Sponsorship for Women in Motorsport a Study About Which Criteria That Attracts Companies to Sponsor Women in Motorsport

Sponsorship for Women in Motorsport A Study about which Criteria that Attracts Companies to Sponsor Women in Motorsport

Jessica Bäckman Carolina Mella

Business and Economics, master's level 2020

Luleå University of Technology Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences Acknowledgements

We have now reached the final project as students at Luleå University of Technology, which is the degree project. Therefore, we would like to thank everyone who has helped us complete this project. Not least our supervisor Seyedeh Fatemeh Mostafavi Shirazi who has given us good advice and support along the way. We also feel a lot of gratitude to all the interviewed companies who took their time to accurately and extensively answer our questions. Finally, thanks to Peter Nilsson who has been our opponent and have contributed with feedback along the way to make our degree project as good as possible.

Luleå, June 2020

______Carolina Mella

Abstract

A sponsorship within sports can be based on different criteria depending on what type of company you ask. Thus, it is important for the athletes to be able to present the most attractive criteria within their sponsorship proposals. The aim of this study is therefore to provide a better understanding on which criteria that attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport. The result from this study can thereby guide women in motorsport regarding which criteria they should include in their sponsorship proposal. Moreover, the result can help companies who are interested in getting a deeper understanding on the benefits that follows by sponsoring women in motorsport. The study is exploratory with a qualitative approach that has been conducted through case studies, which was based on semi-structured interviews with four companies. These companies were selected since they are currently sponsoring women in motorsport and could therefore explain which criteria, they find attractive with these sponsorships. The main findings of this study show that the criteria that mostly attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport are media exposure, brand awareness and equality between genders.

Keywords: Sponsorship; Women in Motorsport; Selection criteria

Sammanfattning

Sponsring inom sport kan vara baserat på olika kriterier beroende vilket företag man frågar. Därmed är det viktigt för idrottare att kunna presentera de mest attraktiva kriterierna i sina sponsringsförslag. Av den orsaken är syftet med denna studie att ge en bättre förståelse för vilka kriterier som attraherar företag att sponsra kvinnor i motorsport. Resultatet från denna studie kan därigenom vägleda kvinnor inom motorsporten gällande vilka kriterier de bör inkludera i sina sponsringsförslag. Studien kan även hjälpa företag som vill få en djupare förståelse för fördelarna som resulterar av att sponsra kvinnor inom motorsporten. Den här forskningen är undersökande med en kvalitativ strategi och har genomförts med hjälp av fallstudier, baserade på semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra stycken företag. Dessa företag valdes ut eftersom de för närvarande sponsrar kvinnor inom motorsporten och de kan därför förklara vilka kriterier de tycker är attraktiva med dessa sponsorskap. Resultatet av denna forskning visar att de kriterier som främst lockar företag att sponsra kvinnor inom motorsporten är medieexponering, varumärkeskännedom samt jämställdhet mellan könen.

Nyckelord: Sponsorship; Women in Motorsport; Selection criteria

Table of content 1. Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Background ...... 1 1.2 Problem discussion ...... 2 1.3 Research purpose and research question ...... 3 1.4 Delimitations ...... 4

2. Literature review...... 5 2.1 Sponsorship ...... 5 2.2 Sponsorship in Motorsport ...... 7 2.3 Sponsorship selection ...... 8 2.3.1 Sponsorship policy ...... 8 2.3.2 Sponsorship selection criteria...... 9 2.4 Women in Motorsport ...... 11 2.4.1 Sport sponsorship for women ...... 12 2.5 Conceptual framework ...... 14 2.6 Frame of reference ...... 15

3. Methodology ...... 16 3.1 Research purpose and approach ...... 16 3.2 Research strategy ...... 17 3.3 Sample selection ...... 17 3.4 Data collection ...... 19 3.5 Data analysis ...... 21 3.6 Data quality ...... 22 3.6.1 Reliability ...... 22 3.6.2 Validity...... 23

4. Empirical data...... 26 4.1 Decision-making for sponsorship ...... 26 4.2 Selection process and criteria ...... 27 4.3 Sponsoring Women in Motorsport ...... 29

5. Data Analysis ...... 31 5.1 Decision-making for sponsorship ...... 31 5.2 Selection process and criteria ...... 32 5.3 Sponsoring Women in Motorsport ...... 33

