Consumers' perceptions of sponsorship sources: a case study of mistaken identity

Abstract

Increasing interest by firms into the potential communication impact of sponsorship has resulted in considerable expenditures in this area, yet to be matched by equal levels of research into the effectiveness of this technique. This study aims to dispel some of the uncertainty by exploring the sponsorship history and motives of a particular firm, and examining empirically the outcomes of such investments. It is particularly revealing that the very high public visibility of the sponsorship activity itself appeared coupled with an almost general mistaken attribution, at the expense of the rightful sponsoring organisation, of the credit for the sponsorship.