Sponsorship of sport has become an integral part of the marketing mix of the corporate world, with corporations devoting large amounts of money to associate themselves with a particular sport and/or its identity. This seemingly ever-increasing use of sport as an entertainment medium by television broadcasters and the concomitant increasing amounts of money tied up in the upper echelons of professional sport have made it hard to imagine professional sport without corporate sponsorship.Sponsors have become increasingly prudent about the way their sponsorships is spent. A mere “feeling of association” is not enough to justify the amounts of money required to become a sponsor of a top-level sport. Corporations therefore utilise methods of monitoring sponsorship effectiveness to ensure that they receive maximum return on their investment. / Mr. T. Terblanche

This study explores the theoretical construct of sport sponsorship and where it fits into general marketing and sport marketing theory. The direct expenditure in the local sport sponsorship industry is estimated at close to R2 billion compared to a world-wide figure of $20 billion, however existing marketing literature is inconclusive about the role of sport sponsorship in the marketing mix. After debating the contextualisation of sport sponsorship and sport marketing as theoretical constructs it was concluded that sport sponsorship is an element of the marketing communication mix as well as the sport marketing mix. It was also concluded that sport marketing could be regarded as an application field of marketing and should receive more attention among academics and practitioners. The aim of the empirical part of this study was to evaluate the importance of certain factors that affect sport sponsorship decision-making in South Africa. Such factors are: the relationships between sport sponsorship objectives, leveraging the sport sponsorship through integrating other marketing communication mix variables into the sport sponsorship and measuring the effectiveness of sport sponsorships. Two frameworks, based on these relationships, were proposed and their application to two sets of respondents, (members of the Association of Marketers (ASOM) and entrants to the 1999 and 2000 Raptor Award Competition - a national competition that awards excellence in sponsorships) were tested. A descriptive statistical analysis of responses captured from questionnaires returned by ASOM-members led to the conclusion that they regard the components of the first framework as being important. A qualitative analysis of Raptor Award entry forms and a correlation analysis of questionnaire responses from ASOM-members who sponsor sport indicated that relationships (or associations) exist between sport sponsorship objectives, integration of marketing communication mix variables into the sport sponsorship, and sport sponsorship evaluation - the second framework specifically implies the importance of such relationships. A major finding was that sport sponsors set a wide-range of objectives and regard a wide range of measurement tools as being important but there is a tendency towards only focusing on utilising media coverage and awareness measurement tools. It was deduced that the second framework needs further refinement and should illustrate how sponsorship performance could be measured in terms of the desired effects specified in the sponsorship objectives set by sport sponsors. A revised model of sport sponsorship decision-making was subsequently proposed to serve as a basis for future research and development. It is envisaged that this model should stimulate more debate and research on developing other tools or techniques that can be used to measure sport sponsorship performance. / Dissertation (DComm)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Marketing Management / DComm / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: När idrotten kommersialiserades så blev markandsföringsverktyget sponsring en central strategi för att kommunicera med marknaden. Idag används strategin av företagen för att nå målsättningar som ligger utanför den dagliga verksamheten. De flesta företag har målsättningar med sponsring, även om målen skiljer sig åt. Problematiken ligger i att företagen anser att effektmätning av sponsring är komplicerat och kostsamt. Således är det problematiskt för företagen att veta om deras sponsringsinvesteringar ger önskat resultat. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en fördjupad förståelse kring varför företag väljer att sponsra idrottsföreningar och i vilken utsträckning företag utvärderar effekten av sina sponsringssamarbeten. Teori: Vi har använt oss av relevanta teorier för att kunna besvara studiens syfte. Metod: Studien utfördes genom en kvalitativ metod. Intervjuer har genomförts av en semi-strukturerad karaktär, där frågorna ställdes med hjälp av en intervjuguide. Vidare är urvalet baserat på ett bekvämlighetsurval. Slutsats: Samtliga företag vill ha ett rättvist utbyte av sina sponsringsinvesteringar. De mest återkommande målsättningarna med sponsringen är samhällsansvar och varumärkesbyggande. Gällande effektmätningen så handlar det om enklare utvärderingar eller en känsla av att göra gott, snarare än effektmätningar i nyckeltal. / Background: The Commercialization of sport led to that the marketing toolsponsorship became a central strategy for communicating with the market. Today, the strategy is used by companies to achieve goals that are outside of daily operations. All companies have objectives with sponsorship, even if the objectives differ. The problem lies in the fact that the companies believe that measuring the effect of sponsorship is complicated and costly. Thus, it is problematic for companies to know whether their sponsorship investments are producing the desired results. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create a deeper understanding of why companies choose to sponsor sports associations and to what extent companiese valuate the effect of their sponsorship collaborations. Theory: We have used relevant theories to be able to answer the purpose of the study. Method: The study was carried out through a qualitative method. Interviews were conducted of a semi-structured nature, where the questions were asked following an interview guide. Furthermore, the selection is based on a convenience sample. Findings: The companies that sponsor all want some form of fair exchange. The most recurring objectives that the companies have with the sponsorship are social responsibility and brand building. Regarding the measurement, it is about simple revaluations or a feeling of doing good, rather than measuring the effect in pure keyfigures.

