Sport Sponsorship: Lessons from the Sydney Olympic Games

Sport sponsorship in the Olympic Games has proven to be effective in helping businesses establish competitive advantages in their market. The purpose of this research was to assess the ability of the US subjects to identify worldwide sponsors (The Olympic Partners, TOP IV) of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sponsors. Subjects (N=717) were selected through mall intercept techniques and completed a survey instrument measuring their recall and recognition of 2000 Olympic Games sponsors. Using descriptive statistics and ANOVA techniques to ascertain differences between variables, the recall rates uncovered in the study were found to be lower than previous studies, while recognition rates were comparable to previous research on Olympics sponsorships. ANOVA revealed limited differences between variables. Data also showed that some companies were incorrectly identified as sponsors. These data should be of value to both sponsors and sport organizers in the development and management of sport sponsorships.