AFTER FIT/CONGRUENCE - Then you need to note that a rights component is offered

(you can merely state that this offers access to consumer markets, and to utilise the
sport (e.g. elite sportsmen or sportswomen) for the purposes of leveraging the
sponsorship.
It then requires a means of assessing how best to leverage. What you need to do here is use
your understanding of sport consumers and the existing and target consumers of the sponsor
organisation, and determine how to leverage and upon what basis (e.g. image transfer, values
transfer, etc ... and where I suggest a SWOT/TOWS analysis, or a table form approach, is to
break down the analysis (be creative, interesting, look for exciting, attention-grabbing, or other
relevant means of exploiting the joint venture of sponsorship, to create a narrative (ie. a story
that has integrity, interest, relevance, depicting the association of the partnership).
You might even develop/experiment with some narrative phrases - that you would like to
highlight as part of the exercise. (e.g. Nike - Just do it - or Nike is sport). This is the creative part
of the plan where you can reveal all aspects of the sport offering that potentially can be
exploited by the sponsorship.
How might the narrative (sponsorship story of association) be developed?
How might the players be used to convey the narrative?
How might the team be used to convey the narrative?
What IMC tools can be used to convey the narrative?
How can the narrative remain positive if players transgress (misbehave)?
How can we diminish the role of ambush marketing and clutter?
How can we make this sponsorship measurable so that you report back to your stakeholders
with an evaluation?
How can we create communications that gain free publicity?
How can we develop a narrative that potentially may be picked up by media distribution,
including social media, key media spokespersons etc?
How can we make this sponsorship memorable, given there exists so much other sponsorship
activity going on in sport generally?

Introduction
In an environment where consumers are constantly immersed in marketing messages, brands are
trying to find ways to attract as well as engage with customers. The increasing competition
between companies means there is a fight for the attention of target markets. In recent years,
there has been a decline in the effectiveness of traditional advertising methods and research
shows that ad avoidance is increasing, so more brands are looking at ways to put themselves
within the programmes people are watching (Stokes, 2005). This is where sports sponsorship
comes in, offering significant benefits to brands, sporting teams, players and leagues as well as
the community. Sponsorship has become a large part of sport that it is now hard to imagine a
sporting event taking place without corporate backing.

Sponsorship is defined as an investment, in cash or in-kind, in an activity or entity, in return for

access to the commercial potential associated with that property (Gwinner & Bennett, 2008). A
main idea behind sponsorship is that the sponsor seeks to gain exposure. This is done by
associating themselves with a sporting entity that already enjoys a high level of interest,
involvement and credibility with the target audience shared by the two parties (Verity, 2002).
There are many benefits, as well as issues to consider for both the sponsor and sponsee when
entering into this type of alignment.
This paper puts forward that a relatively new brand, Under Armour, enter into a sponsorship
alliance with the newly established Australian Football League (AFL) team, the Greater Western
Sydney Giants. To explore the suitability of this proposition, the objectives of both parties will
firstly be examined. The benefits both Under Armour and the Greater Western Sydney Giants
(GWS) can experience will be discussed, followed by a proposed sponsorship strategy.

Under Armour
Under Armour was founded in the United States of America in 1996 and initially started with a
plan to make a superior t-shirt that provided compression, regulated body temperature and
enhanced performance (Under Armour, 2013). It is the originator of performance apparel and
sports gear that is engineered for athletes to keep them cool, dry and light throughout a game,
practice or workout (Under Armour, 2013). The brands mission is to make all athletes better
through passion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation, with their vision being to
empower athletes everywhere (Under Armour, 2013). Under Armour aim to build products
better than what is currently available on the market and want to position themselves as top class.
They guarantee that every product will make athletes better. Their brand values are precise and
meaningful, suggesting the company has a clear direction. Under Armours values are depicted
as follows:
Lets be great: Build great product, tell a great story, provide great service and build a great
team
Integrity
No one person is bigger than the brand: No athlete is either
Make one dollar spend like three: Be creative with resources
Help others: Volunteerism and serving others are vital
Walk with a purpose: Everything is deliberate and there is a long-term strategy/vision
Protect the Under Armour culture, but embrace change: Evolve and innovate
Be humble and stay hungry: Nobody is going to give anything, you have to earn it everyday
When it comes to its marketing objectives, Under Armour positions itself as a high-end, highquality company thanks in part to its pricing strategy, selling their products at a premium
compared to rivals (Campbell, 2013).It sells its products online and through department and
specialty stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia (Omastiak,

