Consumer Perceptions of Sport Sponsor's Corporate Social Responsibility Activities

The popularity of sports provides sponsors with a unique opportunity to reach large numbers of customers. The aim of this study was to examine and understand consumers' perception about the sponsors' sport-related CSR activities, and the potential impact of such perceptions on sponsor image, attitude toward the sponsor, and attitude toward a sport property. As such, two studies were conducted to examine the proposed hypothesis. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test design with an experimental and control group was employed. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional quantitative survey design conducted in a classroom setting in the U.S. Study 2 was conducted in a longitudinal research design by replicating Study 1 with participants recruited from 12 countries. These studies provide evidence that the type of information regarding an organization's sport-related CSR activities and sponsorship activity influenced participants' perception of sponsor image and attitude toward the sponsor.