The impact of sports sponsorship on brand equity

Abstract

Purpose: Sports Sponsorship aims to build a synergic relationship between the sponsor brand and the sponsored entity. Knowing that these partnerships benefit from impacting consumer perception, the dissertation’s main objective is to investigate sports sponsorship’s impact on consumer-based brand equity assets: Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Perceived Quality and Brand Associations. As a parallel objective, the relationship between supporters and the sports entity was studied as a mediator of the sponsorship and brand equity relationship through the brand love scale. Methodology: first, a literature review focused on retrieving pertinent academic contributions for Sports Marketing, Sports Sponsorship and Brand Equity was conducted. Next, hypotheses were developed and tested through an exploratory study focused on two Portuguese brands and three football teams. Finally, the retrieved data was examined to confirm the proposed hypotheses. Finding: All hypotheses were accepted, and the objectives were accomplished. There is statistical evidence that Sagres and Super Bock’s sponsorship of FC Porto, SL Benfica and Sporting CP impacts brand equity variables. Furthermore, the linear relationship sponsorship-brand equity assets are justified through the mediator, supporters’ brand love for their team. The study revealed that Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Perceived Quality and Brand Associations had significantly better results among the sponsorship-aware groups, confirming that brand equity is positively impacted by sports sponsorship. Additionally, it was demonstrated that supporters’ brand love for their team is a mediator between the sports sponsorship effect and each brand equity asset. Hence, sports sponsorship impacts the consumer-based brand equity of supporters with higher brand love for the sponsored entity.

Objetivo: O Patrocínio Desportivo visa construir uma relação entre a marca patrocinadora e o patrocinado, beneficiando do impacto na perceção do consumidor. O objetivo principal é investigar o impacto do patrocínio desportivo nos ativos de brand equity: Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Perceived Quality e Brand Associations. Em paralelo, estudou-se a relação entre apoiantes e entidade desportiva como mediadora dessa relação por meio da escala de amor à marca. Metodologia: Foi realizada uma revisão de literatura focando-se em Marketing Desportivo, Patrocínio Desportivo e Brand Equity. Em seguida, foram desenvolvidas e testadas hipóteses através de um estudo exploratório centrado em duas marcas portuguesas e três equipas de futebol. Por fim, os dados foram examinados para confirmar as hipóteses propostas. Resultados: Todas as hipóteses foram aceites e os objetivos alcançados. Existe evidência de que o patrocínio da Sagres/Super Bock ao FC Porto, SL Benfica e Sporting CP tem impacto nas variáveis de brand equity. Além disso, a relação patrocínio-ativos de brand equity justifica-se por meio do mediador, o amor à marca. Este estudo revelou que Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Perceived Quality e Brand Associations tinha significativamente melhores resultados entre os grupos que reconheciam o patrocínio, confirmando que brand equity é impactada positivamente pelo patrocínio desportivo. Foi ainda demonstrado que o amor à marca dos torcedores por sua equipe é um mediador entre o efeito do patrocínio esportivo e cada ativo de brand equity. Assim, o patrocínio desportivo impacta de forma positiva os ativos de brand equity nos apoiantes que têm mais amor à entidade patrocinada.