| Virtually no evidence exists that current sponsorship activities on sporting event Web sites enable corporations to achieve sponsorship objectives including, but not limited to, increasing sales, improving image, or increasing awareness. The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences of sponsorship effectiveness measures (brand awareness, attitude toward sponsorship, and purchase intentions) existed among a sample of Generation Y participants exposed to various sponsorship activities (on-site, online, and both on-site and online). The study surveyed 228 participants (112 on-site fans, 56 online fans, and 60 both on-site and online fans) exposed to the ESPN Winter X Games 13.;Research findings revealed product sampling/trial as the most common activity that sponsors conducted at the event, while banners linking to the sponsors' Web sites were most often conducted by sponsors on the event Web site. Most sponsors also employed interactive activities on-site such as action sport related games, premiums or giveaways, and athlete autograph sessions. However, the majority of sponsors failed to capitalize on the interactive features of the event Web site.;In addition, attitudes toward sponsorship and purchase intentions for sponsors' products or services were not significantly different between on-site and online sponsorship activities. However, online sponsorship activities were less effective than on-site activities in terms of brand awareness. On-site sponsorship activities were more effective in increasing brand awareness than activities on the Web site. The findings suggested that online sponsorship activities could be more effective if sponsors fully capitalized on the Internet medium by employing interactive contents related to the sport. Online sponsorship activities may not replace but can support onsite activation in reaching larger target audiences. |
