The paper is concerned with the measurement of emotions and the study of the role of
emotions in consumer choice. Contemporary neurological findings suggest that emotions
may play a role in its own right, quite different from the way in which they have been
considered in traditional consumer choice behaviour theory. A large-scale study including
800 respondents, covering 64 brands, provide findings on emotional response tendencies
for the brands, and relate these to involvement, type of need gratification, purchasing
behaviour, etc.
The paper reports findings from a larger study of sponsors and their relationship to sponsored
parties. In the present reporting, the focus is on sponsors. Rather than evaluating such
sponsorships in traditional effect hierarchical terms, a conceptual Sponsor Value Model is
specified as a structural equation model where the drivers are attitudes towards the
sponsorship and emotions towards the sponsorship. It is found that the two classes of
variables describe different aspects of the perception of sponsorships, and that they both
contribute significantly to the overall value of sponsoring for a particular company. In the
present paper, two cases are shown for two major sponsors. The specified Sponsor Value
Model is estimated by a partial least squares (PLS) method. It is found that the two sponsors
are perceived differently, both in terms of emotional and attitudinal responses. It is also found
that the emotional responses aroused by the sponsorships are at least as important as those
ascribable to attitudinal elements.
Key words: Sponsorship, emotional response, attitudes towards sponsorship, structural
equation model