Successful Sport Sponsorship: Lessons from Association Football - The Role of Research

Basic research can make the difference between a successful sponsorship association and a significant marketing failure. In this paper, the importance of using benchmarking is discussed in order to help determine the likely success or failure of any particular sponsorship. It is suggested that between one and two per cent of the total sponsorship budget should be spent on research. The value of such research is demonstrated by a case study of Green Flag's sponsorship of the England national soccer team.