Consumers' perceptions of sponsorship sources: a case study of mistaken identity

Increasing interest by firms into the potential communication impact of sponsorship has resulted in considerable expenditures in this area, yet to be matched by equal levels of research into the effectiveness of this technique. This study aims to dispel some of the uncertainty by exploring the sponsorship history and motives of a particular firm, and examining empirically the outcomes of such investments. It is particularly revealing that the very high public visibility of the sponsorship activity itself appeared coupled with an almost general mistaken attribution, at the expense of the rightful sponsoring organisation, of the credit for the sponsorship.Pascale G. Queste

We play the same game but do we share the same passion? A comparison of French and Australian emotional reactions during sport events

Despite their omnipresence in sports events and their key role in attracting patrons to sporting events, sport-related emotions have not been extensively studied. Examining the two dimensions of valence and intensity, this paper compares the emotional response of two groups of French and Australian spectators during two major events of the world tennis calendar: Roland Garros and the Australian Open. This paper provides evidence that French and Australian patrons experienced comparable emotions, and explains the differences observed. Contrary to our expectations, the data reveals that emotions affect the formation of attitude toward both events differently.Charles Bal, Pascale Quester, Carolin Plew

Section introduction (Editorial)

Of all the stakeholders professional sports teams must satisfy, it is sports fans that are arguably the most important. The value of fans stems from the wide range of direct connections or associations they form with teams, which include social, emotional and financial exchanges. All teams need fans as a basic requirement for survival, but an active and engaged fan -base provides direct revenue through ticket sales and merchandise purchase and indirect benefits such as increasing broadcast rights values. Fans also create a range of media and sponsorship opportunities for sporting organizations to leverage, through their numbers and loyalty to the team. Fans of a team can include those who "silently" support the team without attending games, those who choose to attend individual home games on a casual basis, and those who acquire team memberships or season tickets that offer a service commonly inclusive of home match attendance and other various benefits. Season ticket holders (SIH hereafter) can be viewed as the first among equals, as their repeat patronage and higher commitment makes them, in many ways, the most desirable of all customers. Customer management is always a complex blend of understanding what a customer requires and delivering it profitably, in the right way at the right time. STH management is even more complex, particularly in a sports context. STH management is complicated, as season -ticket products constitute a subscription market, where purchase decisions are made infrequently (typically annually) and evaluations are usually a result of a combination of experiences over time. Customer behaviour in subscription market situations is also very different from in repertoire or casual ticket buying markets. Added to the complexity of subscription markets is the fact that most STH are drawn from the ranks of the most passionate sports fans. Their passion can make them demanding customers, requiring personalized attention that is difficult to deliver en masse. STH make a significant financial and emotional commitment to sports teams and require careful management in return to ensure their satisfaction and continued patronage. This chapter examines the particular requirements of STH, from understanding how to attract and retain STH through to what managers can do to ensure their satisfaction

Global vs international involvement-based segmentation: a cross-national exploratory study

Using a clusterwise regression analysis of French and Australian wine consumers, the authors explore the question of whether global marketers, who target the same segment around the world, are using a better strategy than international marketers who segment each national market and target the most attractive ones. Using involvement as a segmenting variable, several clusters were found, some warranting the global approach and others more suited for the nationally focused one. Based on the description of each segment, various strategic options appear to be open to retail marketers.J‐M. Aurifeille, P.G. Quester, L. Lockshin, T. Spawto

Investigating situational effects in wine consumption: a means-end approach

This study groups consumer’s means-end chains according to the consumption situation, rather than by consumer characteristics. It relies on a predictive clustering technique, learning vector quantization (LVQ), to form well differentiated clusters which could be used by marketers to position their product for different usage situations. 648 different means-end chains, corresponding to 356 different occasions, were collected from 223 respondents. Using LVQ, an initial 8-cluster solution was found which fit the data well. However, a better predictivity was obtained by increasing the number of clusters to 14. The implications of these results are discussed in the conclusion of this paper along with directions for future research.Jean Marie Aurifeille, P.G. Quester, John Hall, Larry Lockshi

Legitimizing public authorities as sponsors: An inquiry into the factors related to the perception and memorization of their sponsorship

Public authorities, sponsorship, recognition, image,

Sponsorship Returns: The value of naming rights

Sponsorship is an important communication tool yet evidence of its effectiveness is often sketchy as many sponsors fail to conduct rigorous evaluation programmes. Suggests that this study of a major Australian sporting event over three years, that certain conditions, such as naming rights, may assist sponsors in securing some return from their investments, but also cautions them against unrealistic expectations. © 1997, MCB UP Limite