Title

Collegiate sport sponsorship: Matching institutional components with corporate desires

Date of Completion

January 2003

Keywords

Business Administration, Marketing|Education, Higher|Recreation

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

Collegiate sport sponsorship has seen a dramatic increase in recent decades. This rise in sport sponsorship has also created fierce competition in securing the most beneficial sponsorship package. This study explicated the process, solicitation and characteristics of current marketers in sponsorships at the NCAA Division I and II collegiate level. This study should also assist universities who are seeking to expand their sport marketing opportunities. ^ This purpose of this study was to determine the differences in importance, if any, collegiate marketers and corporate sponsors have regarding several components of sponsorship agreements. The study also then identified what these differences were. Finally, the study sought to identify the characteristics of those collegiate marketers who best understand what components corporate sponsors seek in a sponsorship agreement. ^ The study should develop a better understanding of the collegiate sport sponsorship process by answering these research questions. (I) What do collegiate marketers and corporate sponsors perceive as the most valuable components of a sponsorship agreement/proposal? (II) How do the perceptions of the sport marketer differ from those of the corporate sponsor? (III) What are the defining characteristics of those sport marketers who best understand the objectives a corporate sponsor deems most beneficial in an agreement/proposal? ^ The sampling frame consisted of all 581 NCAA Division I/II institutions. Marketing directors and corporate sponsors completed a survey instrument establishing demographics and the most valuable components within a sponsorship agreement/proposal. ^ The results revealed that, in general, collegiate marketers to have a mild grasp on identifying the most important components to a sponsorship agreement, when compared to the perceptions of corporate sponsors. More importantly, the results establish components within a sponsorship agreement where a disconnect exists between the college marketers and their corporate sponsors. This study is powerful because it enables athletic directors, who are seeking to hire a marketing director, a profile of candidates who best understand what corporate sponsors deem most beneficial in a sponsorship agreement/proposal. ^

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