Effectiveness

1.1 Introducing the Sponsorship Market

Over the last decades sponsorship has evolved from a merely philanthropic activity to a popular marketing vehicle and consequently budgets have been rising (Nufer & Bühler, 2010). In the current sponsorship market million-dollar contracts are the rule rather than the exception. The majority of sponsorship investments is in the area of sports, such that sponsorship and media rights are the “main engines” of growth and professionalism in the global sports market (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2011, p.4). In particular Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) projects a worldwide increase in spending on sports sponsorship to $45.3 billion in 2015 (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2011). Sponsorship managers recognize the commercial value of associating their business with a well-known and beloved property. They hope to achieve a multitude of objectives, including brand equity and customer relations goals, through sponsorship. Yet in the current difficult economic situation, marketing investments, including sponsorships, are under increased scrutiny such that “companies that are signing new or re-signing deals are showing...

ABSTRACT

Despite the pervasiveness of sports in American society and the ever-increasing role of sponsorship in the marketing mix, sponsorship marketing as a discipline currently lacks the rigorous academic study and theoretical foundations that exist in other marketing disciplines.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not sponsorship of New Orleans Zephyrs baseball is an effective way of increasing awareness of a product or brand. Using intermediate measures of recognition testing, fans at three New Orleans Zephyrs games were surveyed to test sponsor recognition. The study examined various elements of sponsorship marketing including the effects that gender, age, income, education and attendance frequency had on sponsorship recognition. Additionally, fans were asked if they consciously looked for sponsor messages at games and where they most noticed the messages. Lastly, respondents were asked if they would use a Zephyrs sponsor’s product over a non-sponsor’s product given the same price and quality.