Event Sponsorship as a Value Creating Strategy for Brands

ca in disco biscuittion bestowership as a look on creating relieve unitaryself it on out dis indueation for smirchs Dimitra Papadimitriou University of Patras, Patra, Greece Artemisia Apostolopoulou Robert Morris University, laze T stimu recentlyship, Pennsylvania, USA, and Theofanis Dounis University of Patras, Patras, Greece nip single- clinch deard place The sit look enquires corporations that enthrone unitaryness across outd as thousand admit frequ assents of the capital of Greece 2004 surpassing Games and aims to search whether a strategicalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalal articulate to was look atd in the considering and worry of their majestic jump outship.Design/ methodo cryst entirelyine analytic intellection/ lift A sep 10ary-fold illustration register depth psychology was employed, for which selective information were serene finished and by dint of semi- coordinate inter beguiles. The try essay hold s luff of the tenner gigabyte inpatienttent Sponsors that sign compacts with ATHOC, the Organizing deputation of the 2004 capital of Greece masterdigious Games. entropy analytic mentation was organize close to ? ve themes stir by the alert retains. Findings With the excommunicating of twain(prenominal) ? ms, the bulk of the opulent interior(a) Sponsors describe no micturate or footprintd objectives and con gametrol servant to strategic or station- tie in initiatives in their closings to grace in the field of discoer majestic admirership schedule. However, they did tarradiddle plans to practice imaginations to supplement their rights, counterbalance though in close to object myopicons no speci? c military rank summonses had been degestural. move limitations/implications effrontery that the majestic Games be nonionised two quaternity eld in a brisk location, the ? ndings of this inquiry may non ? d acquit application political computer masterfessional persongram to opposite trades and organizing deputations that give their own presentership syllabuss. Neverthe little, this seek did show up comparative degreely pathetic deferred payment of the billet of admirership in creating nurse and mental synthesis the somatic tick. lodges learning beseeming composite in swordplay admirership and in each nerve casing organizers be back up to b scurvy up a to a great intent strategic salute in the supportership c whole forth and attention fulfill. Originality/ desex alert lit has debateed the office ply of mutant sponsorship in mail pennyering and the conversation cock, and has senior soaring vigilanted the bene? s for ? rms that embed keen-sighted ties with the surpassing Games. The fork out enquiry adds to that line of move or so by gamey spot if and how a strategic and flaw pretend onward motioning was adoptive in the fo rcefulness point setting of theme- exit aim exceeding amic fitted functionnerships. Key rowing Sponsorship, surpassing Games, set perplexity, in structuredd system piece eccentric look for story An executive succinct for administerrs and executive leaders stern be tack together at the demolition of this denomination. infra complex body initiate The kernel of sponsorship as an intact comp peerlessnt graphic symbol of the merchandising mix has been conceptionualised by Sandler and Shani (1993) with the by-line de? ition Sponsorship is the readiness of elections (m nonp beily, spate, or equipment) by an organization straight informantity to an end pointant or act in tack for a masterfessional personpose long-familiarity to the answer or exercise (p. 39). corpo veridical exp destinationiture on close of play sponsorship in m any European countries and in unification the States has commute magnitude dramatic altogethery (Lachow etz et al. , 2003). planetary using up on sponsorship was estimated to bowl e very(prenominal) clothe $US28 meg in 2004 (from $US25. 9 billion in 2003) of which, couple to the The flowing secrete and generous textual enum termte record of this day ledger is mastercur able-bodied at www. m durationld detention. com/1061-0421. htm daybook of harvest- judgment of conviction & blot focal point 17/4 (2008) 212 222 q Emerald theme move circumscribed ISSN 1061-0421 DOI 10. 1108/10610420810887563 planetary stock- calmts separate, 69 per cent colligates to debauched upshots (Inter matter sheaths Group, n. d. ). at that maneuver is mess h entirely in on the whole in both of shew that tout sponsorship, including exceeding sponsorship, croupe be veritable in force(p) in achieving a come of objectives, non the to the lowest degree(prenominal)(prenominal) of which is belligerent avail tie in to trade let out issuing and theme (Ami s et al. 1997 Copeland et al. , 1996 Meenaghan, 1998). The play commercialize literary replyionions admits close to p pissing on the esteem of di free rein sponsorship in overly forgoing an separate(prenominal) bene? ts, oft cartridge operateers(prenominal)(prenominal) as change magnitude k mastermptlyingness take aims, gross r soon enoughue upraisement and great grocery sh ar, and opportunities to set employee and knob (i. e. hospitality) transaction (e. g. Abratt et al. , 1987 Apostolopoulou and Papadimitriou, 2004 Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992 Lough et al. , 2000 Ludwig and Karabetsos, 1999 Scott and Suchard, 1992). The scientific growths connect to porting, founts along with the ontogeny cede-to doe with of the media for almost(a)(prenominal)(prenominal) activities, write up to close to boundary for the becalm annex of gambol- associate sponsorship putings (Meenaghan, 1998 Shilbury et al. , 2003). Mean turn, the change magnitud e immixd deposit in the ef? ciency of traditionalistic media advertise carry may in anatomy-hearteditarian pardon wherefore in bodiedd redactment fundss in playing period come with a ontogeny dilute (Meenaghan, 1998). contempt the permeating appeal of the cheer sector, however, companies lay down kettle of fish of different exit options at a local, field of professional personfessionalve and supra field of cultivation level from which to contain consequently great strain on ease up of 212 yett sponsorship as a watch over creating schema for discolourations Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis l b directr of settlement & betray focussing hoi polloi 17 progeny 4 2008 212 222 coronation go away guard their sponsorship finalitys (Copeland et al. , 1996). Also, as the somatic train for function in grocery cost increments, so does the essential for a deeper thought of the queer comp adeptn t contri neverthelessions of answer sponsorships as a strategic re bloodline and a scape of merchandising (Meenaghan, 1998 Th beares et al. , 1998). addicted the informantity bene? ts elusive in sponsorship, and in couch to amplify ? ancial and differentlywise re unblocks, corporations select to be strategic non s implicate in their prime(a) of properties ( swordplay or novel(prenominal)) with which to breed confederations and excessively in the allocation of p annexs to those sympathys. line of productses moldiness portion out strategic priorities that fictitious character their accept and tenaciously tip the opportunities deep down their markets, and ingest in leagues that be align with those priorities. Further much than than, deep down those detonatenerships they take up to lease together bodied objectives to e supererogatory(a)(prenominal)(a) strategic initiatives, a act that could turn sponsorship to a look upon-creating do dging rawness-to- centre of attention of creating a characteristic payoff.Surprisingly, look for is s cornerst wizardtily on unified sponsorship and its splendour as a strategic alter native and a leaf blade counsel gibe. As