Involvement and image transfer in sports sponsorship

Abstract

Sponsorships have become one of the most important marketing tools. Data show that a majority of sporting events is sponsored and that investment in sponsorship is increasing every year. Companies are demanding more research to better understand their investment efficacy. Involvement is a key element in processing sponsorship information in consumers’ minds. This variable affects consumer behavior and moderates the sponsor image transfer. The study of involvement could give guidance for the design of appropriate and functional advertising campaigns. The research proposes segmenting and modelling sport consumer behaviour in sponsorship by their level of involvement with the event. For this task, we propose a model for image transfer between the sponsored entity and the sponsor. Using Finite Mix Partial Least Square methods, two sample segments are achieved. The data were obtained with a web banner during an international tennis event. In conclusion, the least involved individuals do not process the image transfer effect, as opposed to the individuals who are more involved. In the theoretical field, this paper is the first to include segmentation by Finite Mix in sponsorship research. Finally, attraction and involvement strategies are proposed based on the characteristics for each of the variables in this model, for example, regular meetings for fans, autograph signings and weekly chat sessions on the web site. This study provides guidance for companies about how to increase their customers’ willingness to purchase, how to improve their image, how to increase supporters’ involvement and finally, how to design effective communication for supporters according to their level of involvement.