Global Journal of Commerce & Management Perspective
Open Access

Abstract

The Use of Sport Sponsorship as a Brand Equity Building Tool by Zimbabwean Companies

Lysias Tapiwanashe Charumbira and Judith Charumbira

This paper examines how Zimbabwean companies use sport sponsorship to build and leverage their brands. Data was collected from eight purposively sampled Zimbabwean sport sponsoring companies by means of questionnaires and document analysis. Descriptive statistical measures were used to analyze and present the quantitative data. Willig’s (2001) four stages model of analyzing phenomenological data was used to analyze qualitative data. The study established that sponsorship had positive and negative brand equity building consequences. The findings show that sponsorship objectives and selection are based on business considerations, such as; ensuring maximum returns on sponsorship investment. It was also noted that companies have difficulties in assessing the value of sponsorship. Other findings include the fact that; sponsorship is an element of the integrated marketing communication mix which is mainly used in the introduction, growth and maturity stages of the product life cycle. According to the study, ambush marketing is yet to have adverse effects on Zimbabwean sport sponsoring companies