Advancing sponsorship measurement: An integrated measurement framework for marketing communications

Despite the huge sums spent on sponsorship rights fees and associated marketing efforts, and repeated demands for better measurement of results, little progress has been made in evaluating the effectiveness of sponsorship marketing campaigns. As a marketing platform comprised of many channels and disciplines, sponsorship evaluation is challenged by the existence of measurement silos, establishing incrementality and integrating measurement across disciplines. This paper applies an integrative evaluation framework to sponsorship to structure research propositions that will advance sponsorship measurement. Methodological recommendations include an increased focus on experimental design and marketing mix modelling. This paper concludes with a call to increase investment in sponsorship measurement and concrete steps for research to make a stronger business case for sponsorship-linked marketing programmes. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.