ABSTRACT
In a globally competitive world, companies are aware of the significance of attracting customers and sustaining their loyalty. As an integrated key component of the marketing mix, the promotion mix is used as a method of communicating to gain attention, provide information and raise awareness. The promotional mix is composed of advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling and sponsorship. Sponsorship has developed as a valuable tool in the promotion mix as a method of escaping the clutter of traditional channels of promotion. There is recognition that it provides a solution to the challenge of how to gain attention and support loyalty at a time when many consumers are apathetic or even hostile to traditional methods of marketing communications. Considered originally as a tactical tool and regarded as a component of public relations, with the benefits of its use for (re)positioning brands and creating customer loyalty, sponsorship has developed into a strategic instrument for marketers.
