RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Art for the Sake of the Corporation
JF Journal of Advertising Research
JO J Advert Res
FD WARC
SP 77
OP 90
DO 10.2501/S0021849910091208
VO 50
IS 1
A1 Manfred Schwaiger
A1 Marko Sarstedt
A1 Charles R. Taylor
YR 2010
UL http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/50/1/77.abstract
AB This article examines whether exposure to a company's sponsorship of cultural activities such as “high-brow” arts—including classical music, literature, art exhibitions, and museums—provides a long-term increase in the general public's assessment of corporate reputation. As corporate reputation has been found by previous studies to be composed of two primary dimensions (i.e., the likeability of the firm, the competence of the firm), it is of particular interest to examine whether sponsorship of cultural events affects one or both of these dimensions. A two-dimensional model of image transfer is used as the theoretical basis for a study of more than 3,000 German consumers conducted in collaboration with 10 major multinational companies (e.g., BMW Group and Siemens). Results show that some significant effects of culture-sponsoring activities can be demonstrated for the likeability dimension of corporate reputation and some of its antecedents. However, no significant link between culture sponsorships and consumer perceptions of firm competence is found.