Sponsor-event congruence effects: The moderating role of sport involvement and mediating role of sponsor attitudes

The authors examine the moderating effect of sport involvement in the association between sponsor-event congruence and consumer responses. University students (N = 118) took part in the experiment. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results show that sport involvement moderates the effectiveness of sponsor-event congruence on sponsor credibility, influencing attitude toward the sponsor and intention to purchase the sponsor’s product. Research findings imply that a sponsorship campaign, in which sponsor-event congruence occurs, may have the power to deliver a product relevant message to consumers who are involved in sports via a central route.