Sarah J. Kelly

Event-related advertising and the special case of sponsorship-linked advertising

Corporate sponsorship is a valuable brand-building platform, typically leveraged by advertising and promotion. While advertising often ‘uses news’ to connect to meaningful events, sponsorship contracts create a special category of advertisers that have official rights to event affiliation. In fact, sponsorship-linked marketing creates two special categories of advertiser: those officially linked to the event and those that seek association with the event but have no legitimate link (i.e. ‘ambushers’). We examine the prevalence and nature of sponsorship-linked advertising (SLA) as a leveraging strategy employed by both sponsors and ambushers. SLA includes advertising that communicates a sponsorship link or tie, as well as advertising that demonstrates a theme that links to sponsorship. Two content analytic studies find extensive use of SLA by ambushers and true sponsors. We propose a diagnostic method to identify ambushing attempts. Practical implications for sponsoring brands, potential ambushing brands and policy makers are discussed.

Change in a Sponsorship Alliance and the Communication Implications of Spontaneous Recovery

As the marketplace for sponsored properties approaches saturation and sponsorship contracts come up for renewal, a new communications challenge has been born: spontaneous recovery of the previous sponsor. Changed sponsors may result in unwelcome recall of the previous alliance partner—unwelcome from the new sponsors perspective, that is. Presented here, a field study and an experiment confirm that spontaneous recovery of a past sponsor, while not arising immediately, does, over time, influence recall of the current sponsor. The pattern of memory found in this research presents new knowledge to the researcher and practitioner that can inform sponsorship decision making, implementation, and measurement.

Impact of branding on public awareness of healthcare‐related governing bodies: a pilot study of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand brand

To assess the general publics understanding of urologists and of the Urological Society of Australian and New Zealand (USANZ) and gauge the effectiveness with which the USANZ disseminates health information about urological conditions to health consumers.

Exploring the wicked problem of athlete and consumer vulnerability in sport

Purpose: This paper aims to extend the literature on wicked problems in consumer research by exploring athlete and consumer vulnerability in sport and the potential role that social marketing can play in addressing this problem. Design/methodology/approach: This paper conceptualises the wicked problem of athlete and consumer vulnerability in sport, proposing a multi-theoretical approach to social marketing, incorporating insights from stakeholder theory, systems theory and cocreation to tackle this complex problem. Findings: Sport provides a rich context for exploring a social marketing approach to a wicked problem, as it operates in a complex ecosystem with multiple stakeholders with differing, and sometimes conflicting, objectives. It is proposed that consumers, particularly those that are highly identified fans, are key stakeholders that have both facilitated the problematic nature of the sport system and been rendered vulnerable as a result. Further, a form of consumer vulnerability also extends to athletes as the evolution of the sport system has led them to engage in harmful consumption behaviours. Social marketing, with its strategic and multi-faceted focus on facilitating social good, is an apt approach to tackle behavioural change at multiple levels within the sport system. Practical implications: Sport managers, public health practitioners and policymakers are given insight into the key drivers of a growing wicked problem as well as the potential for social marketing to mitigate harm. Originality/value: This paper is the first to identify and explicate a wicked problem in sport. More generally it extends insight into wicked problems in consumer research by examining a case whereby the consumer is both complicit in, and made vulnerable by, the creation of a wicked problem. This paper is the first to explore the use of social marketing in managing wicked problems in sport.

There goes my hero again: Sport scandal frequency and social-identity driven response

Abstract With sport scandals reported frequently in the media, it is important to understand how associated stakeholders are affected. In the current work, we investigated the impact of off-field sport scandal on key stakeholders (the sport, implicated team, sponsor brand), and the roles played by team identification and scandal frequency. A 2 (fandom) × 3 (scandal frequency) between-subjects quasi-experiment examined responses to scandal news stories. Ingroup fan attitudes became less favorable toward all stakeholders following scandal, especially when it was described as repeat behavior. This differed to outgroup fan attitudes, which became less favorable toward the sport, but were generally negative and stable for other stakeholders, irrespective of scandal frequency. Respondents were willing to attribute responsibility to particular perpetrators rather than the team, and tended to endorse sponsorship continuation simultaneously with perpetrator removal/sanction. Findings have strategic implications for those involved in sponsorship, sport marketing, and sport management.

