The purpose to this study is to find an understanding of the effects of how sponsorship can affect companies and their business and at the same time get a better understanding of how sponsorship is or can be used as a marketing tool in today’s marketing. By using a quality research method we have chosen to use a half structured research method to make it possible to find out how sponsorship as a marketing tool can be used from a company perspective in relation to our chosen thesis. To enhance the readers understanding we describe the base of sponsorship and principals for sponsorship, after that describes a deeper perspective of sponsorship, what sponsorship is, and what factors are needed to be taken into consideration. Further on we illustrate the figure that later on will constitute the analysis with attributes like: association, exposure, relations and integrated communication. We also discuss effects and disadvantages with using sponsorship as a marketing method.

In the chapter of empirical foundation we reproduce a version from the interview made in

association with Swedbank AB (publ), Länsförsäkringar Halland and Halmstads Fastighets

AB.

The conclusion of this study is that sponsorship, today, is a growing and more often used

marketing method among Swedish companies. The sponsorship method is used as a

complement to remaining methods within the promotion mix. Sponsorship is mainly used

as a public relation tool to constitute the base to give rise to image, customer relations but also

to build strong brands in a way of be associated with positive and trustworthy values.

Through sponsorship the companies intentions are to give rise to goodwill, show they are

trustworthy and also show their involvement in the society. The local sponsorship

constitute predominantly part of the total Swedish sponsorship. The messages that are

communicated through sponsorship to the segment have better possibilities to be understood in

a positive way than traditional advertising. After having studying the comparison of different

aspects that have been expressed as important variables by the companies included our chosen

theory for this case study, we believe that the A-ERIC model doesn’t put enough emphasis on

goodwill and therefore should be extended. This could be strengthening further by describing

more in-depth how and why companies conduct goodwill. Goodwill increasing sales and how

much the brand can be strengthened are difficult variables to quantify, which means that a

concrete result of the effects of sponsorship is hard to calculate.

Sponsorship and goodwill are used as keywords for this study.