Sport sponsorship : a marketing communication tool in Swedish companies

Sponsorship is of great importance since it is the part of the promotional mix that supports the interest of the company by associating it with a specific event. Moreover, sponsorship may be the major or only marketing effort for some companies whereby it is further important to consider it as a powerful option when deciding upon marketing tools. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to provide a better understanding of sport sponsorship as a marketing communication tool in Swedish companies. In order to reach this purpose, research questions focus on the objectives, selection process, and evaluation of effectiveness of sport sponsorship. Based on the research questions, a literature review was conducted that resulted in a conceptual framework presenting a foundation for the data to be collected for this study. A qualitative, case study methodology was used, using documentations and interviews of two Swedish companies within the same field of business. The general result of the study is that several objectives of sport sponsorship are commonly used, and the objectives may be either constant or inconstant depending on sponsored unit. The most frequently used objectives of sport sponsorship are however the corporate related objectives, such as corporate image, client entertainment, and employee relations. Further results of the study are that companies base their selection of a specific sport sponsorship on several criteria, for instance, managerial interest, the chosen sport’s ability to deliver the marketing message, and the interest of the present and potential employees. In addition the decisions can be made from a client perspective and the values of the company. Moreover, based on the results, companies do not formally evaluate the effectiveness of sport sponsorship whatsoever. Instead, organizations try to find more informal methods for measurement.Validerat; 20101217 (root