6. Conclusions and recommendations ...... 37 6.1 Conclusions ...... 37 6.2 Recommendations ...... 39 6.3 Theoretical contributions ...... 40 6.4 Practical contributions ...... 40

6.5 Limitations ...... 41 6.6 Recommendations for further research ...... 42

Reference List ...... 43 Articles ...... 43 Books ...... 47 Websites ...... 47

Appendix A. Intervjuguide

Appendix B. Interview guide

List of Figures Figure 2.1: Conceptual framework for sponsorship for women in motorsport ...... 14

List of Tables Table 2.1: Frame of reference ...... 15 Table 3.1: Selected companies ...... 18 Table 3.2: Length of interviews ...... 21 Table 5.1: Main findings of data analysis ...... 36

1. Introduction

This chapter will begin with some background information about sponsorship and will then be more specifically oriented into sponsorship within motorsport. The background information will be followed by a problem discussion, the research purpose and the research question. Lastly in the chapter, the delimitations of the study are described.

1.1 Background

Sponsorship is used to achieve communications effects with a specific selected audience (Meenaghan & Shipley, 1999) and can be described as a way for companies to communicate and advertise in the business world (Berglund & Fransson, 2018). The concept sponsorship is in this study related to financial support from companies to sports, in exchange for advertising purposes (Maldonado-Erazo et al., 2019; Barreda & Moliner, 2004). Berglund and Fransson (2018) state that today, companies invest in sponsorship with the aim to create brand awareness and to increase their sales. A sponsorship agreement is normally between two parties, where one of them pay the other for the commercial rights to for example an event. These commercial rights can be used in different ways, such as an advertising sign or a name on an arena (Berglund & Fransson, 2018). Sponsorship is often used as an international language by companies and is common in sports that are broadcasted all over the world. This method therefore gives the company the ability to reach out to customers in an easier way (Ameri & Bashiri, 2010; Smith, 2008; Smith et al., 2008; Doherty & Murray, 2007).

Many companies that want to increase their sales, normally invest in sponsorship for motorsport (DeGaris, 2010). Motorsport is a sport that consist of different types of vehicles and is for instance practiced in karting, rally, rallycross, touring cars and single seaters (Hoyes & Collins, 2018). Companies invest in motorsport since it offers them different marketing assets, for example mobile marketing opportunities, logotype placement on the vehicle and VIP events with hospitality at the racing tracks. Previous research has shown that driver appearance can attract a lot of people by doing giveaways, contests and product sampling that in turn provide benefits for the company that sponsor the driver (DeGaris, 2010). Furthermore, DeGaris (2010) state that sponsorship in motorsport provides brand awareness and effectiveness which create interest among companies. One of the main factors for a company in sponsorship, is the driver and its characteristics (DeGaris, 2010). According to Cornwell,

Pruitt and Van Ness (2001), companies that sponsor motorsport interested in associating their brand and products with the characteristics of motorsport such as speed, technology and excitement. The aim with this kind of sponsorship is to make the customers see the linkage between the company and these types of characteristics (Cornwell et al., 2001). Another important factor, related to the driver, is the performance on the racing track. This since the company have the ability to get a good feeling, knowing they are connected to a winner. A successful driver also results in a marketing advantage for the company (the sponsor) on account that the driver and the driver’s vehicle get more exposure in media and specifically on television (DeGaris, 2010).

It is rare that women compete in the highest level of motorsport and therefore, when a woman performs well at a race, it becomes conspicuous. As a result of that, her identity becomes more meaningful as a racing driver within a homogenous sport (Pflugfelder, 2009). Furthermore, Pflugfelder (2009) explain that a female driver can be seen as someone who distinguishes from the norm within motorsport. The author describes that managers of racing teams for example, explains that gender has no significant meaning when it comes to performance in motorsport. A woman who compete in motorsport is “just a racer” like any other male driver. But even if there are people who thinks that every driver, regardless of gender, is just a racer, there will always be people who are skeptical over women’s ability to handle a race car (Pflugfelder, 2009). According to Lumsden (2010) and Scharff (1991), the passenger seat in a car has been the place where women through the history have been placed. This has in turn resulted in a norm that makes the driver seat a place for males (Lumsden, 2010). Therefore, this study will investigate how companies evaluate sponsorship proposals for women in motorsport.

