Music events and Sponsorship, how do they work?

Previous studies have shown that, sponsorship's' music event sponsor and event congruence influence attitude towards the sponsor, brand awareness and purchasing intentions (Grohs et al, 2004 ; Gwinner and Eaton, 1999; Speed and Thomson, 2000).

Therefore, for the two businesses (music events and potential sponsors) to be successful and have a positive impact on one another, the similarity between the two is extremely important and McDaniel (1999) stated;

“Sponsor and event fit can support the brand to reach its target market and instigate the effective associations"

Therefore, sponsors should seriously consider if their brand image is relevant and connects to the event in question for them to achieve an effective promotion of their products. Along with the research conducted by the authours of “Sponsorship in music festivals can influence the beliefs of the participants” results showed that fan involvement encouraged both the attitude toward towards the event, sponsors and their purchasing intentions, concluding that highly involved fans are increasingly more likely to buy the products and think positively of the music event. This research was also supported by Previous studies resulting in similar results (Alexandris et al, 2007; Bennett, 1999 ; D’Astous and Bitz, 1995; Dees et al, 2008; Fisher and Wakefield, 1998; Meenaghan, 2001; Schurr et al, 1988; Smith et al, 2008; Wann and Branscombe, 1993). “Fans can share the same values as supporters of a team or an event and this strengthens the feeling of unity among them (Wann & Branscombe, 1995).”

"Thus, an indiviudal who is more involved in the event that he attends can comprehend the values of the event and associate these values to the sponsor of the event." (Meenaghan, 2001)

So, over all, research has proven that yea, highly involved fans, who attend more music events and with like-minded business' going into partnerships (eg; NASS and Relentless) fans are more willing to spend more on tickets and products, and not only this but they will also remain loyal to the companies in 'question'. (Smith, et al, 2008)