ABSTRACT
Sport sponsorship has grown to be an important part of the marketing
communication mix for companies over the past decades and it is also an
important source of income for sports entities. This thesis aims to look at sports
sponsorship as marketing communication tool, regarding the issues of the
objectives with the sponsorship, selection of sports entity to sponsor and effect
measuring of the sponsorship.
In our study, we have discovered that image
building, relationship marketing and sales increases are three important
objectives for sport sponsorship, the relevance and long-term impact are major
selection criteria for the sponsorship and furthermore that the evaluation methods
of sponsorship tends to be more informal than described in theory. The study
investigate the main objectives of the sponsoring companies in sport and
compares the views of company and sport managers. The data collection
instrument was likert scale made questionnaire which was accepted by experts.
The statistical population of this study was all managers of sport association and
clubs. Data was analyzed by the use of chi square with a significant level p<0.05.
The result indicated significant difference among managers views regarding
public awareness, facilitate sales, better relationship, brand awareness, image
building with the companies. Sport authorities should make appropriate decisions
for attracting more sports sponsorships. Finally as the practice of sponsorship
marketing becomes an increasingly more important element of the marketing
mix, this study seeks to contribute to the growing body of evidence that supports
sponsorship as a means to increase awareness and enhance brand image.
