Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of sponsorship on organizational identification among employees of companies that sponsor individual athletes from the perspective of internal marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted in July 2021 targeting employees of Company A. Specifically, employees were invited to participate via email notifications sent through the company's intranet. To clarify the impact of company sponsorships for individual athletes on employee organizational identification, this study focused on the relationship between Company A and an athlete they support. Psychometric scales were used to measure the factors of the hypothetical model, such as sponsor fit and attitudes toward sponsorship. The analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 28.0 and AMOS 25 Graphics, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

We collected a total of 365 survey responses in two weeks. All the hypotheses in this study were supported, indicating that athlete identification and brand knowledge had a significant positive effect on perceived sponsor fit. In addition, attitudes toward the employer significantly have positive relationships with brand commitment and organizational identification. This study showed that perceived sponsor fit plays an important role in employee perceptions of sponsorship. Athlete endorsement is effective from an internal marketing perspective.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this study is the selection of the research subject. Conducting the same survey targeting individual athletes with different characteristics may lead to discoveries about the impact of corporate sponsorship on employee organizational identification.

Practical implications

The practical implication of this study is that business executives should also use sponsorship for individual athletes as a means to unify and motivate their employees. In selecting athletes for sponsorship, it is necessary to select individuals who fit the company image. In this process, listening to employees' opinions may help select the most suitable athlete who matches the company's image.

Originality/value

Many studies conducted on sports sponsorship have focused on the impact on potential customers, from external marketing. Even in studies examining the effects of sports sponsorship on employees, the sponsored subjects are typically teams or events. Therefore, the originality of this study lies in examining the impact of athlete endorsement on the company's employees from the perspective of internal marketing.

中文翻译：

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运动员认可对员工组织认同的影响：以奥运会运动员为例的案例研究

 目的

本研究旨在从内部营销的角度探讨赞助对运动员个人赞助企业员工组织认同的影响。

设计/方法论/途径

2021 年 7 月，针对 A 公司员工进行了一项在线调查。具体来说，通过公司内网发送电子邮件通知邀请员工参与。为了阐明公司对运动员个人的赞助对员工组织认同的影响，本研究重点关注 A 公司与其支持的运动员之间的关系。心理测量量表用于测量假设模型的因素，例如赞助商契合度和对赞助的态度。使用 IBM SPSS 28.0 和 AMOS 25 Graphics 进行分析，并使用结构方程模型测试假设。

 发现

我们在两周内总共收集了 365 份调查回复。这项研究中的所有假设均得到支持，表明运动员认同和品牌知识对感知赞助商契合度具有显着的积极影响。此外，对雇主的态度与品牌承诺和组织认同显着呈正相关。这项研究表明，感知的赞助商契合度在员工对赞助的看法中起着重要作用。从内部营销的角度来看，运动员代言是有效的。

研究局限性/影响

本研究的局限性在于研究对象的选择。针对具有不同特征的个体运动员进行相同的调查可能会发现企业赞助对员工组织认同的影响。

 实际意义

这项研究的实际意义是，企业高管还应该利用对运动员个人的赞助作为团结和激励员工的一种手段。在选择赞助运动员时，需要选择符合公司形象的人。在此过程中，听取员工的意见可能有助于选择最合适、最符合公司形象的运动员。

 原创性/价值

许多关于体育赞助的研究都集中在外部营销对潜在客户的影响上。即使在考察体育赞助对员工影响的研究中，赞助对象通常也是球队或赛事。因此，本研究的原创性在于从内部营销的角度考察运动员代言对公司员工的影响。