Examining the Impact of Publicity and Event-sponsor Fit in eSport Sponsorship: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of Image Transfer Effect

Despite criticism of eSports for issues such as violence and discrimination, there is limited understanding of how negative publicity surrounding eSports events impacts the event sponsors. Building upon the image transfer model (Gwinner & Eaton, 1999), this study investigates how event publicity influences the purchasing intention of a sponsor's product through two serial mediators: attitude toward the event and attitude toward the sponsor, within the context of eSports sponsorship. Additionally, we examine whether the fit between the event and the sponsor moderates this serial mediation model. The study involves a total of 209 subjects who were randomly assigned to a 2 (valence of publicity: positive vs. negative) × 2 (event-sponsor fit: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design. The results of the moderated mediation analysis revealed that the valence of publicity significantly influenced purchase intention through attitude toward the event and the sponsor. The event-sponsor fit significantly moderated the mediation relationship such that the effect of publicity on purchase intention is stronger when a high-fit corporate sponsor is associated with the event compared to a low-fit corporate sponsor. This article provides several important theoretical and practical implications.