Mark Lyberger

Internationalising ambush marketing: a comparative study

A large-sample survey of general public consumers in Canada, France and the United States during the 2000 Olympic Games supports previous research on ambush marketing, provides evidence that purchase decisions are affected by ambush marketing reducing the value of sponsorship partnerships, and purports that the International Olympic Committee and its partners need to develop specific strategies to combat ambush marketing country by country

An Analysis of Volume Consumption, Consumer Interest and Perceptions of Sport Sponsorship as they Relate to the Super Bowl

The Consumer Perception Index (CPI) was utilized to measure consumer perceptions surrounding the 1998 and 2000 Super Bowls specific to volume consumption, and perceptions toward sponsorship, advertising, commercialization, and purchase behavior. Results of t-tests suggest a growing trend in consumer apathy toward sponsorship of the Super Bowl. Though consumer interest in the Super Bowl remains high, complexities surrounding growth and clutter continue to impact consumer differentiation of sponsorship and advertising.

The economic impact of college sporting events: a case study of Division I-A football games.

In sport management, economic impact studies are often used to estimate the economic benefits of sport events, sports facilities, and sports teams. Many studies have focused on the measurement of hallmark or mega-events but few have focused on the impact of smaller scale repetitive events. The objective of this study was to estimate total spending and economic impact on the local economy of visitors to college football games and then to assess the value of the sport to the community. Using the input-output model, the study calculated the economic impact of these events on sales, income, value-added, and employment of the community. Key misapplications in economic impact analysis and costs associated with sporting events are also discussed.

The Ryder Cup, national identities and team USA

Abstract The biennial Ryder Cup competition, where the best players from the USA face their European counterparts in a three-day match, is often promoted as the third biggest sporting event in the world. Whilst such a claim is a contested one, the event does offer an interesting case to look at the role of the nation in an international sporting competition. Based upon an analysis of media coverage of the 2008 match, together with a survey of recreational golfers, this study considers the significance of the Ryder Cup in relation to national identity in the USA. The research highlights that the Ryder Cup is used as an important site for framing narratives of the nation in media discourse but is not something considered as particularly important for a sample of recreational golfers. This work, on an international sporting event that has received limited attention to date, shows some of the issues involved in framing and understanding sport as a means of national representation.

Intent-to-Purchase and Mega-Special-Event Sponsorship: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Super Bowl

As large, global properties such as the Olympic Games, the World Cup of Football and the Super Bowl become central elements of an emerging culture of media-based spectating, the sponsorship ‘mega-special-events’ becomes an optimal positioning tool for corporations and other investors seeking to communicate global messages. These mega-special-event properties (sponsees) have the ability to attain significant resources through sponsorship by offering exclusive promotional opportunities that target sizeable consumer markets and attract sponsors. A longitudinal analysis of consumer opinion related to the 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 Super Bowls provides empirical evidence that questions the ability of Super Bowl sponsorship to influence the sales of sponsor offerings. Two noteworthy results are produced: first, that intent-to-purchase generated in consumers is very low and, second, that despite the marketing efforts of the Super Bowl and its sponsors that these levels of intent-to-purchase remain relatively unchanged over the 1998 to 2006 timeframe. It is important to note however that these results may be impacted by a number of extraneous factors including varying sponsor objectives, pre-sponsorship awareness levels, the pre-sponsorship image of sponsor and sponsee, decreasing interest in the Super Bowl, existing brand associations, changing consumption patters of Super Bowl viewers, increased clutter in the market place, the influence of ambush marketing, or poor activation by sponsors. Future research on sponsors in mega-special-events should examine these factors. It also should be recognized that even a modest achievement in intent to purchase a sponsors products or services in a markets as extensive as Super Bowl viewers could have significant financial rewards for that sponsors. Given that advertising costs and sponsorship fees for the Super Bowl were relatively stable during this time, one could infer that sponsors and advertisers were happy with their investments at this time. Conversely, one could also infer that these stable fees could have resulted from any of a number of factors including the interest of competitors in the sponsorship, the high appeal of the Super Bowl, the desire to associate with a mega-special-event of this caliber, etc. As a result of these findings, both sponsors and sponsees of mega-special-events may wish to re-consider their sponsorship investments or at least the activation of their mega-special-event sponsorships. Prioritizing exclusivity in negotiations, holding the mega-sponsee to their commitments on controlling ambush marketing and adopting strategies to reach targets through the cluttered marketplace are all potential tactics for sponsors to adopt. On the sponsee side, the very large fees currently commanded for sponsorship rights can only be maintained and increased if top value to sponsors is provided. Given the increased focus on sponsorship evaluation, mega-sponsees must focus their efforts in this regard.