Female consumers\' evaluations of sponsorship and their response to sponsorship

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of female consumer attitudes
towards a sports event, its sponsor, and their perception of the sponsor-event fit on
their sponsorship response that includes factors interest, favor and the use of the sponsor\'s product. A total of 413 female undergraduate students aged between 18
and 26, participated in the study. Data were collected using a Sponsorship Evaluation Questionnaire (Alay, 2004). Multiple regression, zero-order and partial correlations were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that “sponsor-event fit”, the “sincerity of the sponsor” and “interaction of sponsor-event fit with the status of the event” were key factors in generating three levels of sponsorship response; interest, favor and use of the sponsor\'s product. In addition, factors such as “the image of the sponsor” and “liking the event” were the significant determinants of the sponsor\'s product use by female consumers. It is suggested that sponsorship decision makers should take into consideration these factors when deciding on any sponsorship agreement.

Keywords: Sport sponsorship; Marketing; Consumer response; Attitudes; Sponsorship evaluation.

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 30 (2) 2008: pp. 15-29