An IMC Approach to Event Marketing: The Effects of Sponsorship and Experience on Customer Attitudes

INTRODUCTION EVENT MARKETING is an increasingly important component in the promotions mix. In response to the many challenges facing traditional media, including cost, clutter, and fragmentation, the use of events in which companies can have face-to-face contact with their target audience has grown and become a valuable contributor to marketing communications programs. It is estimated that 22 percent of total marketing communications budgets are dedicated to event-related sponsorship activities (MPI Foundation, 2004). Not surprisingly, the fees paid to sponsor events, along with the campaigns and promotions designed to leverage the sponsorship, have also grown. Despite these increases, event sponsorship is still a "new activity" for many firms (Cornwell and Maignan, 1998, p. 7), and many companies are uncertain how the effects of sponsorship activities (Hulks, 1980; McDonald, 1991), and their relationship to other elements in the promotional mix, should be measured. The purpose of this study is to examine outcomes associated with the sponsorship of a charitable sporting event by an automobile manufacturer. Specifically, it investigates (a) perceptions of the title sponsor and its products, and (b) how experience with the sponsor's products during the event influences spectators' perceptions and likelihood of purchase. A description of the event and sponsor is provided, along with a review of trends in event marketing and integrated marketing communications (IMC). Following this review, the research questions and results of the study are presented. In addition, the importance of event marketing as a component of an IMC strategy is discussed, and managerial implications and directions for future research are presented.