ABSTRACT
Recently sponsorship has become an integral part of marketing communications. A significant number of not only international but also national companies have chosen to use sport sponsorships to reach their various marketing objectives, including increasing brand awareness and brand loyalty and creating or, in some cases, changing brand image. Sports sponsorship can create a unique emotional connection between the products and the consumers.
Globalization in sport, business and broadcasting/telecommunications require the sponsor brands to engage themselves in more integrated and sophisticated arrangements. Although significant research exists within the sponsorship sector that focuses on the effectiveness of sponsorships and the image fit between sport entities and sponsors, this chapter aims to analyse and conceptualize the strategic management of sport sponsorships. In order to do this, it uses the overall marketing strategy of Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, as a good example.
