Sponsorship and the Drinks Industry in the 1990s

Sponsorship has been a growth area in the marketing mix through the 1980s with “corporate” aims joining brand‐directed objectives in recent years. The alcoholic drinks industry has now the second biggest sponsorship spend of any sector. The market is subdivided into five areas. Sports sponsorship has traditionally been the largest sector but new legislation is likely to see sponsorship of the media, especially television, increase very rapidly, at the expense of involvement in sports. Many pundits also foresee a rise in resources applied to the arts, education, social and charitable sponsorship. The drinks industry is likely to make greater use of corporate sponsorship to achieve a positive image to help fight off restrictive legislation.