Cultural Marketing: The Event Sponsorship and its Influence on the Perception of Brand Image by Consumers

Abstract

An alternative to traditional advertising has been the Cultural Marketing by investing in sponsorships or realization of cultural activities, as they allow greater contact of the brand with the consumer. This study analyzes consumer perceptions regarding brands investing in event sponsorship as one of the elements in the formulation of their communication strategies. For this, we verify the relationship of consumer participation in a cultural event with the construction of the brand image of the company sponsoring the event. Once these relationships are established, the research proposition becomes to identify the use of sponsorship as a strategic tool in the activation of brand awareness; in the interrelationship of the values of the event sponsored with the brand image and, finally, in the image building from the sensations caused by the event. The quantitative research used the survey method applied to 426 respondents present in a cultural event with two defined master sponsors, and qualitative research was carried out through three focus groups with young people who participated in recently sponsored events. The results shows that cultural activities can affect the perception of the brand image by the consumer and is necessary that the actions are unprecedented and engagement with this audience is constant. This research fills a gap in the literature and brings contributions for companies that wish to use the sponsorship of events as their promotional tool compound.