Winning ways: Immediate and long-term effects of sponsorship on perceptions of brand quality and corporate image

Abstract

Sponsorship is believed to influence consumer perceptions of a brand. The authors identify conditions under which sponsorship information spills over to affect attitudes toward brands and the image of their manufacturers. Over two longitudinal fi eld experiments, they fi nd that spillover effects from sponsorship messages occur at both the generic sponsorship announcement level and the team performance level. Immediate announcement effects are observed on perceptions of both sponsor brand quality and corporate image. In the longer term, information regarding positive and negative team performance results spills over to perceptions of brand quality but not corporate image. The research provides recommendations for how managers should minimize negative spillover effects and maximize their use of sponsorship information.