Why is a spectator’s eye caught? : A qualitative study exploring Sponsorship Communication in an Entertainment Event context

Abstract: Background: Sponsorships are a way for brands to communicate with their observers at entertainment events. Sponsorship cues, event context, and consumer/sponsor relationships are important to be aware of in order to create impacting sponsorship communication.  Purpose: The purpose was to explore sponsorship communication from the viewer’s perspective in an entertainment event context. The research question was “How does the viewer characterize impacting sponsorship communication?” Methodology: The study undertook a qualitative research strategy and was of an exploratory nature. The research design used was unstructured interviews and the sample was collected through a convenience sample. The participants of the study were students between the ages of 18-30 with no preference between males and females. After seven interviews had been conducted, theoretical saturation was reached.  Conclusion: The main findings of this study was that Astonishment, Acceptance, Status, Affiliation, Authenticity and Apprehension are important categories to consider in sponsorship communication. It became evident that there was not one correct way of conducting sponsored communication, instead a balance between the different categories is needed in the communication. It was further discovered that each category has its individual impact on the viewer’s perspective of the sponsored communication and entertainment events.