Sports Sponsorship As A Tool For Customer Engagement

This paper reports the findings from a series of semi-structured interviews with Sponsorship Managers in major UK-based sports sponsors. The key theme explored is the use of sponsorship leverage strategies as a means of deepening engagement with both existing and potential customers. Therefore, this study draws on literature from the field of customer engagement, relating this to sponsorship objectives, in order to assess the extent to which sponsors are actively seeking to engage customers through their sponsorship activities. Customer engagement and building an affinity with brands are cited as objectives now being pursued by sponsors. The findings suggest that sponsorship is increasingly being used by brands as a springboard for wider marketing communications activity, including social media and event-based customer experiences. Sponsorship success is not guaranteed simply by buying the rights to associate with a sporting property, but rather, is maximised when creatively activated to engage customers interactively, as opposed to the one-way communication medium of advertising. The evidence provided highlights examples of good practice among sponsors in a growing area of interest. Therefore, a wider ranging study of the use of event-based experiences and social media as sponsorship leverage strategies is proposed as an area for future research

Determining the brand-building success of sponsorship

Sports sponsorship has developed exponentially both as a commercial and academic discipline over the course of the past 20 years, with 2006 worldwide expenditure totalling $37.9 billion (IEG, 2008). In line with the growing practice of sponsorship across product and service sectors, academic interest in the domain has increased steadily. However, there still remain a considerable number of gaps in knowledge and understanding of how sponsorship works. In line with trends towards the application of broader theoretical models to the field of sponsorship, this paper explores the brand building capacity of sports sponsorship within the conceptual framework of consumer-based brand equity

The Legacy of the X-15

The X-15 established such widespread confidence in aerodynamic, thermal, and structural areas that new designs for operation aircraft for any speed regime could be expected to be successfully achieved if good use was made of all pertinent test facilities and analytical methods. This philosophy guided design of the space shuttle and is the real legacy of the X-15. The accomplishments and contributions attributable to the research and development work on the X-15 that influenced the formative years of the Space Shuttle Program are presented

An empirical assessment of factors affecting the brand-building effectiveness of sponsorship

Purpose: This study assesses, in two different live sponsorship environments, the contribution of sponsorship to consumer-based brand equity. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a quantitative survey methodology, employing self-administered questionnaires at two UK sporting events (athletics and cricket). To isolate the impact of sponsorship, questionnaires were also distributed to comparison sample groups not exposed to the sponsorship activities. The elements of consumer-based brand equity are operationalised in line with Aaker‟s (1996) brand equity measurement tool. Findings: Sponsorship can be an appropriate vehicle through which to build consumer-based brand equity; however brand building success is not guaranteed and is subject to a range of factors impacting upon particular sponsorships, including strength of the sponsor-event link, leverage activities and clutter. The most successful sponsorship displayed marked contributions to building brand associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty. However, the presence of sponsorship clutter in particular was found to impact negatively upon the perception of quality transferred to a brand through sponsorship. Research limitations/implications: The use of live event settings limits the ability to tightly control all variables; therefore replication of this study using experimental methodologies is recommended. Nonetheless, findings indicate managers should consider the above mentioned contextual factors when selecting sponsorships in order to maximise sponsorship success. Originality/value: This study explores the contribution of sports sponsorship to consumer-based brand equity in live sponsorship settings, addressing concerns over the generalizability of previous experimental studies. Equally, this study compares the brand equity-building effectiveness of sponsorship for two sponsors, which differ on a range of contextual factors that impact upon sponsorship success

Spin tests of a low-wing monoplane to investigate scale effect in the model test range, May 1941

Concurrent tests were performed on a 1/16 and a 1/20 scale model (wing spans of 2.64 and 2.11 ft. respectively) of a modern low wing monoplane in the NACA 15 foot free-spinning wind tunnel. Results are presented in the form of charts that afford a direct comparison between the spins of the two models for a number of different conditions. Qualitatively, the same characteristic effects of control disposition, mass distribution, and dimensional modifications were indicated by both models. Quantitatively, the number of turns for recover and the steady spin parameters, with the exception of the inclination of the wing to the horizontal, were usually in good agreement

An empirical assessment of factors affecting the brand-building effectiveness of sponsorship

Purpose: This study assesses, in two different live sponsorship environments, the contribution of sponsorship to consumer-based brand equity. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a quantitative survey methodology, employing self-administered questionnaires at two UK sporting events (athletics and cricket). To isolate the impact of sponsorship, questionnaires were also distributed to comparison sample groups not exposed to the sponsorship activities. The elements of consumer-based brand equity are operationalised in line with Aaker‟s (1996) brand equity measurement tool. Findings: Sponsorship can be an appropriate vehicle through which to build consumer-based brand equity; however brand building success is not guaranteed and is subject to a range of factors impacting upon particular sponsorships, including strength of the sponsor-event link, leverage activities and clutter. The most successful sponsorship displayed marked contributions to building brand associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty. However, the presence of sponsorship clutter in particular was found to impact negatively upon the perception of quality transferred to a brand through sponsorship. Research limitations/implications: The use of live event settings limits the ability to tightly control all variables; therefore replication of this study using experimental methodologies is recommended. Nonetheless, findings indicate managers should consider the above mentioned contextual factors when selecting sponsorships in order to maximise sponsorship success. Originality/value: This study explores the contribution of sports sponsorship to consumer-based brand equity in live sponsorship settings, addressing concerns over the generalizability of previous experimental studies. Equally, this study compares the brand equity-building effectiveness of sponsorship for two sponsors, which differ on a range of contextual factors that impact upon sponsorship success

An approximate spin design criterion for monoplanes, 1 May 1939

An approximate empirical criterion, based on the projected side area and the mass distribution of the airplane, was formulated. The British results were analyzed and applied to American designs. A simpler design criterion, based solely on the type and the dimensions of the tail, was developed; it is useful in a rapid estimation of whether a new design is likely to comply with the minimum requirements for safety in spinning