The Influence of a Sports Event Sponsorship on Brand Image and Brand Preference

This study examines the influence of a sports event sponsorship on brand image and preference. An explanatory and survey research design was adopted, and a pre-designed questionnaire was administered to 400 soccer supporters selected using simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the influence of soccer event sponsorship on brand image and brand preference. The result shows that soccer event sponsorship influences the brand image and brand preference respectively. The research provides empirical evidence of how consumers can respond to a brand associated with a sports event sponsorship uniquely attached to specific sports teams and where sports supporters are involved in the playing team selection process. This study is based on a uniquely structured sport event of a major beer brand, two large football teams in the country and supporter involvement. The study shows that a one-day annual sports event sponsorship effectively influences the brand image and brand preference