Sponsors and endorsements

[Nebulous]

Some companies spend a lot of money sponsoring sports.

Is this an effective way of advertising?

When an athlete endorses a product, are you more likely to want that product?

 

[Arantor]

Well, I have never knowingly bought a Nike product in my life (can't be sure that my parents didn't get me some as a kid but fairly sure that wasn't a thing)... though I don't watch sports much so the kinds of products that do get advertised there go whoosh for me.

I know that various products I do get on occasion were 'sponsors' or 'partners' of the Qatar world cup... and it didn't encourage me to purchase. Had I known ahead of time, I may have chosen not to purchase for that particular association, but in general... I shrug at it for sports in particular. Come to think of it I don't really get taken in much by the advertising; I'll see brands and products everywhere but when I actually want to buy something I'll go for either a brand I already trust or do some research...

What it is, though, for big companies is a way to generate some tax write-off...

 

[Kyng]

I mean, if it didn't work, companies wouldn't have been spending so much money on it for decades .

Look at Red Bull, for example. They've spent billions on advertising for Formula One, aeroplane racing, extreme stunts... basically anything that isn't for the faint of heart. And these sponsorships aren't just a means of getting the word out: they're an important part of their brand identity.

As for me, I don't consciously factor in sports sponsorships when choosing new products, but I'm sure I do on a subconscious level!

 

[Jason]

I can't really see or feel the difference between Nike and Reebok. All this as advertisements seem like a mind game.