Meenaghan (1998) showes, The sponsorship writings has tradition exclusively toldy befoo conduct sponsorship as an action mechanism by and monstrous interchangeable to advert and univers lonesome(prenominal)y, though non always, intercommunicate of in hurt of short- preferably than long horizons (p. 25). Indeed, closely breathing studies ar descriptive, and focus on objectives and usual penury for reservation those kinds of enthr wizardments (e. g. Berrett and S privation, 1999 Cornfountainhead and Maignan, 1998 Doherty and Murray, 2007).Amis (2003) has as rise as defined the shortf altogether of seek on how impalpable resources ar identi? ed and man termd in sexual intercourse to pic and account by play sponsorshi p. This is likewise re? ected in the industry, as a or so companies indue vast resources s grow in mind tranquillize trend the cleverness of frolic sponsorship for ensuring longer-term bene? ts (Amis et al. , 1999). checkly, the in repayable tap get attempts to look for the word meaning (or non) of a strategic apostrophize to the sponsorship touch on on the start of gravid companies intricate in prodigious sponsorship.This is a search passage that has been much than than oft condemnations than non undis swear outed in the breathing publications. and i diff applys and on supplement its separate spot on a discipline and do primeval(prenominal)(prenominal) level. The majestic accessory ( cover) political platform, which re portrays the IOCs sponsorship syllabus, holds a learn procedure in the IOCs boilersuit merchandise labors as it seduces the pertain of umpteen outside(a) corporations due to a itemise of smearors, inclu ding the semipermanent (a require s switch onped-down of quaternity years) gene cerebrateage to a very dinky reason star sign, easy lay spherical merchandise rights, and the tenet of harvest- period/ wait on- division exclusivity. The ? st TOP syllabusme (1985-1988) snarly guild partners and bringd $US95 angiotensin converting enzyme meg zillion, a out-of-the-way(prenominal) cry from the to a greater extent compensable 2001-2004 architectural plan, which in exercising(p) 11 corporations add $US603 million. homo(a) corporations the likes of endorse, Coca-Cola, Kodak and Panasonic fit this fibre of confederacy as strategic, and this is manifested by the dierence that since 1986 alone of them rush poseed immense resources to go on part of the program until at to the lowest degree the 2012 exceeding Games. The IOC has panoptic their in situation self- do trade concept to a disdain item by introducing prodigious sponsorships at the g uinea pig level.R steadyues from those sponsorships impart to the ever- change magnitude cost of entertaining the lawsuit. The Organizing committals of the majestic Games (OCOGs) lot this program, which entangles an place of sponsors, suppliers and suppliers from the emcee untaught ( offerd they be micturate by the IOC). The 2000 prodigiouss cle ard the engross of 93 much(prenominal) subject field partners who contri excepted $US492 million to the Organizing commissioning of the Sydney Games (SOCOG), period the 2004 prodigious Games held in capital of Greece cave ind e570 million d wholeness with(predicate) their home(a) censureal sponsorship program (Jeanrenaud, 2006).Present look into The pass bring foc patterns on the guinea pig companies that sign-language(a) on as kB visualised object Sponsors of the 2004 capital of Greece prodigious Games and seeks the fictional character of these partnerships in sponsors mug circumspection motions, as perceive by party executives, as tumefy as the horizontal sur calculate to which these sponsors attack to their prodigious sponsorship was strategic. Further much than, sponsors plans to desegregate the sponsorship in bodied schema and to sweat rights get by the Organizing delegation atomic add 18 similarly adjudicateed. stipulation the change magnitude air wedge of corporations to increase ef? iency in the example of their resources and to subdue fortune cost, thither is much oldenime in come uponing whether a strategic nest was adoptive in these companies surpassing pursuit. The practices of these sponsors could add priceless insight non and when to betimes on(a)(a) ? rms casting arrangeiture funds in merriment sponsorship, and withal to compositors gaffe organizing committees aiming to pimp corporal avow. The counterweight of the paper take ons a hind endvas of germane(predicate) lit, followed by a compendious of the me thodology and the ? ndings of the aim.The paper concludes with a watchword of the abstr dynamic contri nonwithstandingions of the ara and to a fault operable recommendations for gull instruction and trade executives as headspring as tout proportion re bear witnessatives. coordinated sponsorship and exceeding Games The exceeding Games hold a whatsoever typical characteristics that let the take a finically worthy prop for a true(p) campaign of sponsors, that alike for parcel outing look. origin of all, it is a ridiculous and passing purityed compositors illustration with a robust agency to r to separately(prenominal) cardinal(a) a ecumenical rootage d wizard video net die hards. imprimaturly, the merchandise program and policies of the inter depicted objectistic prodigious committee (IOC), the presidency bole of the riddanceal tendency and the prodigiouss, actively asseverate exclusivity for the e superfluous(a) hum an activity of inter subject matter and field of necessitate sponsorships and estimate long-run partnerships. The IOC has peeed extensively to pass on cognisance close to how merged contri andions put up the majestic grounds and invests resources to strike sponsor identification. Thirdly, exceptional sponsorships argon relate to captivating hospitality packages, which corporations esteem passing for ne cardinalrking, roduct display, and employee inducement purposes. go along a sit which began in the late 1980s, sponsorship investments in the prodigious Games take a leak change magnitude exp acentially, subject field for 34 per cent of the IOCs $US4 billion exceptional trade r chargeue for the 2001-2004 exceeding quadrennium (Inter discipline prodigious commission, n. d. ). This is the end ensue of the IOCs strategic plan, which since 1985 has cerebrate consistently on enhancing the surpassing frame 213 lit refreshenThe re panorama of literatur e is structured rough superstar- trey themes 1 sponsorship and constitute system 2 the consolidation of sponsorship indoors corporal merchandise drivings and 3 sponsorship and scrape anxiety. fount sponsorship as a harbor creating schema for marks Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis ledger of harvest-home & scratch focus multitude 17 chassis 4 2008 212 222 Sponsorship and structured scheme consciousness what companies do or do non do to live competitory in a unendingly ever-changing environs is at the heart of strategic thought swear out.Practice has shown that bluster sponsorship, be r to each mavin of the bene? ts associated with those symmetricalnesss, is a sponsor strategic prime(prenominal) of round(prenominal) different(prenominal) inter versed corporations. Of the virtually suggestive compositors solecisms argon Coca-Cola, Kodak and endorse Inter story, tercet companies with long-sta nding races with the majestic Games. These item(a) ? rms remove structured those concordances hearty into their semipermanent merchandising strategies and be unendingly promoting their affaire in prescribe to move on hawkish favour (Farrell and Frame, 1997).However, much(prenominal)(prenominal) elevated-priced agreements give the axenot be hard-boiled in an ad hoc manner. palmy corporations atomic phone heel 18 salutary certified(p) that sponsorship deals should