Abstract
Details
Keywords
Tobacco sponsorship of sports has increasingly been cast as a public issue on the grounds that it supports pediatric smoking by circumventing advertising restrictions and…
Abstract
Tobacco sponsorship of sports has increasingly been cast as a public issue on the grounds that it supports pediatric smoking by circumventing advertising restrictions and communicating positive brand information to children(28,31,32). Research on tobacco sponsorship effects on children is as yet inconclusive, but growing evidence suggests that sponsorship is an effective medium for building cigarette brand awareness and image among under‐aged youth. Research in this area has been inconclusive in part because it lacks a unified framework in which the various contributions of sponsorship to brand knowledge and use can be analysed holistically. This paper proposes that the brand equity concept(1,2,18) provides such a framework. The paper reviews previous research on tobacco sponsorship and children, and presents findings from a study that assessed the relative contribution of sponsorship to brand awareness among fourteen year‐olds (n=366) in Dunedin, New Zealand. The value of sponsorship‐derived cigarette brand knowledge among youth is expressed in terms of Keller's(18) concept of customer‐based brand equity. The study found that children's awareness of tobacco brands and tobacco sponsorships varied according to their smoking experience, sports interests and gender. Cigarette brands with the strongest event associations were those that sponsored events that had a high appeal for the youth in the study. The brands with the highest unaided recall levels were those that were prominently shown in point of purchase displays in stores frequented by the youth, and included those with the highest sponsorship profiles. The research demonstrates that tobacco companies can achieve significant brand recall among children through sport sponsorship, as well as interest‐based (lifestyle) segmentation and targeting benefits, and brand positioning (personality) benefits. The findings have implications for public policy and industry practice. In policy terms, if the goal of tobacco advertising prohibitions is to denormalise smoking by restricting the positive promotional imagery of cigarettes, then sport sponsorship and point of purchase displays need to be incorporated into advertising legislation. In terms of industry practice, the fact that tobacco sponsorship reaches and influences under‐aged youth stands to be a matter of concern for any entity that does not want this social burden. It is recommended that corporations considering involvement in a tobacco‐sponsored event should evaluate the reach of the event and the potential effects of its promotions on youth. Where a youth‐interest connection has been demonstrated for the event, corporations should weigh the social risks and costs of the sponsorship. For non‐tobacco related entities these costs include the potential negative impacts of tobacco‐linked event cross‐promotions on their own brands and corporate image.
Details
Keywords
D.S. Leathar and G.B. Hastings
The value of social marketing must ultimately depend on its ability to provide unique and practical assistance to those involved in “furthering social causes.” This article…
Abstract
The value of social marketing must ultimately depend on its ability to provide unique and practical assistance to those involved in “furthering social causes.” This article discusses what is unique about social marketing and then assesses its contribution in one specific area: health education.
Concerns about underage drinking have led to calls for a UK ban on alcohol sponsorship of sport. Such a ban would have severe financial consequences for many sports, so should not…
Abstract
Concerns about underage drinking have led to calls for a UK ban on alcohol sponsorship of sport. Such a ban would have severe financial consequences for many sports, so should not be implemented without thorough consideration of its likely effectiveness. This study investigating the alcohol consumption intentions of 14 and 15 year olds showed that boys who were involved in sport were more likely both to drink alcohol and to get drunk, with awareness of sponsorship enhancing the likelihood of these behaviours. Girls involved in sport, however, showed more negative attitudes than their peers towards alcohol. It is argued that boys involved in sport are socialised into a traditional masculine alcohol and sports culture, which is reinforced by sponsorship. Evidence from studies on tobacco sponsorship suggests that health-related marketing communications and the use of low-alcohol or non-alcohol brands for sports sponsorship could be more effective than a ban in changing the culture.
Details
Keywords
Jane McKay‐Nesbitt, Carol W. DeMoranville and Dan McNally
The purpose of this paper is to contend that one way to advance the social marketing discipline is by introducing students to social marketing concepts during the early stages of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contend that one way to advance the social marketing discipline is by introducing students to social marketing concepts during the early stages of their marketing education. Thus, it describes an interdisciplinary group Social Marketing Plan (SMP) project that was included as a class project in an introductory marketing course. An analysis of the SMP's impact on student learning is presented.
Design/methodology/approach
Foundations of Marketing (Foundations) students at a US university completed an SMP project as a course requirement. Project impact was assessed with post‐project measures of students' ability to apply social marketing concepts in a SMP. Project impact was also assessed with post‐project measures of attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teams and pre‐ and post‐project comparisons of declarative marketing knowledge, environmental awareness, environmental attitudes, and environmental intentions. A post hoc comparison of the commercial marketing knowledge of a control group and Foundations students was also conducted.
