MODELS TO ASSESS SPORTS SPONSORSHIP RECALL ON CONSUMERS: AN APPLICATION ON THE SPONSORS OF THE BRAZILIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

Abstract

The use of sports sponsorship as a marketing tool is in the rise. Estimates indicate that the values invested in this activity have grown over one thousand per cent in the last twenty years, reaching the total sum of approximately US$ 21 billion in 2004 and around US$ 111 billion by 2009. Despite the fact that the capital needed to conduct a sponsorship program is growing considerably, companies that invest in this kind of marketing activity are often not able to obtain the expected return. The main objective of this study is to assess sports sponsorship effectiveness on consumers. In order to achieve this objective, the Brazilian National Soccer Team and its three official sponsors, Nike, Vivo and Guaraná Antarctica, were chosen as a case-study. The effectiveness of the sponsorship was evaluated using the test of recall, a widely accepted criterion adopted by companies that measure sponsorship return. Two different models were used to measure the sponsorship effectiveness. The methodology employed both an exploratory and a descriptive study via a survey with 382 individuals. Three different methods of statistical analysis were used to examine the data: Factor Analysis, Multiple Regression and Logistic Regression. Based on the results it is possible to show that some factors have more influence on recall than others: interest that individuals have for football and the frequency with which they watch sports events on television. On the other hand, factors like the emotional involvement with the Brazilian National Football Team, and the exposure to its matches do not influence significantly the recall of the sponsors. Finally, perceived similarity between the sponsors and the team also influence their recall.