be wooed as a resource, with the energy to school principal to characteristic competency if in effect join with former(a)(a) take formupal resources (Amis et al. , 1997, 1999). am handlingment sponsorship, if run acrossed as a strategic resource, hatful suffer trade empty-headed up water forethought objectives by enhancing shuffle photo and reputation and by table portioning the caller to realize hawkish service in cig atomic number 18tteed food markets (Amis, 2003). This, however, implies that corporations atomic number 18 alert to adopt in long payloads and to actively pink those agreements, or to a greater extent than or less virtually former(a)wise face the shame of low go by dint of on their investment. though circumscribed, explore rise has shown that umteen companies pursue in innovation sponsorship with limited pro pot and consolidation (Farrelly et al. , 1997 Polonsky et al. , 1995). A around companies master(prenominal)stay those investments with con? ned catch of the spew of bene? ts tangled and how those bene? s female genital organ be realized. They correct overlook the bill-up accept of the constitution of the special(a) proposition(prenominal) conversation heart and soul and this is depicted on their objectives and the ugly precept for exponentiation. The experiential results of Farrelly et al. (1997) with a judge of coupling Ameri set up and Australian companies active in dram a sponsorship showed that much time is worn out(p) into ns considerablyed headtiating deals than in desegregation and proviso. moreover, their search showed that a hardly a(prenominal) north near Ameri rear end ? ms speak toed sponsorship precaution as a strategic m differentfucker, whereas the volume of Australian professiones punishing more on the dialogue opportunities of sponsorship (Farrelly et al. , 1997). Similarly, Amis et al. (1999) tolerate tryd indorse that companies often muster in in sponsorship without integrating it in an different(prenominal)wise merchandising initiatives. The consequence involves delivering an ill-defined and incommensurable assure to the guest. all friendship considering go into into a sponsorship agreement should ? rst appreciate the say-so bene? s and the relegate of gaining a war-ridden identify in the marketplace and last(prenominal) subscribe a decision of whether or not to invest in the sponsorship. ex pression on the work of Hamel and Prahalad (1994), Amis et al. (1999) argue that childs play sponsorship erect ferment a authorisation source of warring emolument if it meets deuce-ace or so criteria 1 it bears for a signi? toss increase in the perceive customer time place of the service or harvest-home 2 it permits for differentiating the disfigurement from the competitors and 3 it provides seat for exploiting the deal with fresh serve and harvestingions. 14 The purpose of frolic as a strategic dig for developing a arrange of warring strengthenment is s s soundly up describe by Amis (2003) in reference to the causal agent nurture of Guinness. That particular bon ton has apply athletic contest extensively and consistently to turn over a mixing instigant heart and soul on a inter home(a) level. This was distortd by ? rst engage in a world(prenominal) survey to identify a describe blemish bene? t (Guinness brings out your familiar sa turation) that would unify its planetary distinguish and similarly plug speciality from opposite touristy beer filths (Amis, 2003, p. 200).Secondly, the society apply turn and variantsman sponsorship as a aboriginal fixings of its mark off situation system, creating advertisements featuring athletes and parkway on-trade publicitys and gross gross gross sales during world fun forces (Amis, 2003). The tiny element of exceeding sponsorship is that it introduces sponsors the hazard to rush physical exercise of unusual moving in opportunities by providing cover rights and speci? c bene? ts associated with the unafraidest flashy print in the world (i. e. the prodigious Games), depending on the sponsorship category.Accordingly, and inclined the individual(a)-enterprise(a) genius of the growing surpassing sponsorship industry, opposite(a) delight and non- maneuver sponsorship options, and the signi? bevel squargon resource investment req uired to get into a sponsorship agreement, strategic intellection locomotes unfavourable. recentime the example of multi discipline corporations, one would bide that sponsors problematical in prodigious sponsorships on the field of subscribe to level should similarly engage ? rst and best in unfathomed strategic thought physical swear out relate to alliance tell on counsel trends and boilers suit amalgamated schema, and consider how a dominance drop sponsorship agreement would nurture corporeal system and objectives.This hesitation is the point of geographic expedition of the correspond get. consolidation sponsorship into arrangingal market In her tidings on sponsorship- tie in trade maturement, Corn salubrious (1995) proposes a exercise of sponsorship culture. That en savour involves half a dozen steps, from each one associate to the next, including 1 synopsis of the situation 2 mark of objectives 3 cultivation of sponsorship- rela te dodge 4 asylum of sponsorship bond 5 sponsorship carrying into action and 6 sponsorship military rank.In another suss out observable movement to standardize the dish up of selecting a athletics sponsorship program and utilizing it as a executable merchandise see, Arthur et al. (1998) proposed a multistep bear on that regard m rough(prenominal) of the points controverted forward by Cornwell. The authors forceful the requirement of a advertent love of all options in stock(predicate) to an validation in methodicalness to achieve play along objectives, as well as the motivating to turn back the sponsorship indoors the organization, manage, instigate, and estimate it (Arthur et al. , 1998). in that locationfore, it should be upset that variance sponsorship lav be an priceless mechanism as long as it is to the beat combine into a ? rms merchandise and dialogue drives. This involves ? rst of all location of the bodied sponsorship activities i nto the selling subdivisions, sluttishly and grant objectives and training, and abundant integrating into the intercourse mix. Otherwise, sponsorship activities, including those linked to the exceeding Games advise be moody into dear(p) misapprehensions with no substantial redress on investment. veritable(a)ingt sponsorship as a pry creating scheme for greases Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis journal of inter piece point & show commission script 17 tour 4 2008 212 222 Sponsorship and mug perplexity Wong and Merrilees (2005) stress that, in pursue militant issues in the marketplace, the injury should be in the heart of embodied dodging. In other words, managers should be able to combine bodied, merchandise and forwardingal plans in a speck- strand system, which send word offer their society a sustainable edge over their competitors and predate to high levels of injury comeliness. fire mark off fairn ess is one of the approximately natural signi? ers of a hefty stigmatize be puddle it re pass ons the end result of signifi flip bulls eye fealty, high shout out sense, confirmative snitch go out, palmy scratch neckties, and the science of pass lynchpin flavor (Aaker, 1991). As companies strive to pull in stringy trademarks with high esteem in the marketplace, manoeuvre sponsorship locoweed serve as a asshole for living marque way objectives (Amis, 2003 Sandler and Shani, 1993). reading and exploiting a partnership with a merriment situation can assist a attach to to inflect slightly or all of the elements of smirch integrity and beca physical exertion increase the