The implications of recency and gender effects in consumer response to ambush marketing

So-called ambush marketers, are companies that use clever advertising imagery (and/or ad placement) to link their brand(s) with a major event, in the minds of its audience, without having to purchase the expensive rights fees that event properties often charge for official sponsorship status. This study uses an experimental design to explore certain effects of the ambush marketing strategy. Its focus is on the potential impact of recency (of ad exposure), as well as gender differences, on measures of memory, brand attitude, and behavioral intentions for brands perceived to be official sponsors. Respondents (n-215) were randomly assigned to groups viewing Olympics programming intercut with advertising for either official sponsors or ambush marketers. No statistically significant differences are observed between males and females in their pretest sponsor recall or recognition levels, whereas recency of ad exposure is found to be a significant influence on posttest sponsor awareness in the aggregate. Significant gender differences are detected, however, in attitude toward the brand and purchase intentions for two of three product categories investigated, as females have higher mean scores for those two measures. The implications of these results are discussed and followed by recommendations for event promoters seeking to preserve the value of event sponsorships, along with defensive advertising-strategies to protect the investments of their official sponsors. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.