2013).
Greater Western Sydney Giants
Greater Western Sydney began playing in the AFL in 2012, after receiving the 18th team license
in 2010 (GWS Giants, 2013). They have four core values which are intrinsic to the club
innovation, integrity, inclusion and aspiration. They believe that being a giant isnt about the
size of your body, but about the size of your heart and your ambition (GWS Giants, 2013). They
have a focus on dreaming big, taking every opportunity as a challenge, realising ones full
potential and inspiring others to do the same. They focus their mission on courage, commitment
and determination. GWS Giants aim to step up, stand tall and succeed against the odds. For the
Giants, the journey is just beginning and they have a long way before being perceived as an
established and successful football team.
GWS are committed to establishing a community focused football club that represents the people
of Greater Western Sydney, the ACT and Southern NSW (GWS, 2013). They realise that it is a
giant ambition, but believe that by working together they can achieve their goals. They focus
their marketing attention to the local region as a way to secure memberships, but their exposure
is nation-wide. The Giants marketing efforts are directed at labelling the Western Sydney region
the land of the Giants (Nadir, 2012)).The challenge for the club is that AFL is not overly
popular in the area, as it is a very diverse ethnic and cultural suburb (Nadir, 2012). This situation
can be interpreted many ways, but may act as a warning side for potential sponsors. The fact of
the matter is however, that AFL is an extremely popular sporting code for the country as a whole,
and the attention teams receive through broadcasting, the media and the general public is
undeniably high.
The underlying link
To establish if the two parties, GWS Giants and Under Armour, are suitable for a sponsorship
relationship, an examination into their values and objectives should be done. Starting broadly, it
is clear that the brand category of performance apparel has an obvious fit within the sporting
industry, making it notable straight away that a link can be made with Under Armour and the
GWS Giants. When selecting a sporting entity, sponsors address a range of criteria to determine
suitability. One of these criteria is if there is some logical association between the sponsor and
sponsee ( ).Since the apparel Under Armour sell is used by athletes, the logical connection
between the two brands can be made. Additionally, sponsors have to consider whether there is a
common target market between the parties ( ). Greater Western Sydney Giants have a broad
target market made up mostly of Australian sports fans. Not all of the target market play sports
themselves, but a large proportion would be involved with sport of some kind, whether it be AFL
or another form. GWS also want to capture a younger demographic in order to secure a fan base
for the future. Included in this market are young aspiring footballers, which is assumedly also a
target consumer of Under Armour due to the fact the brand focuses on improvement and
progress. Having this overlap of target segments makes the sponsorship more attractive.

It is evident through Under Armours values that as a company, they aim to improve
performance, work as a team and work hard to succeed. They place an extremely high emphasis
on innovation as a way to empower athletes to perform at their best. Aside from technology, they
also understand that things dont come easily and that determination and persistence are key.
These principles of the Under Armour brand can be easily transferred to the principles of a
sporting club, especially GWS. Firstly, being a new team, the Giants understand that success will
not come overnight. In their values, they state that aspiration and innovation are core. In order to
be a successful club, it is important that one player does not become bigger than the team, and
this is a factor that Under Armour also value as an organisation. The team objectives of GWS
and the brand objectives of Under Armour have a fit and this is a factor considered important
for successful sponsorship. Research has shown that consumers are more likely to identify a
brand as a sponsor of an event/sport if there is some relationship between the product and the
sport (e.g. a tennis racquet brand sponsoring a tennis tournament) than if there is no relationship
(Gwinner & Bennett, 2008). The term fit has been described as relevance or compatibility
(Gwinner & Bennett, 2008). Gwinner and Eaton (1999) suggest that fit can be conceptualised in
terms of functional (the product is used in the event) or image dimensions (the image of the
event and sponsoring brand are similar). In the case of GWS and Under Armour, there is a clear
functional fit as the sporting technology Under Armour produce can be used by athletes such as
football players. Through the parties objectives, it could also be argued that they have an image
dimension fit, as their values and what they stand for align relatively well. Fundamentally, a key
basis behind sponsorship is that the more logical and relevant (e.g. congruent) the link between
the sponsor and sport, the easier it is for consumers to recall it (Cornwell, Humphreys, Maguire,
Weeks & Tellegen, 2006). Alternatively, when there is a lack of congruence, the value of the
sponsoring brand is reduced because people become less sure of what the brand represents
(Cornwell et al, 2006). As well as the ability for consumers to remember the sponsor, this fit has
a positive influence on purchase intentions (Gwinner & Bennett, 2008). On this basis, a
sponsorship of GWS Giants by Under Armour could be successful for both parties as consumers
are likely to recall the sponsor and make sense of the connection. This congruence is important in
order for both the sponsor and sponsee to reap the full benefits of the alignment.
Benefits of Sponsorship for Under Armour
For a sporting body, sponsorship has the clear benefit of financial support (either through cash or
provision of products/services). The benefits for the sponsor are not so clear cut. However, there
is a range of reasons why sponsorship is advantageous and worth considering from a branding
point of view. The benefits for Under Armour that could derive from a sponsorship with GWS
Giants will now be considered.
A main benefit for sponsors is brand awareness and companies can seek to exploit what
psychologists refer to as mereexposure effect ( ). This is where people (in this case, consumers)
develop a preference for something merely because they are familiar with it ( ). Subtle exposure,