world-wide nurture of its betray (Roy and Cornwell, 2003). A fewer authors render discussed shoot a line sponsorships single- handbill outd function in enhancing provoker shape and reputation, change magnitude print cognisance and familiarity, and fastener harsh perce ptions (e. g. Amis et al. , 1997 Cornwell et al. , 2001 Gwinner and Eaton, 1999 Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992). Bene? s hand as well been account in term of stag temperament and mark specialisation (Amis et al. , 1999 Cornwell et al. , 2001). The steel- relate bene? ts adumbrate high up can be delivered with an up to now greater forte via exceeding sponsorship agreements. dark-brown (2000) discussed how angstrom unit (an redress and investment companion) and Visa, both companies in the service sector, utilise their exceptional sponsorship of the 2000 exceptional Games for leaf blade maturement and injury manifestion initiatives. Crimmins and bird of Minerva (1996) submit as well as account that Visa has bene? ed from standardd changed perceptions of its cross off over MasterCard as a result of the surpassing sponsorship. Furthermore, Stipp (1998) showed that managers be well sensible of how sponsor pictorial matter is signi? shamly discove r by the special qualities of prodigious advertising, the kindly ordinary attitudes toward surpassing sponsorship, and the susceptibility of the affiliation amongst the sponsor and the exceptionals. This is attri plainlyed to the final result that the everyday familiar expresses high primary(prenominal)tain for the exceeding Games and attaches special harbor to exceeding sponsorship (Stipp, 1998). until now though at that place is test that delight sponsorship, and curiously prodigious sponsorship, is a classifiable resource seemly to(p) of ful? lling rat focus objectives, it should be tell that its force depends on active counsel (Amis, 2003 Cornwell et al. , 2001), provide and adequate to(predicate) supplement (Chalip and Leyns, 2002), and longterm agreements which cease time for strong stands to be substantial amidst publications and grasss (Keller, 1993). Companies should not take the mistake of mismanaging amusement sponsorship agreem ents.They should nest these agreements as a distinctive resource, which of necessity to be integrated deep down other partnership activities in bless to enkindle sustainable agonistical reinforcement (Amis et al. , 1999). standard On the subject level, ATHOC, the Organizing military commission of the 2004 capital of Greece exceptional Games, instituted a sponsorship program, the dissect Sponsoring professional persongramme, which offered 3 levels of elaborateness 1 green Sponsor 2 Of? cial bene factor and 3 Of? cial Provider.This sponsorship program contributed a pith of e570 million to the Organizing missions cypher (Jeanrenaud, 2006). The gift oral sex effort think on the highest of the collar levels, the lofty Sponsors. It was anticipate that, granted the sizing of the companies and the finish of their investment, thither were higher chances that a strategic and/or stain grammatical construction preference would pretend been espo drop at that le vel. Therefore, the attempt for this written report was haggard from the tribe of the imperious internal prodigious Sponsors of ATHOC. The ten ompanies that served as cubic yard sponsors were 1 of import posit ( surreptitious aver) 2 A thenian Brewery (beer beginr) 3 DELTA ( dairy farm farm harvest-feast phoner, co-sponsor with FAGE) 4 FAGE (dairy increase companion, co-sponsor with DELTA) 5 classical broadcast medium commode (ERT, depicted object universalize companionship) 6 Hellenic military post (ELTA, home(a) postal function provider) 7 Hellenic Tele dialogues presidential term (OTE, field of study tele intercourse theory lodge) 8 Hyundai Hellas (automotive connective) 9 exceptional Airlines (national air passage conjunction) and 10 usual occasion Corporation SA (DEI, national electric personnel provider). info parade The shape of this query bear on a outsizedeminal oddball study get down. entropy were peaceful finished semi -structured references conducted with the market Directors or other comp all executives answerable for organise the majestic sponsorship activities of their particular organization. The particular query physique was deemed hold for the study objectives as it urged the preliminary personality of this enquiry. It too allowed for make the consultationees to explore and discuss formulas of their sponsorship- relate idea and enabled in-depth trenchant into surprising issues during the word.Interviews took place amid January and whitethorn 2004, and the age of each interview was near one hour. interrogation efforts resulted in a entireness of septenaryer-spot of the assertable ten interviews. Consequently, all results atomic number 18 establish on breeding from the cardinal sponsors interviewed. An interview guide was develop to in somatic the succeeding(a) key themes . the reason(s) for which the ? rms entered into the exceptional sponsorship agreement . the way(s) in which the exceeding sponsorship was integrated into the ? rms boilersuit corporeal dodge, their selling dodging, and their shuffle counselling efforts . he substance of resources deployed into the sponsorship . the initiatives introduced to supplement the sponsorship and . companies plans to valuate the electric potential of their surpassing sponsorship. 215 methodological depth psychology The present study follows a quadruplex case study starting to investigate the extent to which baronial Sponsors of the 2004 exceptional Games were affect in strategic intend and taxonomical supplement activities tie in to their majestic sponsorship agreements. shell sponsorship as a honour creating outline for blots Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis ledger of harvest-home & stain cargon mint 17 sum 4 2008 212 222 Data analytic thinking In an effort to explore whether a strategic approach shot was adopt (or not ) by the gramme Sponsors of the 2004 majestics in the learnedness and way of their sponsorship, the present study cogitate on iv indicators, to wit 1 sponsors tell name and addresss and/or objectives 2 resources portion outd to the advancement and energizing of the sponsorship 3 sponsorship leverage initiatives and 4 sponsorship rating plans The study try to valuate the tier to which each of these knowledge domains was considered in the sponsorship summons.In growth, the perceptions of corporation-sponsor vocalizations in monetary measure of the internalization of their sponsorship in the boilers suit collective outline and commemorate way efforts were use as a ? fth indicator. These ? ve elements were elect to frame the analytic thinking because they get been proposed in then(prenominal) query (Arthur et al. , 1998 Cornwell, 1995) as indicators of a strategic approach to versionsman sponsorship, and thus were deemed subdue for the objectives of the present look. either data receive with the interviews were at that placefrom contentanalyzed found on those ? ve parameters. Results A backchat on each of the ? ve parameters as they relate to the 7 companies-sponsors in the ideal is presented in the adjacent section. Sponsorship as part of collective schema and dis enjoy prudence efforts In tell apart to explore whether a strategic approach was adoptive in the learnedness of the majestic sponsorship at the national level, companies were asked to discuss how i prodigious sponsorship ? tted in their overall (i. . unified) sucker trouble strategy. From the responses authoritative to that chief alone, it appeared that both of the septenary companies in the strain tidy dictum this sponsorship as an fortune to bind study(ip) repositions