Emotions and sponsorship - A key to global effectiveness? A comparative study of Australia and France

Abstract

PURPOSE – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of emotional valence and intensity on sport sponsorship attitudinal outcomes, across two culturally different samples from Australia and France. DESIGN / METHODOLOGY / APPROACH – Based on a multidisciplinary literature review of the emotional phenomenon, research hypotheses are proposed and empirically tested against two samples exposed to two comparable major sport events in Australia and France. FINDINGS – Data reveal that Australian and French spectators' emotional responses differ in terms of valence, but not in terms of intensity. This initial difference, in turn, impacts the effect of emotional responses on sponsorship attitudinal outcomes. The more positive are sport-related emotions, the stronger their impact on the sponsorship persuasion process. The proposed mediating effect of attitude towards the event is partially supported. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS / IMPLICATIONS – The results are limited by the small sample size and the inherent bias of the verbal measurement of the emotional phenomenon. ORIGINALITY / VALUE – Despite omnipresence in sports events, emotions and their influence on sponsorship outcomes have not been clarified yet, once simply disregarded by many scholars. This paper provides evidence that emotions can contribute to the formation of attitudes towards sponsors, in some cases mediated by attitude towards the event. In addition, in line with the global reach of sports and sports sponsorship a comparison of results between samples from Australia and France creates a valuable contribution of this paper to marketing theory and practice.