Perceptions of a brand sponsoring a sport competitor

Abstract

Brands sponsoring a sport competitor reach an audience of fans with varying connections to the competitor. While sponsoring brands benefit the greatest among the fans of the competitor they are also believed to benefit the larger body of fans who follow the sport. Yet such partnerships may also expose a brand to consumers with a strong negative connection to the sponsored property. Findings of an empirical study suggest identification with the competitor is a better predictor of sponsor evaluations than identification with the sport, such that avid fans of the competitor have stronger affective and cognitive perceptions of the sponsor than fans of the sport at large. Among fans with a stigmatised connection with the competitor, evaluations of a sponsor are damaged.