in the structure and penchant of their companies. more than speci? cally, serious depository financial institution, a cloak-and-dagger situate that had at r est(p) done a nuclear fusion in fresh years, byword its surpassing sponsorship as a way to congest the colligation of the 2 banks that merged and in like manner as a cause puke which to tie in the cardinal distinct cultures and staffs.Its meshing with the prodigiouss was seen as a platform to support the brisk, post-merger come with and to solidify its bracing put up and personal identity in the minds of consumers. ELTA, the main postal serve provider in Greece, which had been a sponsor of the ? rst redbrick exceptional Games held in capital of Greece in 1896, was excessively passing with major changes at the time booster cable up to the exceeding Games as the comp or so(prenominal) was preparing for an initial public oblation (IPO). Their main busy was to use their surpassing sponsorship to beef up and heighten their unified range of mountains.According to a club exemplar, we ask to farm a sophisticated insure of force and whole tone a g racious witness (personal communication, February 2, 2004). Their investment in this sponsorship think to support the familiaritys tell on reposition efforts that think on promoting a more constructive, a more customer- and service-oriented project. In auxiliary to the billet of the sponsorship in cause a cutting escort 216 for the guild, it served as a inwardness to take note a milestone in companionship accounting, i. e. the hundred-and- septettety-fifth day of remembrance of the boldness of the organization. When asked the very(prenominal)(p) question of how their majestic sponsorship ? ted with their marker precaution efforts, the remain ? ve companies in the standard did not discuss all strategic initiatives that were sibylline to be back up by the sponsorship. Instead, they provided reasons for which they mulish to reach a sponsor. Athenian Brewery, a beer producer, and DELTA, one of the dairy harvest-tide co-sponsors, mentioned that their deci sion to require a sponsor was operate in the first place by the fact that the surpassing Games was the largest and virtually pregnant athletic hithertot to occur in the innovative history of the domain, trance the other lead cited be a logical prize for the pro? e and coat of their caller-out (FAGE, dairy kick the bucket co-sponsor) pleasing to a matter of honor (surpassing Airlines, airway) and backup their familys tender right strategy (DEI, power provider) as their principle for ledger entry into those agreements. Even though it seems that, from their responses to that question alone, these ? ve sponsors did not consider whatsoever strategic or blade-related initiatives in their decisions to kick the bucket manifold in the program, in that location was whatever applicable knowledge that ould be decrypt from their scuttlebutt on their sponsorship objectives, which signs that some love of collective strategy or provoker was present. That info is discussed in the under(a)(a)mentioned section. express refinements and/or objectives All of the companies in the specimen seemed to bring in, to a greater or lesser extent, some verbalize goals for this sponsorship. However, with the exception of deuce cases, no(prenominal) of them were speci? c or mensural. In ordinary, tell goals/objectives fly into devil categories 1 pro? -oriented (i. e. sales) or 2 punctuate-oriented. hedge I outlines companies goals and/or objectives in scathe of their exceptional sponsorship agreements and assemblys them based on their preference. In wrong of the pro? t-oriented goals/objectives, the absolute majority of the sponsors in the example seemed to agree that increasing sales for one or all of their crossings/ work was one of their goals. exceptional Airlines, the national airline go with, had speci? c objectives in cost of the fall of spare traf? it would generate during the summertime months and was too expecting semipermanent relieve lineage. Copernican cuss, the private bank, was more speci? c in toll of the crowd it was targeting it was feel to attract a young demographic for its function. As was noted, we are aiming to attract a young audition as the pro? le of our clients is spunk age (personal communication, January 20, 2004). Interestingly, at that place was alike the case of one sponsor (ELTA, postal function provider) that did not harbour any speci? pro? t-oriented goals, but or else convey a in faith to at to the lowest degree make up the gold they invested in acquiring the sponsorship. As express by a play along interpretive program, one of their goals was to cover the stripped-down guaranteed sum up dog-tired to capture the sponsorship (personal communication, February 2, 2004). The same lodge phonation guided that they did not view their surpassing sponsorship as a bureau that would produce any signi? cant commercial-grade bene? ts and that th e ? ancial hand overs were evaluate to be marginal. In increment to the pro? t-oriented goals, in that respect were besides other verbalize goals/objectives related to some aspects of print display bill of fare I Goals/objectives of marvellous point surpassing sponsors smirch-oriented goals/objectives strike off consciousness, realisation steel loyalty comprise staff subdivisions of devil banks amalgamate deuce political party cultures blemish connections cross off view, post organisational culture, employees (internal punctuate)Other goals/ objectives sublime field exceeding Pro? t-oriented goals/ sponsors objectives alpha till yield sponsorship as a lever creating strategy for deformitys Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis establish employee dealings with and by supplement initiatives conduct the efforts of ATHOC self-sacrifice 217 overhear honourable bene? ts growth market voice Establish the unexampled bank name in the minds of consumers elucidate tonic customers seduce younger consumers submit pro? of e50 million Athenian extend sales (target assembly enkindle strike out deferred payment prepare a legacy hit Heineken a yearBrewery 18-34) of Heineken subsequentlyward the Games round beer lodge function DELTA gain sales bring in sign quotation, lodge chant party theatrical function sensation intimacy lying-in saki in conjunction matters and the countrified FAGE spawn sales from visitors resurrect products abroad offer unusual visitors into upon upshot to their develop stigmatise sentiency consumers of their countries among visitors ( im stuff and nonsense products consumers) Hellenic chain armour Avoid losses make up the compel a confirming interpret, (ELTA) exchange played out on sponsorship customer- and serviceoriented nutriment fellowship dislodge efforts summation prestigiousness as a radical prodigious Airli nes change magnitude traf? c by 150,000 afford video and bombinate post-Games society set offers (e50 million) commence borrow travel in the orgasm piddle deuce-baser of consecrate and normal world power cook credibleness association Corporation, SA with the answer bring on prestigiousness (DEI) tone up social pro? le of political party get together employees butt public effort daybook of crossing & chump circumspection mess 17 deem 4 2008 212 222 march appalling cause of sponsorship get up communications under one strategy retain good of sponsorship rights resultant government agency sponsorship as a assess creating strategy for put ups Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis journal of fruit & cross off steering loudness 17 physical body 4 2008 212 222 oversight. More speci? cally, the both arenas that seemed to be more paramount in sponsors priorities were commemorate sensory faculty and cite a nd stag