1.2 Problem discussion

Motorsport is one of those sports where women and men compete against each other on the same conditions. Moreover, it is a sport that is dominated by thousands of men and there is only a small percentage that consist of women (Matthews & Pike, 2016). The authors continue and state that this feminist statement that says that both genders has “equal access to opportunities” (p.1534) is difficult to understand. This since only eight percent of all drivers’ licenses for motorsport in 2015 were women. A driver's license for motorsport is a certificate that a driver needs to have to be able to compete and it shows that the driver has completed a

safety and driver education. This percentage means that women are hugely underrepresented among the male competitors (Matthews & Pike, 2016; Scraton & Flintoff, 2002).

Matthews and Pike (2016) state that the challenges for women in motorsport were recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which in 2009 created the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission (WMC). The WMC was established with the purpose to create a sporting culture that simplifies women's participation in motorsport with focus on equal opportunities within the sport (FIA, 2020). Since 2013, FIA has produced dedicated women in motorsport publications (FIA, 2018) to promote women. These publications are produced and advertised within motorsport networks, events and organizations (Matthews & Pike, 2016). To be able to attract more girls and women into a sport like motorsport, it requires other women to already be within it. In 2011, FIA Women in Motorsport Commission members stated that female role models at the elite level are necessary for attracting young female drivers to start competing in motorsport. Therefore, they started to work towards equal opportunities for women in motorsport (Matthews & Pike, 2016). Moreover, Matthews and Pike (2016) state that women without an interest in sport in general, do not realize that motorsport can be a hobby if they are not familiar with these publications.

Motorsport is an expensive sport to practice (Singh, 2013) and the driver’s ability to stay in the sport is dependent on money, which many drivers do not have themselves. Therefore, they need someone who can help them with the financial parts, like a sponsorship (DeGaris, 2008). There have been some studies before about sponsoring motorsport, but those studies have focused on sponsoring motorsport teams. The studies that have been about individuals, have mostly focused on tobacco and alcohol companies that sponsor the drivers. Since there is a few of these kinds of studies in Sweden, this study has focused on sponsoring women in a male- dominated sport like motorsport.

1.3 Research purpose and research question

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding on which criteria that attracts companies to sponsor motorsport. Special focus will be on female drivers within motorsport since there are only a few of them. This study will lead to that women in motorsport understands which criteria they need to include in their sponsorship proposal. It is also useful for companies

to understand the reasons why other companies choose to sponsor women in motorsport. Therefore, the purpose has resulted in the research question:

RQ: Which criteria attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport?

1.4 Delimitations

This study will focus on which selection criteria that are used by Swedish companies to sponsor an individual woman in the male-dominated sport, motorsport. Due to the limited period of time, this study will only analyze from the sponsoring company’s point of view and not from the female driver’s point of view. The study will only be based on companies that are already sponsoring women in motorsport and not potential sponsors.

2. Literature review

In this chapter an overview of literature from previous studies regarding the research area of sponsorship for women in motorsport will be presented. The theoretical overview will begin by presenting theories about sponsorship, sponsorship in motorsport and theories regarding sponsorship selection criteria. In the end of the chapter, a description of women in motorsport and sport sponsorship for women is presented.

2.1 Sponsorship

The concept of sponsorship has different meanings depending on in what context the concept is used. According to Berglund and Fransson (2018), there are some people that have the idea that sponsorship does not give anything back to the companies that sponsor because they only see it as a gift or a pure charity. Moreover, the authors state that companies choose to sponsor local athletes and associations where the counterpart to the sponsor is, at best, a logo or a sign. Researchers believe that sponsorship is an agreement between two parties, where both parties achieve profits from it (Berglund & Fransson, 2018). Furthermore, Urriolagoitia and Planella (2007) believe that an effective sponsorship requires both parties to be committed. This approach indicates that sponsorship can no longer be seen as one-way communication, where one party provides another with financial support. In this process, both parties become involved and that requires consideration from both sides (Urriolagoitia & Planella, 2007).

