Attention and brand recall in swimming events: an eye tracker study

• Main Author: Sum, De Hui Stanley
• Other Authors: Leng Ho Keat
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::Marketing::Management
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66436
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Over the years, sports sponsorship has evolved dynamically to become a worldwide marketing communication platform. With the proliferation of sports sponsorship spending, the assessment of sponsorship performance has become a focal point. Previous studies tend to focus on sports events of long duration and failed to use reliable measuring tools to provide empirical evidence. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of sports sponsorship in a swimming event in terms of brand recall. In addition, this study examines the role of attention in brand recall; more specifically, whether there is an association between the attention and brand recall of the spectators. Using a convenience sampling method, 60 undergraduates were recruited. A swimming event was screened to the participants and eye tracking methodology was employed to track their eye movements. Thereafter, a recall test was administered and the data was analyzed using the Chi-square test. The results shows that sports sponsorship in events of short duration can be effective in terms of high brand recall rate. The findings also support the suggestion that attention plays a pivotal role in brand recall and is considered a significant driver of brand recall. However, sponsors should be wary of the false recall associated with sports sponsorship. Practitioners may utilize the findings of this study to maximize the benefit of sponsorship. Future research may investigate and determine the specific characteristics of the perimeter boards that capture the attention of spectators. Keywords: attention; eye-tracker; perimeter board; sponsor recall; swimming