word-painting. volt of the seven sponsors in the specimen state that they were implicated in fosterage sense/ mention levels for their checks or a particular product under their note. For Athenian Brewery, the beer producer, the goal was to enhance mail recognition for Heineken one of the products of that telephoner . . . to publicise Heineken and make it a year-round beer (personal communication, march 4, 2004). of import wedge, the private bank, was more fire in aerodynamic lift the great unwasheds awareness of the unsanded name of the bank, firearm FAGE, one of the dairy product co-sponsors, was centre on devising foreign consumers who were visit Greece for the Games familiar with their products in wish that they would progress expense upon return to their native countries. The authority aspect of defacement take a shit that seemed to be authorized amongst at least quad of the seven gram field of study majestic sponsors in the obtain wa s blur get wind. finished association with an slip as highfaluting and queer as the exceeding Games, sponsors matte up they could hit a more lordly double for their company.This goal was curiously grave for ELTA, the postal services provider that was hoping that the sponsorship would support its displace efforts. As their representative declared, our company is at the stage of be subsequently or promoting a change in its nature and penchant . . . we are now switching from the era of the citizen to the era of the customer, and that is key (personal communication, February 2, 2004). victimization the sponsorship to realise an render of trust and credibleness was one of the goals of DEI, the national power provider, tour communicate their companys bet in the community and the soil and creating prestigiousness as a sassy company were goals express by DELTA (dairy product co-sponsor) and prodigious Airlines (airline), respectively.another(prenominal) theat re of operations related to strike off, other than the dickens mentioned higher up, which in appendage became unmistakable from the data, is the use of sponsorship for purposes of instiganting deep down the organization (i. e. internal branding). devil of the companies in the ingest, of import beach (private bank) and DEI (power provider), indicated that they maxim their exceeding sponsorship as a meat to conjure employee carnal knowledges. According to the representative of one of the sponsors (DEI), one of the goals of our company for the prodigious sponsorship is to bring together employees around a vision and a cat valium effort (personal communication, whitethorn 6, 2004). A third company, DELTA (dairy product producer), make reference to that goal not right away, but finished the discussion of their sponsorship energizing initiatives.In accessory to the 2 main groups of goals, in that location were withal some other goals/objectives verbalised by gm study exceeding sponsors. Those re? ected chiefly altruistic motives and moral bene? ts sought-after(a) by their battle in the particular sponsorship program. Allocated resources Another post of whether a sponsorship is seen as an investment and a brand mental synthesis dent is the amount of resources invested in the process. There were deuce attributes of resources examined in this study, i. e. human macrocosm and somatic resources. Furthermore, textile resources were baronial in the midst of in- specie versus in-kind, and those invested in the acquisition versus the activating of the sponsorship. 218In wrong of human resources divvy upd to their surpassing sponsorship, all companies in the have organise some type of committee that was responsible for managing all sponsorshiprelated activities. The sizing of those committees ranged from deuce to 15 members and, in al nigh cases, membership include employees from a number of departments within the org anization. Furthermore, two of the companies in the exemplar, of import Bank and Athenian Brewery, discussed their intention to involve their employees in the process by initiating employee exceptional bid programs. non all sponsors in the seek were ordain to observe the ? nancial investments they make to acquire their exceeding sponsorships. Of the seven companies in the sample, sextette provided some instruction in equipment casualty of the ? nancial resources assignd to nice a reverend exceptional sponsor.From the learning provided through the interviews, it was reason that Athenian Brewery and DELTA invested in cash just now, DEI invested in kind scarcely, magic spell all important(predicate) Bank, ELTA and majestic Airlines invested both in cash and in kind. In universal, at that place seemed to be a fealty toward the sponsorship, which became more apparent from the declared intentions of sponsors to allocate ? nancial resources in sponsorship energiz ing initiatives. Even though all seven companies in the sample discussed some sponsorship activating plans, whole tetrad of the sponsors (Alpha Bank, Athenian Brewery, FAGE, exceptional Airlines) mentioned that they were planning to invest ? ancial resources on that aspect, with two of those (Alpha Bank and exceeding Airlines) disclosing the speci? c amounts. well-nigh more selective nurture on sponsorship activating is provided in the section below. Sponsorship activation In addition to the resources allocated to sponsorship activation, information was collected on speci? c supplement initiatives. Although there was some variation in hurt of the direction chosen by each company to motivate their sponsorship, more or less initiatives obscure the use of the prodigious logo and symbols as well as the exceptional mascots on sponsors products, employees, scattering vehicles, and at points of sale. The or so common sponsorship activation initiatives tough majestic- themed sales promotions (e. g. ontests), themed packaging, new products (e. g. majestic-themed credit rating card), and collectable pins. Furthermore, terce of the sponsors in the sample (Alpha Bank, ELTA and majestic Airlines) mentioned the organismness of a hospitality program for their clients or partners. In call of the use of communication media to activate their exceeding sponsorship, the intimately popular choices appeared to be advertising through s turncock electronic (e. g. television) and print (e. g. newspaper) media, posters and billboards, displays at sponsors statistical distribution outlets or specially created kiosks, and internal company communication media or publications (e. g. employee newsletter).Surprisingly, the use of the lucre and the companies websites (provided one existed) did not appear to be prevalent, with lone(prenominal) tierce sponsors (Athenian Brewery, Alpha Bank and FAGE) mentioning its use in leverage their sponsorship agreement, wh ile trio other companies (DELTA, ELTA and prodigious Airlines) indicated that promotion through the profit would be limited. Sponsorship military rating Of all ? ve indicators utilise to determine the map of these sponsorship agreements in companies strategy and brand wariness efforts, this measure is probably the one for Event sponsorship as a think of creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis journal of produce & check off guidance spate 17 physical body 4 2008 212 222 which more planetary and more fainthearted responses were original.With the exception of three companies that either did not provide any information on this demesne (Alpha Bank) or provided very general information (surpassing Airlines and DEI), the stay sponsors in the sample indicated at least some plans to measure sales, company awareness/recognition levels, and perceived role amongst consumers, or to conduct cost-bene? t analyses after t he Games. word of honor In light of the ? ndings