Engaging the Consumer Through Event Marketing: Linking Attendees with the Sponsor, Community, and Brand
Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 420-433, 2006
31 Pages Posted: 17 Jan 2012
Date Written: January 15, 2012
Abstract
With an on-site study at a sponsored event, we construct and test competing models to examine the relationship between event attendees, sponsorship, community involvement, and the title sponsor’s brand with respect to purchase intentions. We show that an attendee’s enthusiasm and activeness in the area of the sponsored event and knowledge of the sponsor’s products positively influence the attendee’s desire that a sponsor be involved with the community. Then, we show that attendees who are more community-minded have a more positive opinion of the sponsor as a result of their event experience; a better opinion of the sponsor contributes to increased intentions to purchase the sponsor’s products. Results from this framework indicate that event marketing, in conjunction with consumers who are enthusiastic, active, and knowledgeable about the sponsor and event, serves as a valuable lever to engage the consumer.
Keywords: event marketing, sponsorship, marketing communications, sport marketing, branding
JEL Classification: M31
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation