Yes, sports fans – sponsorships do indeed influence your brand perceptions!

Entertainment sponsorships have long been suspect as providing measurable results.  Much has been published in text books on the advantages of pairing products with the positive attributes of teams, shows, etc.  Reysen/Brascomb did work identifying fanship (self identity connection) and fandom (sense of belonging to a group that shares the same passion) as ways of explaining the power of this subjective attachment of fans to their teams.  But the actual measurement of sponsorship effects is rare.

Kirk Wakefield and Anne Rivers recently published  “The Effect of Fan Passion and Official League Sponsorship on Brand Metric: A Longitudinal Study of Official NFL Sponsors and ROO”. This is a much needed measurement of the actual effects of the connection made with the brands and fans through sponsorship. Their analysis points to significant brand gains in NFL sponsors.  In particular, the study concludes the more passionate the fan, the more impactful the sponsorship.

This work has implications for non sport entertainment and a very positive reinforcement of the role of sponsorship.  The effects of affinity as measured through brand knowledge, esteem, relevance and differentiation create a standard that can be mirrored by other content.

Room for discussion

Read through the Wakefield study.  What elements would need to be adjusted to create a similar measurement in arts sponsorships such as the symphony or a Broadway series?  Why or why not?