According to Berglund and Fransson (2018), sponsorship can be used as a marketing tool. It can for example be about compelling marketing where focus is on the relationship, where people meet and socialize in a place or context that affects their interests. Meeting sponsors in such contexts, for example at a racing track, makes the permit for sponsorship much easier to reach, compared to communicating through traditional marketing such as advertising (Berglund & Fransson, 2018). Based on this, Berglund and Fransson (2018) describe that sponsorship is a business agreement where both parties must be winners within the sponsorship. Furthermore, the authors note that sponsorship is a tool that companies can use in their communication, both internal and external (Berglund & Fransson, 2018). Chadwick and Thwaites (2004) agree with Berglund and Fransson (2018) that sponsorship is an effective way of communicating and can thus be used for the purpose of achieving different goals. Goals such as; exposure through marketing communication, creating competitive advantages and

relationship marketing as well as networking by building relationships with key customers and partners. Berglund and Fransson (2018) continue and note that sponsorship also is about the benefits that companies can provide from sponsorship. This by increasing brand awareness, strengthening the brand image and can also be used as a way to increase the company’s sales. Lamont, Hing and Gainsbury (2011) explain that out of all marketing strategies, sponsorship is the most popular one to use.

The current sponsorship concept for sport was born in the second half of the 19th century in the United States. The word sponsorship refers to the financial support that a company provides to sports for its advertising purposes. As with a general sponsorship, it is possible to define sports sponsorship according to different approaches such as financial, contractual and commercial (Maldonado-Erazo et al., 2019). Sports sponsorship is part of sports marketing and can lead to benefits such as television or other media exposure which in turn can lead to effective brand awareness, promotion and publicity for the sponsoring company within sports (Greenhalgh, 2010). A sport sponsorship can be described as a communication tool where activities can be exchanged for rights between companies and athletes. These rights are defined in the form of the sponsor’s marketing communication strategy and can be expressed by the company’s marketing- and communication goals. The goals are measured in terms of the link between goals and desired results (Maldonado-Erazo et al., 2019).

Maldonado-Erazo et al. (2019) state that previous studies of sponsorship have made it possible to understand that sponsoring sports has a value for marketing. Moreover, Ajibua and Momoh (2011) describe that companies are aware that activities within sports has a great capacity to reach a wide audience, given that companies who are connected to these sports have a great chance of reaching the hearts of the people. This through the sports ability to generate feelings that sponsors are looking for in order to sell their products (Ajibua & Momoh, 2011). Maldonado-Erazo et al. (2019) continues and describe that the performance of a team or an athlete represents a major influence on the purchasing intent of the sponsors' products. In order to generate a return on sponsors investment through the purchase of products, the fans passion for the athlete are required and a good understanding of the sponsor's integrity (Maldonado- Erazo et al., 2019). Furthermore, Ajibua and Momoh (2011) describe that previous research has shown that sports that generates attention with good media coverage utilize the company's image, which in turn increases product sales. Irwins, Sutton and McCarthy (2002) state that an effective sales and marketing approach for companies, is to be involved with an athlete. This

by using the athletes fame to help companies with the marketing and sales of corporate products (Irwin et al., 2002). For an expensive sport like motorsport, a sponsorship is the heart of the sport and is often more competitive than the sport itself (DeGaris, 2010).

2.2 Sponsorship in Motorsport

Motorsport has evolved over the years, from how fans interact with the sport, to how companies utilize the sport for marketing purposes (Shanahan, 2019). According to DeGaris (2010, p.21), “sponsorship is the economic engine of motorsport”, where all money that comes from sponsorship are the reason why some drivers can afford to compete in the sport (DeGaris, 2010). Shanahan (2016) state that drivers in motorsport must understand why companies choose to spend money on the sport and what they want to achieve from it. Business owners and marketing departments are not willing to spend money on a driver in exchange for a sticker on the racecar. Moreover, Shanahan (2019) describe that companies want to work with drivers who have dedicated target groups and who can contribute to increased brand awareness and sales. DeGaris (2010) explain that for successful motorsport teams and drivers there is only a small proportion of the total revenue that comes from race wins. Furthermore, many motorsport teams consider sponsorship as way to compete against other teams about the sponsorship deals (DeGaris, 2010).

