Malta Tourism Authority and why they use Sponsorship

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to express my gratitude for my research supervisor, colleagues, peers and family whose immense and constant support has been a source of continuous guidance and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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ABSTRACT

Tourism is one of the most vibrant industries in the world today. It has a major influence on Malta's economy. In fact almost 60 percent of revenues are generated through tourism activities.

Broadly speaking, the definition of sponsorship typically includes two activities: (1) Sponsor pays fee or provides in-kind supports to the sponsor and (2) acquires the right to link itself with the activity in order to achieve marketing and commercial purposes. Sport properties fundamentally require a firm understanding of the rationale for sponsors to engage sponsorship relationships. Sponsorship objectives have been defined as overarching corporate marketing, communications, or public relations goals aimed to be achieving through sponsorship. Advertising and resource management should be regarded as a part of the organisation strategic management to gain a competitive advantage. Marketing communication and sponsorship provides a very good tool for an organisation to increase its profile and publicity. At Barclays Bank, once the sponsors clearly define the objectives for the sponsorship, those objectives help guide the sponsorship decision-making process. However, sponsorship decision-making is not based exclusively on the ability of the relationship to achieve corporate objectives. Keeping in view the importance of tourism industry, this paper highlights the importance of tourism policy development and its influence on economic development in Malta. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to the topic. The literature review is covered in the second chapter. The third chapter presents the methodology. In this research, case study approach was adopted. The fourth chapter provides critical analysis of policies developed to enhance tourism sector with a prime focus on sports tourism and generation of revenues. The fifth chapter provides a summary and recommendations for future research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI

DECLARATIONII

ABSTRACTIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Problem Statement2

Purpose of the Study2

Objectives of the Study3

Rationale of the Study4

Significance of the Study5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Sports Sponsorship6

Models of Sports Sponsorships6

Image transfer model and match-up model6

Social alliance model7

Ways of Sports Sponsorships8

Exposure frequency9

Brand Image transfer and event sponsorship9

Sponsorship and Returns11

Sponsorship and Market Expansion11

Sport involvement13

Brand equity and its influence on purchasing decision14

Brand Awareness16

Sponsorship Objectives17

Corporate Awareness18

Enhance corporate image18

Increase sales/market share19

Tourism in Malta19

Why Malta?22

Integration of sports and tourism23

Sport (event) sponsorship structure24

Key Challenges25

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY27

Case study design27

Participants28

Data collection28

Reliability and Validity29

Ethical Concerns30

Informed Consent30

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION32

In-depth Interview Analysis32

Reason for Sponsoring this Event32

Sponsor and Event Manager's Attitudes towards & Practices of Sponsorship Evaluation33

Initialisation of Sponsorship in Sporting Event in Malta34

Discussion35

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION40

Summary40

Conclusion41

Implications of the Study42

Limitations45

Recommendations45

Directions for Future Research47

REFERENCES48

APPENDIX A62

APPENDIX B63

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The sponsorship decision-making process includes all the factors that affect the sponsorship ...