Activation of Sponsorship Relationship – the case of Volkswagen and the Prague International Marathon
Vol.9,No.1(2015)
The academia and the relevant industry seem to lack more complete and coherent literature and knowledge on the subject of sponsorship activation, especially when seeking more concrete business practices and feedback from the market. The goal of this work is to present a very relevant and up-to-date case study that will contribute and enrich the sponsorship activation literature and to better comprehend the business practices and decision making. A scrutinised case study of such nature clearly requires a qualitative research method, concentrating on a large amount of detailed and focused information, as opposed to analysing bulk samples and statistics. The research question was answered by collecting information from personal interviews, access to all necessary documentation and corporate material, as well as direct contribution of the author in all the negotiations and implementation processes of the sponsorship relationship. This work suggests that sponsorship gains significant importance in companies that wish to pursue or convey their brand promises through unconventional and emotional platforms. This channel of communication is nowadays ‘on par’ with the other communication tools, and not a remote subcategory. Within the sponsorship tools as such, it is the concept of ‘activation’ that tends to take a central role in maximising the effect of the sponsorship relationship. It can be claimed that this new approach is gaining exponential importance and attains focal position in sponsorship relationships, which is apparently and especially evident in more mature markets. An in-depth case study of a very recent sponsorship deal between the Volkswagen brand and the Prague International Marathon, which is largely based on the concept of ‘sponsorship activation’, shows that cooperation between sponsors and property owners in the Czech Republic is slowly but surely transforming into a genuine partnership. Nearly all strategic challenges and pragmatic decisions witnessed in the process of defining and establishing the new sponsorship relationship model between the two partners are found in the literature which elaborates from different aspects. This case study can be taken as a contributor to better a understanding of the wider spectrum of areas influenced by the notion of ‘sponsorship activation’, and as a sufficient indicator to modern shifts in trends and new challenges in sponsorship. Besides all the analytical inputs this work offers, the unarticulated general feeling and impression of the author and the involved parties is that sponsorship activation is more about winning the hearts of the people, identifying with their deeper emotions, simply amusing the audience, or genuinely being socially responsible.
sport; sponsorship; activation; leverage
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