The Flipside of the Sponsorship Coin: Do You Still Buy the Beer When the Brewer Underwrites a Rival Team?

This study investigated whether sponsorships can have negative brand effects in some subgroups in the target market.

The Flipside of the Sponsorship Coin: Do You Still Buy the Beer When the Brewer Underwrites a Rival Team?

Lars Bergkvist

University of Nottingham Ningbo

Management slant

  • Sponsorships are generally assumed to have positive effects on the brand.
  • This study found that sponsorship of a football team has negative brand effects among the fans of a rival team.
  • Managers should consider sub-segments when evaluating sponsorship options and include attitude toward the sponsored object in addition to fit in their evaluations.

INTRODUCTION

The brand effects of sponsorships have received extensive coverage in advertising/marketing research (see overviews in Olson, 2010; Walliser, 2003)....

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