Impact of ambush marketing on sponsor identification

Abstract

Due to increased clutter, media fragmentation and intense competition companies are exploring alternate media, which helps them to differentiate. Sponsorships worldwide have been on the rise. The rising fees make sponsorships an expensive proposition for companies. This has led to marketers adopting creative ways for associating themselves with tJIe event without paying for the sponsorship fees. This practice, known as ambush marketing poses challenge of potentially reducing the effectiveness of sponsorship. The present study investigates the impact of ambush marketing on sponsor identification using recall and recognition measures in the context of the event ICC Cricket World cup 2003. The findings revealed that while sponsorship has been effective vis-a vis ambushing in generating recall and recognition, ambushers have been more effective than companies who were neither sponsors nor ambushers in creating association in the minds of target audience. The study also revealed that sponsorship alone is not sufficient, rather leveraging sponsorship by advertising in media, promotions related to event and advertising using footage and imagery related to event thereby implying association with the event are critical for maximizing the effectiveness of sponsorship.