Commitment in Sponsorship Relationships

Abstract

The study identifies three key determinants of commitment in sponsorship relationships: perceived benefits of a sponsorship relationship, the values shared by sponsorship partners and the tendency towards opportunistic behaviour that a partner might display. Based on these determinants, the study identifies four sponsorship commitment types, namely ‘Calculators and Commercials’, ‘Carers and Communals‘, ‘Cynics and Short-Termers’ and ‘Innocents and Indifferents’. It also highlights three stages through which commitment develops: the engagement stage, the retention phase and the dissolution phase (identified here as the ERD model). The study considers the nature of each commitment type using the ERD phases, then discusses relevant issues for each of these phases. This research enables prospective partners to assess the compatibility of a partner's commitment intentions and helps contribute to the development of more stable and value-adding programs.