Findings
End of semester surveys showed that Foundations students understood and were able to apply social marketing concepts, enjoyed the SMP project, appreciated the value of working in interdisciplinary teams, and believed that future SMP projects should include students from other disciplines. Foundations students also reported significant increases in environmental awareness, attitudes, and intentions, and commercial marketing knowledge. Contrasts with a control group revealed that adding social marketing concepts to an introductory marketing course did not impede Foundations students' learning of commercial marketing concepts.
Originality/value
The paper provides evidence that incorporating a social marketing project into an introductory marketing course is an effective method for introducing students to social marketing concepts, therefore advancing the social marketing discipline. Changes in student environmental attitudes and intentions to act to preserve the environment also suggest that a SMP project can be an effective method of doing social marketing.
Details
Keywords
Gerard B. Hastings and Philip P. Aitken
There has been a long debate about whether there is a link betweentobacco advertising and children′s smoking. Reviews the evidence forsuch a link drawing on a wide range of…
Abstract
There has been a long debate about whether there is a link between tobacco advertising and children′s smoking. Reviews the evidence for such a link drawing on a wide range of academic research that has adopted three approaches to the problem: studies of consumer response; studies using econometric methods; and studies of the impact of advertising bans. Preaches the conclusion that, within the inevitable confines of social science research, it is no longer tenable to deny that cigarette advertising does influence children′s smoking.
Details
Keywords
Franco Manuel Sancho, Maria Jose Miguel and Joaquin Aldás
The purpose of this paper is to analyze, within the consumer socialization theory framework, the influence of three socialization agents (parents, peers and advertising as part of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze, within the consumer socialization theory framework, the influence of three socialization agents (parents, peers and advertising as part of media content) over alcohol consumption intentions among young people, differentiating between underage and overage individuals.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured interviews were performed in both high schools and a university to analyze the hypothesized model.
Findings
The results show that both positive and negative expectancies towards the perceived consequences of consuming alcohol are the main antecedents of consumption intention. Moreover, all three considered agents have either a direct and indirect effect on those expectancies; and advertising plays a more important role on underage audience intentions to consume alcohol.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate that consumption intention among adolescents and young adults is affected by parents, peers and advertising. However, each social agent has a differential effect on young people.
Social implications
This research highlights the importance of strict regulation (or even restriction) on alcoholic advertising to reduce the effect on youth.
Originality/value
The paper develops a comprehensive model to explain some (of the many) relationships underlying alcohol consumption among young people.
Details
Keywords
Robert James Thomas, Gareth Reginald Terence White and Anthony Samuel
The purpose of this study is to evaluate children’s perceptions and attitudes towards sponsorship transition, specifically the change from Nike to PUMA as kit sponsors for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate children’s perceptions and attitudes towards sponsorship transition, specifically the change from Nike to PUMA as kit sponsors for Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) in July 2019.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 368 children, between 7 and 16 years of age were recruited for the study. Using electronic diaries, 1,577 diary entries were captured between February 2019 and March 2020.
Findings
Data reveals that children conceptualise sponsorship as a social exchange, with sponsoring brands seen as human entities and interaction with them reflecting the dynamism of social and familial relationships. Consequently, children in this study demanded prosocial and interpersonal behaviours from sponsors and sponsee during the transition period.
Research limitations/implications
The research has an immediate and direct application for brand managers and the sponsee when considering terminating long-term sponsorship. Both the departing and incoming sponsors can maximise their relationships with these younger fans through an orchestrated departure, arrival and dedicated handover.
Practical implications
The findings enable marketing brand managers to effectively evaluate sponsor transition to maximise opportunities to maintain, and indeed start, brand relationships with younger fans.
Originality/value
This is the first study that has examined sponsorship children’s responses to sponsorship transition.
Details
Keywords
Siobhan Farmer and Lorna Porcellato
The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions of alcohol held by schoolchildren using the “Draw and Write” tool, to inform the planning of alcohol education in the classroom…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions of alcohol held by schoolchildren using the “Draw and Write” tool, to inform the planning of alcohol education in the classroom setting.
Design/methodology/approach
A specifically designed “Draw and Write” booklet was used with 169 children aged nine to ten years (Year 5) across seven primary schools in a small Local Authority in North West England. Written responses were thematically coded.
Findings
Results demonstrated that the children had a good basic understanding of alcohol, including who drinks, where it can be purchased and the range of products available. Participants were aware that alcohol could be harmful and held mainly negative views. Findings suggest that alcohol education at this age is both appropriate and necessary to help children explore, understand and clarify their perceptions and misconceptions in a safe classroom environment.
Practical implications
The range and depth of responses from the children demonstrated that Draw and Write can be used successfully to explore children’s perceptions of alcohol. The tool can be used as a baseline assessment to inform classroom-based alcohol education for primary school teachers and those supporting delivery at local level, in line with national policy recommendations.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the existing literature on the use of “Draw and Write” in personal, social and health education, demonstrating that it can be used specifically to investigate children’s knowledge and attitudes about alcohol.