Interesting Results

Effects of Sponsorship on Employees

A lot of research has investigated how sponsorship affects customers, but a 2005 study¹ examined how employees react to corporate sponsorship. The results suggest that among employees who have an interest in the thing being sponsored (team, event, etc.), sponsorship can increase identification with and commitment to the employer as well as increase employee commitment to satisfying the employer’s customers. The study found that these effects were stronger for union than for non-union employees.

¹ Hickman, Thomas M., Katherine E. Lawrence, and James C. Ward (2005), “A Social Identities Perspective on the Effects of Corporate Sport Sponsorship on Employees”, Sports Marketing Quarterly, 14, 148-157.