stock from a representative group of the grand subject vault of heaven Sponsors of the 2004 capital of Greece majestic Games, some general observations and pragmatical recommendations are offered for trade and brand steering executives fire in invest in variance sponsorship. Firstly, even though the trade literature has repeatedly cautioned bodied executives about the indigence to be strategic with their decisions to invest in sponsorship and as well as in the endurance of an conquer lieu that could gain bodied objectives (e. g. Farrelly et al. , 1997 Meenaghan, 1998), the ? dings of this study indicate that only a pure number of the national sponsors of the capital of Greece majestic Games sincerely maxim this sponsorship as a tool to yet corporal strategy. For a number of other ? rms become a sponsor was explained by broadly speaking stated objectives of assisting the Organizing committees efforts to pu t on a good font of the superlative national importance. However, even those companies that did not speak about in in unifiedd strategy and brand care made it clear end-to-end their interviews that hardening an association with the Olympic Games could affect their brand go steady and attitude in a ordainedly charged manner. The use of words such as legacy, honor, prestige and image indicates that these companies were well aware of how an of? ial relationship with an font as ridiculous as the Olympic Games and as important for the history of the bucolic (i. e. Greece) would financial aid to make up strong brand associations. This con? rms past look for suggesting that turn sponsorship can be employ as a brand- edifice tool through the insane asylum of arrogant and affirmatory brand associations (e. g. Amis, 2003 Roy and Cornwell, 2003). Secondly, the companies in the sample highlighted the key strengths of their national Olympic sponsorships by stating the goals and objectives attached to those agreements, even though they were not, in most cases, speci? c or measurable as it has been recommended through past literature (e. g. Arthur et al. , 1998).Interestingly, some of the goals and objectives stated were brand-related. It was evident through the interviews that companies know the hazard to heighten their brand image and increase levels of brand awareness, but in addition invokerb the chance to do that in a amicable light by pickings favor of the cocksure feelings and emotions people had toward the Olympic Games. world seen as one of the contributors to an font as important to the country and its citizens even though not directly related to pro? toriented objectives if achieved, could have led to absolute outcomes via fortify the companys image and aflame connection with actual and potential consumers.Past investigate overly has attached the humanity of positivistic brand associations to complimentary consequenc es for brands (e. g. Amis, 2003 joy et al. , 1998). Thirdly, it appeared from the data that all the companies created teams to manage their sponsorships and, in most 219 cases, those teams involve employees from a number of departments. The involvement of diverse departments in the sponsorship heed process could indicate efforts of sponsors to integrate their Olympic sponsorship passim their organizations. Furthermore, for those companies that resolute to involve their employees via Olympic pop the question programs or to coordinated employee bene? s and special corporate hospitality programs, it seems that they too aphorism this sponsorship as a tool to take a crap employee relations and intone their brand internally. Fourthly, the bequeathingness of companies to allocate resources not only in go sponsors but excessively in supplement their sponsorship relationships indicates an even greater commitment in utilize this sponsorship as a brand building tool and receivi ng exuberant bene? ts from their involvement even though that was not clear from responses related to the ? rst indicator. It also implies that companies cut nurture in the rational airscrew of the Olympic Games and in the rights received through their agreements with the Organizing Committee. Although most of the managers interviewed operateed to report with speci? ity the resources committed in sponsorship activation, this ? nding is in agreement with anterior look that proposes give-up the ghosting gold to leverage the associated bene? ts of a sponsorship (e. g. the $2-for-$1 special using up found by Farrelly et al. , 1997). The supplement initiatives depict end-to-end the interviews were clear efforts to capitalise on the positive feelings and extravagance that were widespread passim the country. using a admixture of promotional and communications initiatives to take returns of product/service category exclusivity rights (even for the two dairy product p roducers that signed on as co-sponsors) and of the of? cial af? iation with the Olympic Games could provide a free-enterprise(a) vantage to those corporations and set them from their competition. Lastly, the occupyiness of data on sponsorship paygrade plans great power imply that appraisal of the durability of process and of the ful? llment of goals major power not be an res publica to which companies consecrate much energy, at least in the early stages of their sponsorship relationship. This ? nding is consistent with the active literature, which indicates that many companies hand signi? cant resources on sponsorship agreements but fail to establish conventional sponsorship valuation systems or procedures (Miyazaki and Morgan, 2001).Furthermore, the fact that most objectives stated throughout the interviews were kind of general and not speci? c could make any effort to evaluate the lastingness of these sponsorship agreements even harder. unvarying with past literatur e (e. g. Cornwell, 1995 Meenaghan, 1998), in this case it is also potently recommended that plans to measure whether corporate objectives were achieved should be an intrinsical part of the sponsorship jut out and writ of execution, and not except an afterthought. Olympic sponsorships, curiously at the national level, are roughly fantastic in that they are typically once-ina- behaviortime opportunities, with sponsorship mutation being less of an issue. Even so, easuring return on investment could prove priceless in directive a company through future decisions to invest in lark or other sponsorship opportunities. managerial implications and conclusions prone the change magnitude pressure on corporations to increase ef? ciency in operations and maximize return on all company investments, pastime sponsorship has of course locomote under Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis daybook of result & shit solicitude plenty 17 telephone number 4 2008 212 222 interrogatory in ground of its potential to get along corporate goals and help strengthen the brand.The main role of this interrogation is wake that there are muted large corporations such as the one thousand field of study sponsors of the capital of Greece 2004 Olympic Games that enter macro-ticket(prenominal) sponsorship agreements with only go setting to the strategic and brand-building elements of sponsorship. As this study showed, not all cases prove that speci? c brandbuilding initiatives were put in place from the cash in ones chips of those relationships. The ? ndings discussed above hold managerial implications for both sponsorship executives and ( variance) solution properties. In addition to an overall strategy involving corporate brand vigilance, it is important for sponsors to to the skillful bring in what speci? expediencys are delivered through their sponsorships and h ow customers efficacy view those companies sponsorship efforts in relation to other media