Effectiveness of Esports Sponsorship in Mobile Legends Professional League on Brand Association and Purchase Intention
Main Article Content
The esports industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, attracting the attention of various sponsors to utilize these platforms in achieving their business goals. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of esports sponsorship in the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) on brand associations and consumer purchase intentions. Using a quantitative approach and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques through SmartPLS, data was collected from 160 respondents who are active in the esports community in Indonesia. The results showed that positive attitudes towards sponsors (?=0.461, p<0.001) and sincerity of sponsorship motives (?=0.177, p=0.039) had a significant effect on brand association. Sponsor-event suitability (?=0.241, p=0.030) and activity engagement (?=0.240, p=0.004) were also shown to strengthen brand associations. For purchase intent, attitudes towards sponsors (?=0.391, p<0.001), sincerity of motives (?=0.223, p=0.013), and activity involvement (?=0.197, p=0.037) showed significant influences. This research model was able to explain 88.3% of brand association variance and 85% of purchase intention variance. These findings provide strategic insights for esports sponsors to optimize their investments through an authentic and relevant approach to the target audience.
[2] Aaker, D. A. (1996). Measuring brand equity across products and markets. California Management Review, 38(3), 102-120.
[3] Abreu Novais, M., & Arcodia, C. (2013). Measuring the effects of event sponsorship: Theoretical frameworks and image transfer models. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(4), 308-334.
[4] Alexandris, K., Tsaousi, E., & James, J. (2007). Predicting sponsorship outcomes from attitudinal constructs: The case of a professional basketball event. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 16(3), 130-139.
[5] Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423.
[6] Biscaia, R., Correia, A., Rosado, A., Ross, S., & Maroco, J. (2013). Sport sponsorship: The relationship between team loyalty, sponsorship awareness, attitude toward the sponsor, and purchase intentions. Journal of Sport Management, 27(4), 288-302.
[7] Cornwell, T. B., & Coote, L. V. (2005). Corporate sponsorship of a cause: The role of identification in purchase intent. Journal of Business Research, 58(3), 268-276.
[8] Cornwell, T. B., & Maignan, I. (1998). An international review of sponsorship research. Journal of Advertising, 27(1), 1-21.
[9] Cunningham, G. B., Fairley, S., Ferkins, L., Kerwin, S., Lock, D., Shaw, S., & Wicker, P. (2018). eSport: Construct specifications and implications for sport management. Sport Management Review, 21(1), 1-6.
[10] Grohs, R., & Reisinger, H. (2014). Sponsorship effects on brand image: The role of exposure and activity involvement. Journal of Business Research, 67(5), 1018-1025.
[11] Gwinner, K. P., Larson, B. V., & Swanson, S. R. (2009). Image transfer in corporate event sponsorship: Assessing the impact of team identification and event-sponsor fit. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 2(1), 1-15.
[12] Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
[13] IEG, LLC. (2017). IEG's guide for sponsorship. Retrieved from https://www.sponsorship.com/ieg/files/59/59ada496-cd2c-4ac2-9382-060d86fcbdc4.pdf
[14] IEG, LLC. (2018). What sponsors want & where dollars will go in 2018. Retrieved from http://www.sponsorship.com/IEG/files/f3/f3cfac41-2983-49be-8df6-3546345e27de.pdf
[15] Kim, Y., Lee, H. W., Magnusen, M. J., & Kim, M. (2015). Factors influencing sponsorship effectiveness: A meta-analytic review and research synthesis. Journal of Sport Management, 29(4), 408-425.
[16] Meenaghan, T. (1983). Commercial sponsorship. European Journal of Marketing, 17(7), 5-73.
[17] Meenaghan, T. (2001). Understanding sponsorship effects. Psychology & Marketing, 18(2), 95-122.
[18] Newzoo. (2020). Newzoo global esports market report 2020. Retrieved from https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/newzoo-global-esports-market-report-2020-light-version/
[19] Newzoo. (2023). Global esports & live streaming market report 2023. Retrieved from https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/newzoo-global-esports-live-streaming-market-report-2023-free-version
[20] Reitman, J. G., Anderson-Coto, M. J., Wu, M., Lee, J. S., & Steinkuehler, C. (2020). Esports research: A literature review. Games and Culture, 15(1), 32-50.
[21] Speed, R., & Thompson, P. (2000). Determinants of sports sponsorship response. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(2), 226-238.
[22] The Nielsen Company, LLC. (2019). Esports playbook for brands 2019. Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/05/esports-playbook-for-brands-2019.pdf
