ABSTRACT

Research question

The few publications discussing sport sponsorship from a network approach lack sufficient explanations for resource integration. Building on the sport value framework, sponsorship, and engagement literature, our objective is to conceptualise sport sponsorship as an engagement platform on which the sponsee grants access and both sponsees and sponsors integrate resources. As such, we differentiate between contractual resource integration and sponsorship engagement. Furthermore, we aim to investigate empirically what types of resources are integrated within multiple sponsor–sponsee networks for a better theoretical foundation of our conceptualisation.

Research method

We apply a three-stage qualitative Delphi method with 61 experts from sport sponsorship practice in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Results and Findings

The results indicate that multiple sponsors, as well as the sponsee, integrate resources beyond the sponsorship contract. These resources include management competencies, technical competencies, networking skills, innovative ideas, and products and services.

Implications

This study conceptualises sport sponsorship as an engagement platform. This understanding contributes to theorising about sport sponsorship. Sponsorship serves as more than a pure promotional and sales tool. The results show that voluntary resource integration can lead to strategic partnerships with access to knowledge and expertise. These findings enable us to refine our conceptualisation of sport sponsorship as an engagement platform. Consequently, sponsors can co-create business networks, leading to technology transfer and benefits from economic specialisation. Sponsees gain a better understanding of their role as facilitators of sponsors’ resource integration. That is, they take over the operator role, thus increasing their monetary and non-monetary value.

中文翻译：

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资源整合中的“加倍努力”：将体育赞助概念演变为参与平台

摘要

研究问题

从网络方法讨论体育赞助的少数出版物缺乏对资源整合的充分解释。基于体育价值框架、赞助和参与文献，我们的目标是将体育赞助概念化为一个参与平台，在该平台上，赞助商授予访问权限，赞助商和赞助商都可以整合资源。因此，我们区分合同资源整合和赞助参与。此外，我们的目标是通过经验研究在多个赞助商-赞助商网络中整合了哪些类型的资源，以便为我们的概念化奠定更好的理论基础。

研究方法

我们对来自德国、奥地利和瑞士的体育赞助实践的 61 位专家应用三阶段定性德尔菲法。

结果和发现

结果表明，多个赞助商以及赞助商整合了赞助合同之外的资源。这些资源包括管理能力、技术能力、网络技能、创新理念以及产品和服务。

影响

本研究将体育赞助概念化为一个参与平台。这种理解有助于对体育赞助进行理论化。赞助不仅仅是一种纯粹的促销和销售工具。结果表明，自愿资源整合可以导致获得知识和专业知识的战略伙伴关系。这些发现使我们能够将体育赞助的概念化为一个参与平台。因此，赞助商可以共同创建业务网络，从而实现技术转让并从经济专业化中受益。赞助商可以更好地了解他们作为赞助商资源整合促进者的角色。也就是说，他们接管了运营商的角色，从而增加了他们的货币和非货币价值。