Abstract

Participation sponsorship and creative sponsorship of sports events can have strategic communication effects. In this study of the car brand “Peugeot” in Tunisia, the impact of participation sponsorship on image transfer was compared with that of creative support, considering the moderating effect of the involvement of spectators on the image transfer process. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to validate the measurement of images and structural models of image transfer. The results largely favored sports-related creative sponsorship. Furthermore, when moving from “low involvement” to “high involvement” groups, observers of the creative backing were perceived as more intense, indicating that participation sponsorship has a decreasing impact. Research results have shown that it can be a more effective communication tool than multi-sponsoring. We conclude that creative support presents a real image transfer opportunity for sponsors that is less costly but more persuasive than participation. This assumption deserves to be verified for the indirect sports audience and in other cases of events with high and low media coverage.

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