Inom de flesta idrottsföreningar kommer ofta en stor del av intäkterna från sponsring och det är lika viktigt vid en större tävling eller evenemang som det kan vara avgörande för mindre klubbars överlevnad. Under de senaste trettio åren har sponsring utvecklats från en småskalig verksamhet i ett begränsat antal industriländer till en större global industri. Syftet med denna studie är att erhålla en djupare förståelse för sponsorskap inom ridsporten. Fokus kommer vara på de sponsrande företagens motiv såsom effekter, exponering och mål. För att kunna bidra med kunskap om sponsring inom en sport som utmärks av stort hobbyinslag, d.v.s. stora tävlingar men ofta med icke-professionella deltagare. Det är en kvalitativ studie som bygger på ett flertal semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Datainsamlingen består av intervjuer genomförda med sponsoransvariga på olika företag samt med rättighetsinnehavare på olika eventbolag som sysslar främst med ridsports evenemang. Att kunna mäta ett sponsorskap har konstaterats relativt sällsynt många gånger. Det kan vara extremt kostsamt och tidskrävande. Ofta prioriteras det inte att lägga extra ekonomiska resurser på externa tjänster och därav utvärderar man inte. Under studien har detta tagits upp endast hos ett intervjuobjekt. Där läggs hellre resurser och tid på att arbeta fram goda relationer och samarbeten. Däremot kan mätningen av ett sponsorskap vara väl värt pengarna och tiden om man vill se utfallet av sin investering och dessutom för att kunna analysera och förändra tills nästa satsning. Det krävs definitivt mer medvetenhet kring vikten av mätning. / It is not unusual that a large part of the incomes in a sports club comes from sponsor fees. It is equally important at a major competition or event and for smaller clubs it can be crucial for its survival. Over the past thirty years, sponsorships have evolved from small-scale operations in a limited number of countries to a major global industry. The purpose of this study is to obtain a deeper knowledge about how sponsorship in equestrian sport. The focus will be on the sponsoring companies motives such as effects, exposure and goals. To be able to contribute knowledge about sponsorship in a sport characterized by large hobby element, that is, big competitions but often non - professional attendance. It is a qualitative study based on a number of semi-structured interviews. Data collection consists of interviews conducted with the sponsorship managers in different companies and with rights holders in various events company engaged primarily in the equestrian events. Being able to measure a the effects and outcome of a sponsorship has been found relatively rare many times. It can be expensive and very time consuming. Often the priority is not to put additional financial resources on external services and therefore the evaluation will not be a priority. There is added more resources and time to develop good relations and cooperation. However, the measurement of a sponsorship can be well worth the money and time if you want to see the outcome of their investment and moreover to analyze and change until the next time a sponsorship comes up. It definitely requires more awareness of the importance of measurement.

Sport has a unique ability to convey different values. With a set of values that convey joy and fellowship, democracy and participation, the right to be with, and fair play, it is no wonder that the sport now has a major impact on society. Sports organizations has become an attractive platform for companies to establish their marketing strategies. This is accomplished through sponsorship. Sponsorship as a marketing strategy has increased tremendously in the past two decades compared to traditional marketing. Being seen through sponsorships has become a part of many companies marketing strategy. Sponsorship can be applied when companies, for example, wants to strengthen their operations and reach out to their target customer. However, it has been difficult to measure if the companies that sponsor sees impact of their sponsorship. What makes businesses out of the invested capital to a sports organization?