Recognition in context: Implications for trade mark law

Context effects in recognition have played a major role in evaluating theories of recognition. Understanding how context impacts recognition is also important for making sound trade mark law. Consumers attempting to discriminate between the brand they are looking for and a look-alike product often have to differentiate products which share a great deal of common context: positioning on the supermarket shelf, the type of store, aspects of the packaging, or brand claims. Trade mark and related laws aim to protect brands and reduce consumer confusion, but courts assessing allegations of trade mark infringement often lack careful empirical evidence concerning the impact of brand and context similarity, and, in the absence of such evidence, make assumptions about how consumers respond to brands that downplay the importance of context and focus on the similarity of registered marks. The experiments reported in this paper aimed to test certain common assumptions in trade mark law, providing evidence that shared context can cause mistakes even where brand similarity is low.

Identifying objectives for mega-event leveraging: a non-host city case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify strategic objectives that can be utilized by non-host communities to leverage the opportunities provided by mega sport events. The unique context and timing of this study facilitates discussion surrounding a particular non-host community and how it can plan relevant objectives to best identify appropriate leveraging mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a qualitative approach, drawing upon a case study of Kobe City, Japan, a non-host city of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Data were collected using diverse sources such as site visits, field notes, newspaper articles, destination marketing materials, archival data from sport and tourism facilities, and workshop with key stakeholders. Findings The within-case analysis identified four key objectives a non-host city could utilize to leverage mega sport events, namely, enhancing destination brand equity, integrating leveraging strategies with the existing event portfolio, fostering social capital, and strengthening corporate networks. Originality/value Research on event leveraging has typically focused on host cities, while there has been limited research attention on non-host cities. This paper highlights the importance of formulating shared objectives so as to provide a strong focus for relevant stakeholders, guide the deployment of resources, and create effective leveraging strategies. Few studies have focused on the planning of leveraging initiatives.

Can alcohol sponsorship be diluted by health messaging

Abstract Concerns surround the association between alcohol advertising and alcohol consumption amongst audiences. Research has examined the link in broadcast sports, yet limited attention is directed towards newer media. This paper examines whether there is a link between alcohol sponsorship in sports games and alcohol brand recall, recognition and choice, and whether in-game health messages moderate this association. Simulated games designed specifically for this study are used to observe whether in-game alcohol sponsorship combined with embedded health messages affect the player’s brand awareness. Findings highlight the influence of in-game alcohol sponsorship placement on brand awareness, yet embedded health messages do not impact consumer behaviours. This research provides evidence suggesting regulations in games may be warranted and further examination of health messaging in sponsor brand placement necessary.

Alcohol sponsorship and its impact on sports participants’ consumption

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption, alcohol sponsorship in sports and preferences of sponsored sportspeople regarding sponsorships/consumption. We investigate the impact of alcohol sponsorship on sportspeople in the Australian population using a national survey of sportspeople (N = 2367), representing a range of club and professional sports. The results show an association between alcohol sponsorship of sport and increased alcohol consumption among sports participants (i.e. ‘sportspeople’). Additionally, a preference for sponsored alcohol brands was found by sponsored sportspeople. Our research adds to the growing evidence for policy review of alcohol sponsorship of sports and extends prior studies investigating impacts of alcohol sponsorship upon sports participants by generalizing to a large, national sample of sportspeople.

How important is the name in predicting false recognition for lookalike brands

An underexploited role for psychology in trademark law is the testing of explicit or implicit judicial assumptions about consumer behavior. In this article we examine an assumption that is common across Commonwealth countries, namely, that similar packaging is unlikely to cause consumer confusion provided the brand names are dissimilar. We began by selecting branded products commonly found in supermarkets. For each existing brand we created 2 novel (fictitious) brands with highly similar packaging to the existing brand. One of these “lookalike” products had a similar name, the other a dissimilar name. Across 2 yes/no and 1 forced-choice experiments using photographs of the real and fictitious products we looked at false recognition rates. Contrary to the judicial assumption participants largely ignored the brand names when making their decisions based on memory. It was only when the pictures of the products were placed side-by-side (in the forced-choice task) that they paid the brand name any significant attention.