such as printed signs or logos on surfaces, creates an indirect form of persuasion. It also reduces
the risks of consumers resenting being told what they should buy ( ). The hope is that the
consumer will subconsciously be affected by repetitive and prolonged exposure to the brand ().
This is a major reason why Under Armour should sponsor GWS, especially being a brand that is
not as well-known as competitors such as Nike, Addidas and even Skins. It creates brand
recognition among the target group and informs people about the brand. Sponsorship can also
serve as a form of competitive advantage (Tribou, 2011). This is because there are few
differences between competing brands today, one has to be unique and stand out from others.
Most sponsors can benefit from what is called image transfer. This is often a primary objective of
a firm sponsoring a sports property (Henseler, Wilson, & Vreede, 2009).A brands image is
defined as the collection of associations one holds in memory regarding a brand (Gwinner, Larson &
Swanson, 2009). In the case of sponsorship, when the brand becomes linked to a sporting entity,
some of the associations with the sport may become indirectly associatied with the brand
(Gwinner et al, 2009). This linking of the associations is what is meant by the term image
transfer. One may question whether it is desirable to transfer the image of a losing team, but
there is still great opportunity for Under Armour in this respect. It is likely that the Giants will be
a very successful team in the future due to the emerging young talent at the club. When the team
does begin to succeed, the transformation will be notable. Under Armour can sponsor GWS
when they are still battling to be successful and this will in turn lead to greater benefit when the
team begins to improve. Firstly, the consumers can link the improvements made back to the
sponsoring brand. Under Armours mission is to enhance athletes, making it even more likely
that consumers will make this link between team improvement and the branded apparel the
players are wearing and using. Under Armour can also benefit from player endorsements, which
is an aspect of the theory of image transfer. The brand could use star players in their advertising,
which could act as a motivating force in the individuals decision to select and purchase the
endorsed product (Gwinner et al, 2009).
One risk for sponsorship is that the firm can never be sure how the athlete, team or event will
perform and/or be perceived by the target audience (Amis, Slack & Berrett, 1999). As examples,
the athlete could fail a drug test (as seen with Lance Armstrong), the team could fail to reach an
elite level and an event could be a failure. The firm does not have total control over the
sponsorship and this can act as a deterrent. The benefit, however, is that these risks limit
competition for sponsorship and having fewer sponsors means less clutter and more opportunity
for obtaining a competitive advantage (Amis et al, 1999). Because GWS are newly established,
there is no strong connection existent with any other brands and thus an opportunity exists for
Under Armour to create a strong alliance with the team. When there is an existent successful
sponsorship, a new sponsorship may become lost. Take for example Ford, who has been
sponsors for the Geelong Football club for over 85 years (Geelong FC, 2010). This partnership is
believed to be one of the longest continuous sporting sponsorships in the world (Geelong FC,
2010). Their other sponsors such as NIB and the Simonds become secondary to the sponsorship

with Ford and consumers may perceive them as less important. They may even go unrecognised
since the relationship between Ford and Geelong FC are so strong. This would not happen with
Under Armour and GWS and instead, the firm has the potential of creating and building an
alliance as strong as this. Being a new team also means that success is not a term associated with
the club and some sponsors can see this as a negative. If other firms become reluctant to enter a
sponsorship with the Giants, Under Armour can capitalise on less clutter and more attention from
consumers.
Benefits of Sponsorship for GWS Giants
An obvious benefit to a team obtaining sponsorship is the financial support it receives. Greater
Western Sydney Giants will receive a monetary sum in the sponsorship deal as well as the
provision of sporting apparel by Under Armour. Since Under Armour is a brand focused on
innovation and enhancing performance, GWS will benefit from the technological advancements
the company makes in their products.
Additionally, the image transfer process can work in the other direction than discussed
previously (e.g. the image of the sponsor can influence the team) (Henseler et al, 2009). Under
Armour aim to position themselves as elite and of high class, which is an image GWS would
hope to obtain in the near future. Under Armour has a more established brand than GWS Giants,
which can act as a benefit as GWS attempt to gain more support from sport consumers.
Sponsees have to be aware that image transfer from a brand can work in a negative way
(Henseler et al, 2009). Negative associations can be made with brands due to things such as poor
ethical conduct and this can have a damaging impact on the sporting club it sponsors. As an
example, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics were labelled the Coca-Cola Games, but this tarnished the
credibility of the Games (Henseler et al, 2009). Additionally, it has been witnessed through
scandals with sporting figures such as Lance Armstrong. Many sponsors dropped Lance
Armstrong after the doping scandal was revealed, with one sponsor, 24 Hour stating the athlete
no longer aligned with their company's mission and values (Schrotenboer, 2012). GWS have to
consider this when approving any sponsor, but this is a rarity and at this present time, Under
Armour are an reputable brand. The benefits of entering into this corporate relationship far
outweigh the risks.

