FiT Publishing

Celebrity endorsements in the sport industry continue to increase both in number and value. For example, sport celebrities ascribe their names to such products as soap, soda, cars, underwear, financial planning services, internet services, bubble gum, and a host of sport specific products (shoes, apparel, sports equipment, etc.). These product endorsements can earn a professional athlete substantial sums of money, and for many professional athletes they can actually earn more from endorsements than their player salaries or earnings. However, endorsements are a form of advertising subject...Read more

The case of Robert Donchez lends new meaning to the phrase “he’s such a character.?Donchez v. Coors Brewing Company, 392 F.3d 1211 (10th Cir. 2004). In 1999, Donchez, a Colorado resident and popular vendor at Colorado sporting events, sued Coors Brewing Company and its advertising agency, Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), claiming that the defendants had stolen his persona. Donchez, also known as “Bob the Beerman,?maintained that the defendants had utilized, without authorization and without compensation, his arguably unique beer-vending “Beerman?character in a national advertising campaign...Read more

The United States sports industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Corporations attempt to curry favor with consumers by aligning their products and services with this popular industry through sports sponsorship and endorsement opportunities. The upside to this association is well-documented in the sports marketing literature. Less well known however, is the impact on corporate brands when a scandal erupts around an athletic endorser such as a team, coach, or player. Numerous sports scandals such as the recruiting scandal at the University of Colorado or the Kobe Bryant rape case raise...Read more

To determine how integrated TV advertising and event sponsorship should be best managed and evaluated, a theoretical framework derived from global exploratory research of academic literature and consulting reports was validated by 16 experts. To benchmark the current practices against the best practice integration methods, 12 campaigns, which had sponsored a televised event and placed advertisements during the broadcast of the event, were analyzed via case studies. The investigated competitions included the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament in London and the Olympic Games in Sydney. The examined...Read more

This study explored the role of gender in the transfer of meaning from athlete endorser, to product, to purchase intentions for 150 sport management and kinesiology undergraduates. Most were 18-22-year-old (96%), European-American/White (91.3%), males (68%). Participants viewed photographs of Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee and were asked to identify and describe each athlete. Participants then indicated whether they considered each athlete an expert on products related to her/his sport and whether the athlete's endorsement would influence their purchase...Read more

Description: In an attempt to boost sales and persuade consumers that their product had numerous health benefits, milk producers staged the famousRead more

While sports, and especially the viewing of professional sporting events, plays an increasingly vital role in the lives of sport fans around the world.Read more