Overview of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) and the National Team
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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF BRANDS’ SPONSORSHIP ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL RUGBY TEAM AND THE CONSUMERS’ DECISION TO PURCHASE THE SPONSOR BRANDS IN TSHWANE by Catherine Mpolokeng Sephapo Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce In the subject Business Management at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA Supervisor: Prof. M. C. Cant Co-supervisor: Mrs C. Erdis April 2016 Student number: 50785443 DECLARATION I, Catherine Mpolokeng Sephapo, declare that this research report entitled “An exploratory study on the influence of brands’ sponsorship on the South African national rugby team and the consumers’ decision to purchase the sponsor brands in Tshwane” is my own work except as indicated in the references and acknowledgements. It is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Business Management at the University of South Africa, Pretoria. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in this or any university. ........................................................................... ...................................................... SIGNATURE DATE (Ms) C. M. Sephapo i ABSTRACT Organisations both locally and internationally spend large portions of their marketing budgets on sponsorship opportunities in order to achieve organisational and marketing objectives. The Springboks are in partnership with an assortment of sponsors, from main sponsors to associate sponsors to official suppliers, all with their own objectives to achieve through their affiliation with the Springboks. Although sponsorship is a rapidly growing marketing communication medium, there seems to be uncertainty about aspects related to its impact and effectiveness. The primary objective of the study was to explore the influence that the sponsorship of the Springboks has on the consumer’s decision to purchase the sponsor products within the Tshwane area. The study was an exploratory study and made use of qualitative data collection tools such as naïve sketches and focus group interviews to obtain primary data. The collected data was analysed by means of content analysis. Various variables that impact on the consumer’s final decision to purchase products can be identified and the literature states that limited knowledge exists regarding the influence of integrated marketing communication (IMC) tools on each stage of the consumer decision-making process. Psychological processes that make up consumer behaviour may be impacted by the effects of IMC and acting further to induce a specific decision from the consumer. This study provides knowledge regarding the influence of sponsorship on consumer behaviour. It was found that sponsorship can contribute to increased awareness of sponsors and that it contributes to positive attitudes maintained within the minds of the consumers. As a result of positive attitudes and increased awareness, participants mentioned that they may consider sponsor brands as alternatives in their decision-making process. The final decision to purchase sponsor brands, as indicated by participants, is not dependent on the sponsorship of the Springboks. Key terms Sponsorship, awareness, attitudes, consumer behaviour, decision-making process, sport marketing, Springboks, purchase decision, rugby, Tshwane ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Adam and Magdeline Sephapo. Thank you for believing in me and always motivating me through all seasons of my life. Thank you for investing in me and for all your support throughout my academic career. I thank God for blessing me with parents like you and I dedicate this dissertation to you as a token of my gratitude. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank God for His grace and mercy, that in this season, he has cultivated in me patience, skill and thankfulness through the process of compiling this thesis. Psalm 116: 5 - 9 “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” • I offer my supervisors, Prof M. C. Cant and Mrs C. Erdis, sincere gratitude. Thank you for your continuous guidance through this journey, as well as your support and knowledge. • I would like to thank my employer, UNISA, for its financial support through the master’s and doctoral programme. • I would love to thank my parents Adam and Magdeline Sephapo, my sisters Evodia and Boitumelo as well as my brother Thebe; without your support, prayers and motivation, this would not have been possible. • I am sincerely grateful to Prof J. Wiid. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance and support, for believing in me and my study and always encouraging me whenever I was discouraged. • I would like to thank my friends and support structure: Charmaine Ka Makhaya, Derek Viljoen, Michelle Bester, Marie de Jager and Khanyisile Manzini; thank you for lifting iv me up in prayer through this season, for your unending support and words of encouragement. • I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Department of Marketing and Retail Management for their support and their participation in the study. A special vote of thanks to Yu-ting Hung - thank you for always lending an ear and providing me with words of encouragement. • I would like to thank Glenda Buncombe for your patience and assistance with editing this dissertation and Connie Park for assisting with the formatting of this dissertation. v CONTENTS Declaration ............................................................................................................................ i Abstract ................................................................................................................................ ii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. iv Contents ............................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND SKETCH ........................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 What is sports sponsorship? ........................................................................... 1 1.2.2 Marketing expectations of sponsors in rugby .................................................. 5 1.2.3 Rugby in South Africa and sponsorship .......................................................... 6 1.2.3.1 Currie Cup........................................................................................ 7 1.2.3.2 Super Rugby .................................................................................... 8 1.2.3.3 The Springboks ................................................................................ 8 1.3 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND SPONSORSHIP ...................................................... 9 1.3.1 The consumer decision-making process ........................................................ 9 1.3.2 The use of sponsorship as an integrated marketing communication tool ..... 10 1.3.3 Consumer’s decision-making process .......................................................... 13 1.4 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .................................................................................... 14 1.4.1 Primary objective .......................................................................................... 15 1.4.2 Secondary objectives .................................................................................... 15 1.5 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................... 15 1.6 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 16 1.6.1 Research design ........................................................................................... 16 1.6.2 Sampling design ........................................................................................... 17 1.6.2.1 Target population, context and units of analysis ............................ 18 1.6.2.2 Sampling method ........................................................................... 19 1.6.3 Data collection .............................................................................................. 20 1.6.4 Data analysis ................................................................................................ 21 1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ................................................................................. 22 1.8 CHAPTER OUTLINE ................................................................................................. 22 vi CHAPTER 2 OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION (SARU) AND THE NATIONAL TEAM ..................................................................................................... 24 2.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 24 2.2 THE SOUTH AFRICAN