Shanahan (2019) state that for some years ago, the advertising value for a sticker on the race car was enough for companies to sponsor motorsport. Nowadays, companies want more and therefore drivers are increasingly working as models, ambassadors, salespeople and lecturers to achieve a bigger value. Moreover, drivers have an audience, both online and people that follow them on the tracks, therefore Shanahan (2019) claim that the driver have something valuable to offer different companies. Motorsport sponsorship has increased its reputation as an effective way of marketing and has also increased the attention from large corporate sponsors (DeGaris, 2010). Moreover, DeGaris (2010) assert that there are still many drivers and teams in motorsport that struggle to get sponsors since they fail to communicate the value of the marketing benefits that a sponsorship provides. Finding companies that want to sponsor motorsport is a challenge and it becomes increasingly tough considering the costs of competing in the sport. In order to obtain a successful sponsorship of motorsport, drivers and teams in motorsport must focus on adopting a customer-oriented approach. Hence, companies will only

invest in sponsorship if managers are convinced of its value for their profits and brands (DeGaris, 2010).

A racing driver who can increase their audience and offers will also be able to attract more sponsors. It is therefore important for drivers to take plenty of time and work on their social media and think about what they can offer companies and why their offers are an important part of a sponsorship package before contacting companies (Shanahan, 2019). Another important factor according to Shanahan (2019), is that drivers must understand the company’s goals in order to know how to help the companies achieve these goals. After knowing the company's goals, the drivers can start contacting companies by first creating a sponsorship proposal document, also known as the pitch document. The pitch document should be there to describe the specific package that is available. Moreover, it can provide more information about the driver in general and information about what the driver is competing in (Shanahan, 2019). The format on the pitch, may vary depending on what kind of potential sponsor that are contacted. Emails should connect the decision-maker and sell them to the idea of working with the driver. A company do not choose just a random driver to sponsor, they analyze the driver’s ability to fulfil the company’s selection criterions for a sponsorship before they make a choice.

2.3 Sponsorship selection

This section is an overview of sponsorship selection where information about company’s sponsorship policy as well as their criteria regarding sponsorship selections is explained.

2.3.1 Sponsorship policy

Vance, Raciti and Lawley (2016), Masterman (2007) and Meenaghan (2013) argue that a company has three different criteria when looking at sponsorships: sales-, marketing- and brand building-related objectives. Furthermore, the authors explain that the selection criteria also can be based on what is written within the company’s policy regarding sponsorship. Here, the decision-makers for a sponsorship look into rankings and analyze them against the sponsorship policy. The policy is often connected to their mission statement, but this connection might not be as logical and visible for people outside of the company (Vance et al., 2016; Cunningham, Cornwell, & Coote, 2009). According to Cornwell (2008), the sponsorship policy consists of a document where the company has written what they will sponsor, and other factors related to a sponsorship agreement. This can for example include the company’s target audience and the

number of sponsorships the company will undertake during a time period and the amount of sponsorship to every sponsored (Cornwell, 2008).

Meenaghan (1983) explain that a company’s policy might say that they should “avoid sponsorships which attract too much or too little publicity” (p.28). Moreover, a company might only focus on a certain type of sport or some other program. Therefore, it can be hard to understand how the selection process works in the company (Meenaghan, 1983). Furthermore, the connection is not so strict between the sponsorship selection and sponsorship policy since individual judgements is a depending factor in the decision-making process (Vance et al., 2016; Johnston, 2010; Daellenbach et al., 2013). The psychological factors are the main reasons behind the decision, such as conviction and other motivations that affects the company’s decision-maker (Vance et al., 2016; Hall, 2007). Moreover, the decision-making process depends upon the individual decisions and the actions that comes with it (Vance et al., 2016; Daellenbach et al., 2013; Johnston & Paulsen, 2014). Therefore, the authors state that a corporate culture can be named as a multi-faced role within this selection of sponsorship (Vance et al., 2016). According to Johnston (2010), that analyzed over 1000 organizations, the author found that companies with experienced senior executives are more likely to sponsor sport.

2.3.2 Sponsorship selection criteria

Sponsorship do not only involve a policy, it also consists of a selection process, where some particular criterion must be met (Tripodi, 2001). Criteria such as sympathy between targets of sponsor and sponsored, the image of the sponsored and its willingness to cooperate. Other criteria are geographical reach of the sponsored, expected sponsorship costs and benefits as well as the opportunity to combine the sponsorship into the marketing strategy (Walliser, 2003; Hermanns et al., 1986; Püttmann 1991; Thwaites et al., 1998). Ukman (1999) describe different sponsorship criteria that sponsors should consider before making their decision on who to sponsor. The criteria are; media coverage, ability to impact consumer sales, image compatibility, audience composition and ability to motivate retailers (Ukman, 1999). Meenaghan (1983) and Greenhalgh (2010) continues on the same pattern as Tripodi (2001) and Ukman (1999) and describe even more criterion that a company base their selection of sponsorship on, (1) the possibility of the sponsorship to fulfil its objectives, (2) how the company will be associated with the sponsorship, (3) the ability to be seen in media, (4) the

