Involvement and Image Transfer in Sports Sponsorship

Due to the amount of money invested, sponsorships have become one of the most important marketing tools. It is essential to know the effectiveness of the invested money. This work proposes a model for image transfer between the sponsored entity and the sponsor. The goal is to measure the effect of the attitude toward the event on the purchase intention. In addition, it proposes segmenting and modelling sport consumer behaviour by their level of involvement with the event. Using Finite Mix Partial Least Square methods, two sample segments are achieved. The data were obtained with a web banner in an international tennis event. In conclusion, the least involved individuals do not process the image transfer effect as opposed to the individuals who are more involved. In the theoretical field, this paper includes segmentation by Finite Mix ever made in sponsorship research. Finally, attraction and involvement strategies are proposed in function of the characteristics for each of the variables in this model. For example, regular meetings for fans, autograph sittings and weekly chat sessions on the web site. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.27.1.8536