Cost of recognisability of a sponsor’s brand achieved through TV broadcasts

Research background: The main aim of engaging with the research topic under discussion was the desire to equip those responsible for the process of managing sponsorship campaigns with a method that would enable comparison and evaluation of the results of a given campaign with the effects obtained by other campaigns and different forms of promotion. A significant assumption was that the proposed method does not require any prolonged or expensive research and that it also allows to add other research tools (like e.g. an eye-tracker) if need be. The chosen research topic also constitutes an alternative to the usage of advertising value equivalency, as it is not considered a reliable indicator of effectiveness of sponsorship campaigns. Purpose of the article: The central aim of this research study was to evaluate the feasibility of assessing costs incurred by sponsors of sports events as the price of gaining recognisability of their brands by television audiences watching broadcasts of sponsored events. Methods: The research was conducted on the basis of a questionnaire which gave data concerning spontaneous and assisted recognisability of sponsors’ brands. Participants consisted of viewers who had watched volleyball match indicated by the investigator. The research also included data obtained from source materials, concerning the costs of sponsor-ship agreements and viewership of chosen volleyball matches. Findings & Value added: The investigation revealed that it is possible to calculate the costs of reaching television audiences of sports events effectively, i.e. where audiences are given the opportunity to recognize a brand as a sponsor of a given sports event. Results of the research offer sponsorship campaign managers a possibility to compare the costs incurred to reach their target group as part of a specific campaign, with other similar campaigns undertaken by a particular company, as well as with the results achieved by other sponsors of the same events.