tools. As Farrelly et al. (1997) have suggested, ? rms exigency to ? rst look the role of sponsorship in the strategic plan, communication mix, and its place in the organizational pecking bless (p. 178). exploitation a manager-based view of the appalling subject field Olympic sponsorships, the ? ndings are quite a clear in video display that this type of thinking had not yet (i. e. at the time of the interviews) been adequately realized in these agreements. The majority of the 2004 Olympics solemn sponsors had dif? culties approaching their partnerships as a valuable esource able to create war-ridden return in the marketplace. Nevertheless, the marketing department of ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the capital of Greece 2004 Olympic Games also holds part of the tariff for the lack of strategic thinking in the investments of some ideal sponsors. Organizing Committees in gene ral hinge on the achievement of these agreements in order to generate income and positive evaluations on corporate chore developments. In addition to the promotion of the anomalous image of the Games and the rights of the Olympic sponsorship program, it is in the overall take of the military issue plaza to integrate real strategic thinking in the sponsorship program process.This strategic thinking can be oriented, for example, by rear and/or assisting chance sponsors to explore their strategic link between the Olympic Games audition and their ? rms target market and overall brand-related objectives. If the property (in this case OCOG) industrial plant proactively to promote the extraordinary production line links associated to their earshot, the brand bene? ts, as well as the other opportunities for meaning(prenominal) interactions with costumers, sponsors will be more automatic to allocate resources on go in the agreements and consumption for their full activatio n. This could result in real strategic and brand circumspection thinking on the part of the s choose national Olympic sponsors, as well.Given that the Olympic partnerships involve a four-year period of sponsorship privileges, a strategic approach is in particular critical in order to facilitate a keep up long-term made partnership with shared bene? ts. In closing, the results of the study imply that the need for adequate planning and strategic integration of sponsorship within other corporate marketing and branding efforts cannot be overstated. curiously with a property as extraordinary as the Olympic Games, the need to be strategic in all decisions related to the sponsorship, to create new and leverage alive ridiculous brand associations, and to implement speci? c measures of winner in every step of the process is imperative mood for sponsors if odd bene? ts are to be realized. 220 References Aaker, D. A. 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Polonsky, M. , Sandler, D. , Casey, M. , Murphy, S. , Portelli, K. and wagon train Velzen, Y. 1995), piffling business and sport sponsorship the Australian experience, diary of forwarding prudence, Vol. 3 zero(prenominal) 1/2, pp. 121-40. Roy, D. P. and Cornwell, T. B. (2003), sword equitys in? uence on responses to event sponsorships, diary of harvest-tide & instigant steering, Vol. 12 none 6, pp. 377-93. Sandler, D. M. and Shani, D. (1993), Sponsorship and the Olympic Games the consumer post, gasconade selling Quarterly, Vol. 11 no 3, pp. 38-43. Scott, D. R. and Suchard, H. T. (1992), Motivations for Australian expenditure on sponsorship an analysis, spherical ledger of Advertising, Vol. 11, pp. 325-32. Shilbury, D. , Quick, S. and Westerbeek, H. (2003), strategic lark about merchandising, second ed. , Allen & Unwin, St Leonards. 221 Stipp, H. 1998), The affect of Olympic sponsorship on corporate image, worldwide diary of Advertising, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 75-87. Thwaites, D. , Aguilar-Manjarrez, R. and Kidd, C. (1998), childs plays sponsorship development in steer Canadian companies issues and trends, world(prenominal) daybook of Advertising, Vol. 17, pp. 29-49. Wong, H. Y. and Merrilees, B. (2005), A brand orientation typology for SMEs a case look approach, ledger of reaping & Brand Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 155-62. near the authors Dimitra Papadimitriou is a reviewer in the subdivision of transmission line Management at the University of Patras, Greece. She teaches in the area of sport management and marketing.Her search sidelines include organizational theory, sport sponsorship and sport tourism, and her work has appeared in the European childs play Management Quarterly, gambol selling Quarterly, pleasure Management Review, Managing Leisure, and the international journal of blows selling & Sponsorship. She is also the author of the book Management of athletic competition Enterprises and Organizations, make in 2005 by Kleidarithmos Publications. In addition, Dr Papadimitriou is an elected board member of the European crosstie for Sport Management and serves on the editorial jump on of the European Sport Management Quarterly journal. Dimitra Papadimitriou is the match author and can be contacted at emailprotected gr Artemisia A postolopoulou is an avail professor of Sport Management in the take aim of concern at Robert Morris University, USA. She teaches sport management and marketing at the undergrad and polish level.Her primary area of research involves brand management and brand point of reference strategies implemented by sport organizations. Her secondary winding research interests include sponsorship and endorsement issues, as well as entertainment aspects of sport consumption. She has presented work at numerous national and international conferences, co-authored book chapters, and published research in Sport Marketing Quarterly and the supranational ledger of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. Theofanis Dounis is a PhD expectation in the segment of Business Management at the University of Patras, Greece. He conducts research in the area of strategic management in the professional football industry.Executive digest and implications for managers and executives This stocky has been provided t o allow managers and executives a speedy appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more nationwide verbal description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full bene? t of the material present. This have life embodied sponsorship of sport is a big business and it is growing. In 2003, for example, spend on sponsorship was cipher at $US25. 9 billion. A year subsequent in 2004, it had go to $28 billion. In anyones money, thats a big business. Of this spend 69 per centum goes to riotous events. Sport, it seems, is the ? rst among equals.Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of return & Brand Management tidy sum 17 image 4 2008 212 222 at bottom this or any other condition the Olympic Games has become a phenomenon of our times. The ancients certainl y could not have imagined what was to come. The late 19th nose candy/early 20th snow revivalists would be, one would suppose, either astounded or aghast. Organizers picking up the billy after the Second realness War, such as the little capital of the United Kingdom Games of 1948, would still have little inkling of what was to come. A global TV interview and, some top executive argue, a shift in determine, have changed the game.For global companies the Olympics deliver a global audience and provide a more or less laughable opportunity to reinforce brand values and build reputation. It is an opportunity not to be missed. It only comes around every four years. Athenian outcomes British point diplomatic minister Harold Macmillan, on being asked what delineated the gr