International Journal of Sport Management

External Congruence Factors Contributing to Sport Sponsorship Recall in Pest control, Pizza, and Apparel Categories

Kelly Evans, Stephen L. Shapiro, Matthew T. Brown

Abstract: Sponsorship congruence, or fit, is a significant contributing factor of sponsorship effectiveness. The current study focuses on external congruence factors, such as image, functional, geographic, purchase, and multi-sponsor congruence to determine which factor(s) contribute to sponsorship effectiveness. The current study measures sponsorship effectiveness through recall accuracy of three university sponsors: a pest control company, local pizzeria, and athletic apparel company. A survey was emailed to undergraduate students who previously attended a men’s and/or women’s college basketball game and measured perceived congruence at different levels of sponsorship fit between the university and sponsor: low, medium, and high congruence. The results indicate purchase and geographic congruence, level of sponsorship fit, and number of games attended are significant contributors to sponsorship recall accuracy. The results also raise the issue of a developing discrepancy between academic definitions of and consumer perceptions of sponsorship congruence. This study has five major academic and practical implications that are discussed in detail.

Citation: Evans, K., Shapiro, S. L., & Brown, M. T. (2020). External congruence factors contributing to sport sponsorship recall in pest control, pizza, and apparel categories. International Journal of Sport Management, 21(2), 131-150.

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