Multiplier Effects of Sports Sponsorship

Multiplier effects of sports sponsorship

What are the benefits for sponsors and sport managers? What is the multiplier effect of sport sponsorship?

Everywhere you look you see sport intertwined into everyday life, be it on the television, in your back yard, in schools, universities or in social networks. Nobody can escape the influence of sport, either as a spectator or a participant - it's everywhere.

In today’s business, companies are doing their best to reach consumers through their minds and hearts using sponsorships as another way to promote their brands (Heismith, 1994). As defined by Cornwell et al. 2005), ‘’Sponsorships are a growing communication form, and are defined by a sponsor (i.e. a brand or firm) providing cash and/or other compensation in exchange for access to an object’s commercial potential.

Sport sponsorship provides a unique opportunity to target and reach a mass audience. Spectator sports are far more popular that sports requiring active participation if the increase in obesity in western countries including the United States is any indication of the level of interest physical activity. Corporate sponsorship can take many forms, and can be at a number of different levels depending on the amount of money a company can afford to spend. For example, a company can be a primary sponsor of an event, or one of many second or third tier sponsors. Some companies elect to sponsor teams of specific events, and other companies choose to spend their money seeking individual athletes to endorse their products.

Sponsorship can affect consumers’ cognitive responses to the sponsor’s brand (brand awareness and brand image) when consumers become aware of the sponsorship. Factors positively influencing sponsorship awareness include the level of exposure, sponsorship leverage, integration with other marketing communication instruments, individual involvement with the sport and sponsored object, sponsorship duration and perceived fit. The presence of...