ABSTRACT
Case Summary This paper explores and describes the applications and benefits of using naming rights at football stadiums and multipurpose indoor arenas. For the namesake naming rights offer a broad range of marketing activities, for the arena operator the selling of the naming right generates an additional source of income. In this context independent research was undertaken to compare the naming right activities and contracted revenues in Germany, Europe and USA on the basis of selected examples of stadiums and indoor arenas. Further it shows the options of naming rights and discusses the main communicative functions to a sponsor and the networking possibilities. Finally some light is shed to the critical point of the advertising effectiveness of this sponsorship tool and the problems that might rise with fan protests and resistance by changing a traditional name of an arena to a commercial one.
