplies han afectat el viatge de transformació digital de l'Euroleague Basketball com a organització en el seu conjunt. Aquesta investigació contribueix al procés de teorització de l'impacte del fenomen de la transformació digital en les pràctiques de màrqueting esportiu proporcionant nous coneixements sobre l'impacte del panorama digital canviant en el procés del cicle de vida del patrocini.El fenómeno de la transformación digital está afectando a la industria del deporte, incluidas las prácticas de marketing y específicamente del patrocinio. El proceso del ciclo de vida del patrocinio es una práctica bien establecida entre las organizaciones deportivas que se está transformando debido al panorama digital cambiante y las tecnologías emergentes que obligan a las organizaciones deportivas a digitalizar sus procesos de gestión e innovar en sus prácticas de marketing. Para comprender mejor cómo el panorama digital cambiante está impactando en el proceso del ciclo de vida del patrocinio deportivo, se realizó un estudio de caso longitudinal con la Euroliga de Baloncesto siguiendo una lógica abductiva y utilizando métodos cualitativos. La recopilación de datos se llevó a cabo entre 2018 y 2022 e involucró tres rondas de entrevistas semiestructuradas con ejecutivos, directores y gerentes de Euroleague Basketball. Primero en 2018, luego en 2021 y por último en 2022. Esto se complementó con la observación participante en los eventos de la Final Four de 2018 y 2019 y documentación secundaria recopilada de 2018 a 2022 para lograr la triangulación de datos. El seguimiento de Euroleague Basketball durante este período permitió a la investigadora llegar a una comprensión profunda de la evolución de la organización con respecto a la adopción de tecnologías digitales para actividades vinculadas al patrocinio y la digitalización de procesos dentro del ciclo de vida del patrocinio. El caso de estudio muestra que hay una evolución en diferentes conceptos de patrocinio generados por el cambiante panorama digital y se hacen ocho proposiciones. La investigación reveló que la digitalización del patrocinio y las prácticas de marketing han afectado la transformación digital en Euroleague Basketball como organización en su conjunto. Esta investigación contribuye al proceso de teorización del impacto del fenómeno de la transformación digital en las prácticas de marketing deportivo al proporcionar nuevos conocimientos sobre el impacto del panorama digital cambiante en el proceso del ciclo de vida del patrocinio.The digital transformation phenomenon is affecting the sports industry including marketing practices and specifically sponsorship. The sponsorship life-cycle process is a well-established practice among sports organizations that is being transformed due to the changing digital landscape and emerging technologies forcing sports organizations to digitalize their management processes and innovate in their marketing practices. To better understand how the changing digital landscape is impacting on the sports sponsorship life-cycle process, a longitudinal case study has been conducted with the Euroleague Basketball following an abductive logic and using qualitative methods. Data collection took place between 2018 and 2022 involving three rounds of semi-structured interviews with Euroleague Basketball executives, directors, and managers. First in 2018, then 2021, and lastly 2022. This was complemented with participant observation at the 2018 and 2019 Final Four events and secondary documentation gathered from 2018 to 2022 to achieve data triangulation. Following Euroleague Basketball during this period enabled the researcher to arrive at an in-depth understanding of the organization's evolution regarding the adoption of digital technologies for sponsorship-linked activities and the digitalization of processes within the sponsorship life-cycle process. The case study show there is an evolution in different sponsorship concepts generated by the changing digital landscape and eight propositions are made. The research revealed that digitalization of sponsorship and wider marketing practices has affected wider the digital transformation journey in Euroleague Basketball as an organization as a whole. This research contributes to the theorizing process of the impact of the digital transformation phenomenon in sports marketing practices by providing new insights on the impact of the changing digital landscape in the sponsorship life-cycle process

Factors affecting decision-making in South African sport sponsorships

This study explores the theoretical construct of sport sponsorship and where it fits into general marketing and sport marketing theory. The direct expenditure in the local sport sponsorship industry is estimated at close to R2 billion compared to a world-wide figure of $20 billion, however existing marketing literature is inconclusive about the role of sport sponsorship in the marketing mix. After debating the contextualisation of sport sponsorship and sport marketing as theoretical constructs it was concluded that sport sponsorship is an element of the marketing communication mix as well as the sport marketing mix. It was also concluded that sport marketing could be regarded as an application field of marketing and should receive more attention among academics and practitioners. The aim of the empirical part of this study was to evaluate the importance of certain factors that affect sport sponsorship decision-making in South Africa. Such factors are: the relationships between sport sponsorship objectives, leveraging the sport sponsorship through integrating other marketing communication mix variables into the sport sponsorship and measuring the effectiveness of sport sponsorships. Two frameworks, based on these relationships, were proposed and their application to two sets of respondents, (members of the Association of Marketers (ASOM) and entrants to the 1999 and 2000 Raptor Award Competition - a national competition that awards excellence in sponsorships) were tested. A descriptive statistical analysis of responses captured from questionnaires returned by ASOM-members led to the conclusion that they regard the components of the first framework as being important. A qualitative analysis of Raptor Award entry forms and a correlation analysis of questionnaire responses from ASOM-members who sponsor sport indicated that relationships (or associations) exist between sport sponsorship objectives, integration of marketing communication mix variables into the sport sponsorship, and sport sponsorship evaluation - the second framework specifically implies the importance of such relationships. A major finding was that sport sponsors set a wide-range of objectives and regard a wide range of measurement tools as being important but there is a tendency towards only focusing on utilising media coverage and awareness measurement tools. It was deduced that the second framework needs further refinement and should illustrate how sponsorship performance could be measured in terms of the desired effects specified in the sponsorship objectives set by sport sponsors. A revised model of sport sponsorship decision-making was subsequently proposed to serve as a basis for future research and development. It is envisaged that this model should stimulate more debate and research on developing other tools or techniques that can be used to measure sport sponsorship performance.Dissertation (DComm)--University of Pretoria, 2001.Marketing ManagementDCommUnrestricte

What Are the Critical Challenges in Increasing Diversity at the Senior Leadership Levels in Organizations?

