publication date: Oct 17, 2012
Over two-thirds of Canadians (69%) would prefer to do
business with sponsors of their favourite causes, according to new research
conducted for
Partnership Group -
Sponsorship Specialists by
Enigma
Research. Significantly fewer Canadians (45%) said they would choose
businesses based on sports sponsorship.
It's not the first time that sponsorship surveys have shown
Canadians valuing charity sponsors more highly than sports sponsors. "This
ongoing trend shows that charities continue to be the most influential affinity
opportunity for brands," said Partnership Group head
Brent Barootes.
Naming rights make
little consumer impact
Those consumer respondents had a big surprise for
both sponsors and "properties" (industry parlance for the charity or event
receiving sponsorship). They're not that interested in seeing a corporation's
name on an event. Prizes, cash, corporate volunteers and free product all held
more customer appeal than a titled sponsorship.
The same preferences hold true for cause marketing. When a
meaningful contribution to a cause is offered, 57% are willing to pay more for
a product, compared to 35% who are willing to accept a contribution markup on arts
or culture products. Even fewer (31%) will pay more for products benefitting sports organizations.
The appreciation gap between cause/charity sponsors and
sports sponsors is especially remarkable when it's compared with actual
consumer involvement. Seventy-six percent of Canadians frequently or occasionally
watch sports on TV, but that participation does not seem to be equally
reflected in consumer response to sponsorships.
For more information, www.sponsorshipgroup.ca
