Brand Image Transfer Through Sponsorship: A Consumer Learning Perspective

Despite the massive growth in sponsorship activity of all kinds, academic research is still in its infancy in this area. This is particularly true with regards the effect of sponsorship on the brand image of the sponsor. This article seeks to address this by producing a conceptual framework of factors that influence sponsorship's effect on brand image transfer (BIT) amongst consumers. The findings from existing research are summarised and highlighted. Where there is a lack of research, 'appropriate' theory from the wider branding literature is used to develop the discussion. Thus, brand knowledge, power, fit and quality are considered as influences on the BIT process. A model of the actual process by which brand image transfers is developed and conditions influencing the strength of the transfer are identified. From this overall analysis, implications for both sponsors and sponsored are discussed and future research directions are outlined.