Corporate sports sponsorship: Exploring the relationships between consumer perception, consumer response and sponsor’s brand reputation – evidence from Malaysia

Abstract

Corporate organisations view sponsorships, particularly in sporting events, as increasingly important in marketing, branding and reputation building. This chapter explores: (1) the relationship between a multidimensional measure of consumer perception of sports sponsorship, (2) consumers’ response towards sponsorships, and; (3) the reputation of sponsors among Malaysian consumers. A survey was undertaken to assess the general view of sponsorships from the local sponsorship audiences. Findings revealed that the general attitude towards sponsors and perceived sincerity of the sponsor were important factors for reputation building by corporations that use sponsorship arrangements. The study demonstrates that consumer response towards a sponsorship mediates and further improves the effect of consumer perceptions of sponsors’ brand reputation. Implications exist for brand management of sponsorships in Malaysia.