Abstract Title: Sponsorship of grassroots- and youth football teams: A qualitative study from the sponsors’ perspective. Authors: David Arvidsson and Christoffer Rex Hansen Charles. Supervisor: Hèléne Laurell. Level: Bachelor thesis in marketing (15 Swedish credits), Spring 2016. Keywords: Sponsorship, Sport sponsorship, Local sponsorship, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Football,Grassroots, Effectiveness measurement. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of sponsoring grassroots- and youth football teams. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework begins with theory regarding sponsorship. CSR and its importance are also discussed. A link between sponsorship and CSR is brought forward at the end of this chapter. Methodology: A deductive approach and a qualitative method have been used in order to get a more detailed, deeper and descriptive explanation of the chosen subject. Empirical framework: The empirical framework was collected through personal interviews with respondents from five different companies. The respondents were the ones responsible for the work with sponsorship at each respective company. Conclusion: Companies are involved in the sponsoring of grassroots- and youth football teams in order to be seen as good citizens. It is also seen as a brand building activity and away to build relationships. A link between CSR and sponsorship can be done and sponsorship can be used as a tool to communicate companies’ CSR-initiatives. Finally, are the effects from sponsorship not measured due to the difficulties in this process, however, methods for this purpose do exist, such as customer surveys.

Sponzoring je relativně novým nástrojem komunikačního mixu. Nástrojem, který umí zasáhnout cílovou skupinu, vybudovat tzv. ?goodwill?, zefektivnit reklamní kampaně a dopomoci lepším vztahům s klíčovými partnery. Má hodně společného se vztahy k veřejnosti (PR), reklamou a ?Event marketingem?, měl by však pro svou jedinečnost zůstat samostatným a plnohodnotným nástrojem komunikačního mixu. Jeho nejoblíbenější formou je v posledních letech bezpochyby sportovní sponzoring. Sport znamená emoce, boj, vytrvalost, dokonalost, vítězství ? hodnoty, na něž aspiruje každá společnost. Jedním z nejdůležitějších prvků je ale lidský faktor a jeho pocit sounáležitosti a ztotožnění se prostřednictvím daného sportu se značkou sponzora, a to přirozenou cestou emocí. Firmy zde logicky spatřují komunikační potenciál který se dá snadno přetvořit na jednu z konkurenčních výhod. A to nejen díky vytvořenému goodwillu v očích zákazníků, ale také díky relativně novým, dynamickým nástrojům pro firemní marketingovou strategii. Tato práce se věnuje jednomu z největších sponzoringových projektů, které byly v České Republice realizovány a to současnou podporou národního hokejového týmu, společně se sponzorstvím MS 2004 společností Eurotel

This thesis deals with sports sponsorship, concretely with an evaluation of the sponsoring activities of partners for a series of competition mountain bikes called Kolo pro život. The first chapter of the theoretical section explains the definition of sponsorship and types of sponsorship. The second chapter deals with sports sponsorship, strategy and effectiveness. In the practical section starting with the third charter I introduce the competition series Kolo pro život. The fourth chapter focuses on the partners of the competition series, where I analyse the motivation of sponsorship, their goals, marketing activities, target groups etc. In the fifth charter I prove my two hypothesis, which I specified before my research started. In the conclusion I suggest improvements for the future.

The thesis discusses the process of sponsoring as a marketing instrument. It particularly focuses on sponsoring in fine and visual arts and examines how is this practice perceived by customers and what benefits does it bring to its company or brand. One key factor in said customer perception - sponsorship fit - is emphasized, which indicates the importance of a relationship between the sponsor and the sponsee. Main goal of this thesis is to explain its nature and discover, whether do representatives of Czech companies act on it or not. Theoretical part of the thesis lists relevant knowledge from current, mainly foreign literature, and the practical part employs existing consumer research and expert interviews. Together, the entire work aims to create a consistent and coherent whole, depicting the current theories and their utilization in reality. The thesis draws the conclusion that sponsorship fit in fine and visual arts does have its unique features, which need to be taken into account. Moreover, Czech companies can indicate these features adequatly and adjust their sponsoring activities accordingly.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and reflect about the different sponsorship relations between a Swedish sports retailer and their sponsored events. My case for this thesis is the brand Intersport and I am investigating the phenomena sponsorship and their different sponsorship relations and in this case in relation to sport events. A qualitative study has been conducted by doing interviews with representatives from three different events that Intersport are sponsoring, two interviews with Intersport and also observations during two of the events. Furthermore, a theoretical framework within sponsorship has developed through this process. The result of this study showed that there are different kinds of sponsorship relations between Intersport and their sponsored events. Moreover, there are differences in terms of how they are ranking sports and how much money and time they are investing in the specific events. This study showed that Intersport has different levels of professionalism and business relationships. Partille Cup has the highest position on that scale, Stockholm Marathon Group has the second place and Gothenburg Youth Games is in the bottom. The interviews resulted in a clear picture of how these sponsorship relations look like, the underlying reasons for cooperating with Intersport and this means that they are seeing the sports retailer as a large player, a good channel in terms of being connected to them and increase their awareness but also as a partner who can offer relevant products for their events. Lastly, meaningful relations is a key factor here and my result showed that it goes both ways.