The Influence Of Brand Personality In The Relationship Of Ambush Marketing And Brand Attitude

Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: Overview: This chapter will introduce the reader to ambush marketing together with identification of gaps in the current research. Further, this chapter will formulate resulting problems for managerial decisions and consequently propose research objectives. Finally, a brief overview of the methodology together with delimitations will be detailed. Background to the Research: The increased use of ambush marketing in the last decade as a form of communication is widely acknowledged (Brewer 1993; McKelvey 1994; Meenaghan 1994, 1996 and 1998; O Sullivan and Murphy 1998; Sandler and Shani 1989; Shani and Sandler 1998 and 1999). The reason for the increased activity relates to clutter in the marketing communications environment and increased prices for sponsorship. Ambush marketing can be defined as the practice whereby another company, often a competitor, intrudes upon public attention surrounding the event, thereby deflecting attention toward themselves and away from the sponsor (Meenaghan 1994, 1996 and 1998). To date, most literature on ambush marketing relates to whether ambush marketing is ethical or not (Brewer 1993; Ettorre 1993; Meenaghan 1994 and 1996; O Sullivan and Murphy 1998). A clear answer cannot be given, as there is still a dispute between opponents (Brewer 1993; Ettorre 1993), supporters (Schmitz 2005; Welsh in Brewer 1993; Welsh 2007) and opinions that lie in between (Doust 1997; Meenhagan 1994 and 1996; O Sullivan and Murphy 1998; Shani and Sandler 1998). In general, there is an agreement that the term ambush marketing was coined by Jerry Welsh in the 1970s (Brewer 1993; Welsh n.d.). In a marketing framework, ambush marketing is commonly placed among non-traditional marketing communication as opposed to traditional marketing communication (Meenaghan 1994, 1996 and 1998). A commonly acknowledged framework of these new marketing tools is not yet established, and the effects of ambush marketing have received limited attention. To date, the most reliable research relates to effectiveness of ambush marketing, as well as recall and recognition tests on sponsors and ambushing competitors (Sandler and Shani 1989). These tests compare official sponsors with the equivalent ambush companies of an industry. Research on image and sales has not yet been undertaken in relation to ambush marketing (Meenaghan 1998). However, there have been attempts to investigate the effects of ambush marketing on consumer [...]