Moving beyond traditional sponsorships: understanding the structure and dynamics of minority equity sponsorship agreements
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 3 November 2021
Issue publication date: 22 July 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the structure and dynamics of minority equity sponsorship agreements and the motivations for organizations to go beyond traditional sponsorships by acquiring minority equity in the sponsored organization.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a qualitative methodology and presents interview data from key actors involved in minority equity sponsorship agreements.
Findings
The findings of the paper include major characteristics of minority equity sponsorship agreements including the motivations, dynamics and resources exchanged by sponsoring firms and clubs in these relationships, based on the experiences of key actors from firms, clubs and other key stakeholders, and a conceptual model for forming and maintaining these relationships.
Practical implications
Sponsorships are increasingly evolving into minority equity sponsorship agreements, particularly in the European market. The findings of this study assist sponsoring firms and the executives of clubs in better understanding the dynamics and stakeholder-related consequences of these relations.
Originality/value
The findings of this paper illustrate the differences between minority equity sponsorship agreements and both traditional sponsorships and minority equity alliances. The findings also identify major characteristics of these relationships and the interdependencies among these characteristics.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors gratefully appreciate the comments of Erik C. Taylor and Joshua Bendickson on earlier drafts of this manuscript.
Adrien Bouchet and Brian R. Walkup received a grant from the Center for Global Education at the University of Tulsa to collect data for this study.
Citation
Gur, F.A., Bouchet, A., Walkup, B.R. and Jensen, J.A. (2022), "Moving beyond traditional sponsorships: understanding the structure and dynamics of minority equity sponsorship agreements", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 37 No. 9, pp. 1762-1786. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-11-2020-0502
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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