[Excerpt] Over two decades of empirical research confirms a link between corporate diversity and financial outperformance. Results are magnified at the executive level of organizations. While the business case for diversity seems apparent, the vast majority of companies have been slow to increase firm diversity, especially in leadership. African Americans and women remain especially underrepresented in contemporary leadership across industries. The enduring disparity is colloquially referred to as a “broken rung” on the corporate ladder

Sponsorships in ESports

Objectives The main objectives of this study were to research how sponsorships in eSports are conducted. The research expands on the current knowledge that exists about how eSponsorships are acquired and how a successful sponsorship partnership is maintained. Additionally the ways of how to measure effectiveness of an eSports sponsorship are to be explored. Summary Three (3) eSports sponsors/sponsees were interviewed using semi-constructed interviews. The acquisition process of sponsorships in eSports varies from sponsor to sponsor depending on the company’s objectives. Sponsors have trouble measuring the success of their sponsorship and have to rely on very few techniques about how to measure the value created by the partnership. The main finding about how to maintain a working relationship between the sponsor and sponsee is to have open discussions if any trouble arises. Conclusions The research concluded with a more in-depth look into how processes in eSponsorships are constructed. The size of the sponsor and eSports team dedicates which party has more power in the relationship. Sponsors and sponsees have to be flexible when it comes to deliverables. Otherwise, minor problems can ruin the relationship between the partners

Inefficient Allocation of Marketing Budgets: Misunderstanding Corporate Sponsorships

This dissertation explored the inefficient allocation of marketing budgets and the misallocation of corporate sponsorships. The researcher opened by discussing the foundation of the study and the underlying lack of understanding and measure of corporate sponsorships in corporate marketing. The study used a flexible multiple-case study design to explore corporate sponsorship allocations and measurements. The researcher provided two research questions to guide the study, along with underlying assumptions, limitations, and delimitations that may impact the study, before concluding the first section with a literature review. The review summarized the current practices of corporations for allocating and measuring sponsorships and revealed gaps in the processes of organizations who render sponsorship. Next, the study transitions to the second section to highlight the researcher’s responsibilities as the sole instrument of the study. The section contains a deeper explanation of why the lack of statistical data for and informal processes in corporate sponsorship require a flexible multiple-case study design. The researcher discusses the purposeful sampling technique used to select information-rich cases from the accessible population before closing the section with the data collection and analysis techniques and the procedures established to ensure transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The dissertation concludes with the third section as the researcher presents the study’s findings after a study overview and predictions. After collecting data from three cases, return and potential need fulfillment, budget reliance, preferred sponsee type, and corporate social responsibility emerged as the primary themes used by firms to make sponsorship decisions and validate them within their budgets. The study revealed a reliance on informal allocation processes and a lack of sponsorship review, and the researcher recommends standardized allocation and measurement processes, more defined corporate policies, and clear sponsorship expectations

Sponsorship and advertising in sport: a study of consumers' attitude

Research question: Advertising has been considered a less efficient vehicle of marketing communication. One recent study refuted that unlike traditional adverting mediums, consumers' attitude towards advertising was rather favourable in sport. This study compared consumers’ attitudes between advertising and sponsorship in sport and examined the antecedents (beliefs) and consequence (purchase intentions) of attitude in advertising and sponsorship. Research methods: Data were collected from 324 consumers. For testing of psychometric properties of the measures, a confirmatory factor analysis and a multiple invariance test were employed. A paired t-test, structural equation modeling, and invariance tests were conducted to test the research hypotheses. Results and Findings: There was no significant difference in consumers’ attitudes between advertising and sponsorship which were both deemed favourable. The path analyses revealed two positive beliefs (product information and hedonism/pleasure) and one negative belief (falsity/no sense) as significant predictors of attitude in both models. Good for the economy was an additional significant predictor of attitude in advertising but it was not so in sponsorship. The strengths of the three path coefficients were statistically identical across the two models. Attitude was a significant indicator of purchase intentions in both models; however, the invariance test revealed that the path in adverting was statistically stronger than that in sponsorship. Implications: This study provides important knowledge about consumers’ cognitive structures that could explain their decision making processes. Sport marketers could develop their promotion strategies more successfully, conveying their intent in a manner consistent with positive beliefs and avoiding activating negative beliefs

The Use of Brand Function in Sport Event Sponsorship

The focus for this MProf dissertation is in the field of sport sponsorship. There are four main sections, the first of which provides an introduction and a critical appraisal of the submission's demonstration of achievement of the stated MProf learning outcomes. The next three sections are re-presentations of work that have already been completed and passed at grade 8, as assessments for three of the programme taught modules. The first of these contains a literature review that looks at the development of sport sponsorship research that has produced findings on the importance of sponsorship fit and leveraging. The discussion in this section progresses through to a question as to whether brands that play a functional role within a sponsorship may be more successful than those that do not and might thereby achieve more positive perceptions of the sponsor's brand. The next section provides discussion on possible methodologies for research that look into this area and more specifically whether sponsor/brand function within a sponsorship is an effective approach by which to achieve a strong sponsorship fit. Using two hypotheses the discussion then progresses through to a possible methodology for research that is built in three stages with a mix of both quantitative and qualitative approaches, using surveys and focus groups. As required, the last section contains a practice and development portfolio that provides critical discussion on the author's career development and focus on his work in sport sponsorship