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Scholars have frequently examined sponsorship effectiveness via survey instrument; however, no efforts have been made to gauge sponsorship effectiveness via social networking sites. As a medium for consumer activity and interaction, scholars and industry professionals can leverage social media to monitor the effects of sponsorship in real time, as consumers experience a sporting event. In this exploratory study, we employed a mixed methods study design to examine Twitter users' discussion of 2013 French Open sponsors during the tennis tournament. We found a weak positive relationship between sponsor-event functional fit and positive sponsor-related sentiment, and a weak positive relationship between a sponsor company's social media presence and event-related buzz. Through case study analysis, we discovered unintended misrepresentation and activation were apparent drivers of sponsor-related social media conversation during the 2013 French Open. As an emerging area for sponsorship research, we provide suggestions for future research into sponsorship and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global sponsorship spending increases, so too do efforts to gauge effects of sponsorship. However, much of the sponsorship literature to date has emphasized the influence of sponsorship from a business perspective, thus neglecting to address the social and psychological influence of sponsorship on the consumer. Reasoning that such deep levels of consumer inquiry cannot be accomplished through (post)positivist inquiry, I pursue an interpretive ethnographic mode of inquiry, using Syracuse University fandom as a case study. In doing so, I engage in reflexive autobiography as a method of critical inquiry to interrogate my own (personal, professional, and academic) experience with sponsorship (specifically, facility naming rights) as a Syracuse fan. Through this introspection, I discover my perception of and connection to the sponsor are inherently complex, as I possess a subconscious yet meaningful attachment to the sponsor that contributes to my overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question:Scholars have paid little attention to consumer response to the termination of a sponsorship. The purpose of this study was to examine the reaction of fans of a professional cycling team to a sponsorship terminating, which ultimately led to the team disbanding. Research methods:The research purpose was pursued through digital ethnography (via message boards and weblog), examining the case of Basque professional cycling fans. Comments were analysed to understand fans’ reaction to the 2013 cessation of Euskaltel-Euskadi, a Basque professional cycling team, after its sponsor, Euskaltel, exited the partnership. Results and findings:Fan reaction to Euskaltel ending its sponsorship was somewhat paradoxical, in that the terminated sponsorship ultimately led to the team disbanding, yet fans appeared to be appreciative of Euskaltel. They continued to celebrate the team’s corporate sponsor colour as they mourned the end of Euskaltel-Euskadi and questioned the future of Basque cycling. This reaction is made more logical by understanding the long-term duration of the partnership, and how Euskaltel’s support of the team for nearly two decades led to the intermeshing of the team and its sponsor, thus avoiding negative sentiment. Implications:This study makes a meaningful contribution to the sponsorship literature, particularly sponsorship termination. This study is one of the first to examine consumer response to sponsorship termination in a real-world setting, and suggests a potential legacy effect of long-term sponsorship, such that fan reaction to a long-term sponsorship terminating may not be negative, especially if fans understand the sponsor’s contribution over time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]