amount of money that is required, (5) the geographical reach of the target group, (6) the ability to have guest hospitality, (7) executive preference, (8) the employees understanding of the sponsorship, (9) what type of sponsorship, (10) exclusiveness, (11) the eventuality of bad publicity in media, (12) legal and tax aspects (Meenaghan, 1983; Greenhalgh, 2010; Irwin, Assimakopoulos & Sutton, 1995).

Greenhalgh (2010) state that a company can use different selection criteria depending on whether it is linked to a sponsorship objective or to a standalone criterion. That standalone criteria can for example be the cost of the sponsorship and is not related to other objectives within the company. Despite that, cost is an important factor to evaluate in the decision of a sponsorship (Greenhalgh, 2010). Previous research has found that the decision-makers for a sponsorship, with a background in the marketing sector, are more focused on sponsoring sports that could result in a return on investment. While the decision-makers with a background within public relation are more interested in social responsibility and goodwill investments (Greenhalgh, 2010; Berrett & Slack, 1999). Furthermore, Berrett and Slack (1999) explain that the personal relations between the involved parts (the sponsor and the sponsored) have an important role when it comes to enter a sponsorship.

Greenhalgh (2010) explain that there are several factors that affects who the decision-maker is and how the decision is made. Factors such as cost are of an important role, the more money involved, the more centralized is the decision-making process within the company. A company’s gatekeepers have the role to look through larger sponsorship proposals before it is handed further to the decision-maker. The local and regional proposals are normally handled directly by the decision-maker. Moreover, Greenhalgh (2010) indicate that the majority of the sponsorship proposals are handled by the marketing department and “the sponsorship decision- maker is a key piece of the overall sponsorship decision-making process” (p.30). Shaw and Amis (2001) agrees with Greenhalgh (2010) that the decision-maker has the most important role within a sponsorship decision-making process. The authors found that whether a company choose to sponsor a male or a female, is based on the decision-makers values and beliefs. Moreover, the decision is based on the media representation of the sport and the research show that there is a financial difference between a male sport sponsorship deal and a female (Shaw & Amis, 2001). According to Morgan (2019), there was no female athlete named as one of the world’s highest earning athlete in Forbes magazine 2018.

2.4 Women in Motorsport

For women, motorsport is not a new sport for them to practice, they have been a driver within the sport for over one hundred years (Matthews & Pike, 2016; Ameye, Gils & Delheye, 2011). There is a lot of women to be mentioned and one them is Maria-Teresa de Filippis from Italy, who was the first woman to race in Formula One (F1) when she competed in the modern European Grand Prix race (F1 race) in 1958 (Brantley, 2015). Then there is also the Italian, Lella Lombardi, who was both the last woman to start an F1 race in 1976 and the only woman to score points since F1 started in 1950 (Matthews & Pike, 2016). In F1, points are handed out to the drivers that finish in the top ten (Mitchell, 2018). Moreover, Matthews and Pike (2016) explain that Susie Wolff was after that the first woman in 20 years to participate in a Grand Prix weekend when she drove in a practice session for the British Grand Prix in 2014. Shortly after the drive she decided to quit since she no longer thought she could achieve her goal of racing in F1 (Matthews & Pike, 2016; Benson, 2015).

Matthews and Pike (2016) state that women participate more regularly in the American based NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and IndyCar series, and the European based championship of Le Mans. Despite this, women are still significantly underrepresented in comparison to the men (Matthews & Pike, 2016; Bouzanquet, 2009; Charters, 2006; Jamieson & Tutthill, 2003). Furthermore, motorsport consists mostly of men such as flag marshals, pit crews and team owners. Although motorsport claims to be an equal sport, it does share characteristics with other sports where gender itself is in favor of male control (Matthews & Pike, 2016). This gender story in motorsport of a male dominated environment has been recognized and maintained by media coverage. Some early prejudices about women in the 1930s emerged where, for example, motorsport was considered too risky for women. This made women increasingly under-represented in terms of number of competitors, which in turn affected women's success in terms of results (Matthews & Pike, 2016). Furthermore, Matthews and Pike (2016) describe that women needed to fight against the preconceptions that was created in a male-dominated sport. This since men made the rules to suit themselves and women were expected to just accept them (Matthews & Pike, 2016; Bullock, 2002). After dispersing these prejudices, women in combination with the rapid professionalization of the sport, had limited participation opportunities and continued to push mediated stereotypes about female drivers (Matthews & Pike, 2016).