SWOT/TOWS Analysis
Greater Western Sydney Giants
Strengths
Increased membership numbers from
previous year
Young talent from previous drafts

Weaknesses
Poor on field performance
A lack of a star player
Poor crowd attendances

Well-known and reputable coach in Kevin

Sheedy

Low membership rates (GWS, 2013)

Opportunities
Greater Western Sydney has no other AFL
team
Great room for improvement
Large salary cap to recruit new star players
from other clubs

Threats
Gold Coast Suns are also a newly established
team, with a year advantage and greater
success to date
Other sporting codes are more popular in the
GWS region
The success of Western Sydney Wanderers in
the competing code of

Under Armour
Strengths
Untarnished brand image
Sponsor high performing athletes such as
Michael Phelps (Australian Sporting Goods
Association, 2013)
Pricing strategy positions the brand as high
quality
Performed exceptionally well in the stock
market since first going public in 2005
(Campbell, 2013)
Exists in multiple locations across the world

Weaknesses
Sell through distributors rather than having
own stores
Low relative market share
It has a market cap roughly one-tenth of rival
Nike (Campbell, 2013)

Opportunities
Could open up an independent store
Room to grow and increase market share
Growing trend to be active
Expand celebrity endorsements
Doesnt sponsor any AFL teams at current
time

Threats
Fierce competition in well-known brands
such as Nike and Addidas
Competitor 2XU sponsoring Gold Coast Suns
(Gold Coast Suns, 2013)

TOWS Analysis

Strength Opportunities

SPONSORSHIP STRATEGY
500 words
(TOWS, CREATIVE IDEAS, think of a slogan, wear gear, competitions giving away gear,
advertising campaign emphasising how they will be helping improve GWS, local marketing
strategies, think about IMC and think about the marketing mix objectives (Product- high quality,
performance enhancing, relate that to GWS who clearly need enhanced performance, price
priced as high quality, focused on building reputation first, may not fit with GWS demographic
but still reaching a wider audience with the AFL and can offer discounts to GWS members who
will then see greater value for money, have to emphasise performance first, promotion
discounts for members, place western Sydney, shopping centres,
Conclusion
80 words

References:

Paying the price: Doping case costs

Lance Armstrong
Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports10:30 p.m. EDT October 17, 2012

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2012/10/17/lance-armstrong-sponsors-doping-

case/1640467/
(Schrotenboer, 2012)

Gwinner, K., & Eaton, J. (1999). Building brand image through event sponsorship: The role
of image transfer. Journal of Advertising, 28(4), 4757.

Stokes, B. (2005). Sponsorship industry condemns Nationwide move back to TV ads. Marketing
Week (01419285), 28(49), 16.
Verity 2002 Week 9 article
Journal of Sport Management, 2008, 22, 410-426
2008 Human Kinetics, Inc.
Gwinner is with the Department of Marketing, College of Business Administration, Kansas State
University, Manhattan, KS 66506-0506. Bennett is with the Department of Health and
Kinesiology, Texas
A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4243.
The Impact of Brand Cohesiveness
and Sport Identification on Brand Fit
in a Sponsorship Context
Kevin Gwinner
Gregg Bennett
Gold Coast Suns, 2013
Greater Western Sydney, 2013
Geelong FC, 2013
Ford, 2013
Hensler et al, 2009
UNDER ARMOUR Appoints New Australian Distributor

Australian Sporting Goods Association

Posted on Thursday, 15 July 2010 14:06
Giants failing to connect with western Sydney, by Raf Nadir, 12 June 2012. Roar your sports opinion.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/06/12/giants-failing-to-connect-with-western-sydney/
Sponsorship and Sport Profile: A marriage of convenience. (2012). Sponsorship & Sport: A Marriage of Convenience,
1-19.

Under Armour's Bright Future

By Cole Campbel
May 2, 2013
The Motley Fool
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/05/02/under-armours-bright-future.aspx
Retrived on 9th May 2013

Steele Fitness, Under Armour to Open Apparel

Store in Edina

http://tcbmag.com/News/RecentNews/2013/April/Steele-Fitness-UnderArmour-to-Open-Apparel-Store
Twin Cities Business Magazine, by Rebecca Omastiak
April 30, 2013

Cornwell, B., Humphreys, M., Maguire, A., Weeks, S., & Tellegen, C. (2006).Sponsorship-Linked Marketing: The Role
of Articulation in Memory. Journal of Consumer Research, 33, 312-321

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 & Marketing Research (IJMMR), 2(1), 1-15.