The Influence of Attitudes towards Sponsorship on the Psychological Spectator Segmentation: A Case Study of Malmö FF and Puma AB

Abstract

To address the complexity of consumers’ behavior in the sports industry, several models have been proposed to measure the relation between sponsorship success, perception of the sponsor as well as sponsor’s and property’s portfolio management. Recently, spectator segmentation based on psychological consumption motives has been proposed to enable direct targeting of different spectator groups to derive economic benefits from sponsorship activations.
In this context, the underlying study examines how spectators can be further segmented in terms of their attitude towards the property, sponsor, and sponsorship in order to derive managerial implications for customized sponsorship activation for commercial gain. With the case analysis of Malmö FF and Puma AB, the study is operationalized through secondary data sources by analyzing the theoretical landscape and relevant literature in the field of Relationship Marketing, Attitude towards Sponsorship, Spectator Segmentation Models, Congruence, Sponsorship Exposure, and Portfolio Management. Further, primary data in a quantitative, abductive research approach is collected by employing a questionnaire distributed among Malmö FF spectators. Statistical analysis of the convenience sample is performed for segmentation and discrimination.
Findings indicate that four segments of spectators can be derived that can primarily be discriminated by aspects relating to identification with the sponsor, attitude towards the sponsorship, and perceived fit of the property’s sponsorship portfolio. Moreover, by analyzing what predicts each segment’s attitude towards the sponsorship, each segment can be characterized. Spectators, grouped into Community Immersed Fans, External Observers, Receptive Casuals and Experience Seekers, are initially differentiated based on Community Motives, Hedonic Motives, and Trust Motives. Moreover, findings imply that spectators form attitudes towards sponsorships regardless of the sponsor’s other sponsorship activities, and the fit of the property’s sponsor portfolio is influential for forming attitudes towards the sponsor and sponsorship. Finally, the difference in spectators’ locus of self-identification is found that significantly impacts the discrimination between segments.