Managing a sponsored brand: the importance of sponsorship portfolio congruence
Mark D. Groza
Northern Illinois University
Joe Cobbs
Northern Kentucky University
Tobias Schaefers
EBS University, Germany
Introduction
Commercial sponsorship is one of the most popular and fastest-growing promotional tools available to brand managers. One indication of this popularity is the proliferation of corporate sponsorships of large-scale events. The 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, for example, was sponsored by no fewer than 20 corporate brands (FIFA 2010). The level and designation given to these sponsors ranged from FIFA Partners– the highest level of corporate involvement –...