Motorsport is one of few sports in the world where the drivers' gender cannot be immediately recognized since the drivers are in vehicles with helmets and suits on. The dominant image of women in F1 and other areas in the motorsport sector is often strongly heterosexual traits such as grid girls, as well as when the top three drivers are applauded by hundreds of female models going from the track to the podium (Matthews & Pike, 2016). Furthermore, Matthews and Pike (2016) describe that people's perception of women in motorsport can be changed for the better. This in line with the fact that more women are encouraged to realize that motorsport is a viable career option, both as a driver, but also for example as mechanics, engineer and data analysts. To be able to achieve this, women need to become less discriminatory, get fair media exposure and greater partnerships throughout the sporting structure to facilitate and provide opportunities for young talents in motorsport (Matthews & Pike, 2016).

2.4.1 Sport sponsorship for women

To be a female within a male-dominated sport is not easy, Harris (2005) explain that female athletes find it hard to maintain their femininity while they try to meet the demands of the sport. Therefore, women that not exercise sports like for example football or basketball, are being labelled as masculine (Anderson, 1999). According to Morgan (2019), this label has started to slowly disappear, and the focus has shifted to the women’s performance, rather than their gender. Women are now becoming more and more visible as media personalities, fans, athletes and broadcasters. The change started in the beginning of 20th century when companies changed their approach and started to use women as outward face for their brand. Furthermore, Morgan (2019) state that companies have come to the conclusion that female athletes deliver value within their marketing and embrace other women to exercise sport. Previous research describe that women most likely respond more favorably to opportunities that involve supporting other women (Horning, 2018; Funk et al., 2001). Moreover, literature have indicated that women trust other women and therefore a lot of women try to help each other by supporting women's sport (Horning, 2018; Bennett et al. 2007, Edwards & La Ferle 2009; Ridinger & Funk 2006). However, gender solidarity has not been researched enough yet when it comes to women's sponsorship responses to create a meaningful line of inquiry (Horning, 2018).

According to Lough (1996), companies that sponsor women’s sport have realized other benefits, for example extended audience profile since the women’s sport might attracts another demographic fit, size and extended media coverage, promotional opportunities and sales

objectives. Previous research has shown that companies have different goals when sponsoring women’s sports compared to traditional sports. The companies that sponsor women’s sport want to create brand awareness, while those who sponsor traditional sport are more focused on sales and marketing (Lough & Irwin, 2001). According to Shaw and Amis (2001), sponsorships for men’s sport are more unstructured and cluttered compared to the women’s sport and their sponsorships.

A sponsorship for women normally includes a lower amount of money then the men’s sponsorship. Research has shown that the fee for a women’s sponsorship is reduced since the women’s sport in general, receive less media coverage (Pegoraro, O’Reilly & Levallet, 2009; Shaw & Amis, 2001). Alay (2008) assert this claim and describe that professional sport (sport where athletes receive payments) normally are male-dominated and women receive less media coverage (Theberge, 1991; Hargreaves, 1994). Furthermore, Pegoraro et al. (2009) describe that companies see this type of sponsorship as an opportunity. Women in sports are attractive to sponsors through the increased growth for sponsors' investments in events (Pegoraro et al., 2009; Shaw & Amis, 2001). Citizens and organizations around the world are starting to see the need for increased equality between women and men. This provide bigger pressure for companies to be socially responsible, which contribute to a greater potential for increased sponsorship for women in sports (Pegoraro et al., 2009). According to Shaw and Amis (2001), the small percentage of women in sport can be seen as a disadvantage for some companies when they consider sponsorship. Moreover, this under-representation of women that practice sport, can result in less media exposure and therefore, lower investments in women’s sport (Alay, 2008).

2.5 Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework for sponsorship for women in motorsport as shown in Figure 2.1, will guide the conduct of the research.

Criteria for sponsorship • Media exposure • Brand awareness • Equality between genders

Intentions for companies to sponsor Women in Motorsport

Increasing Women’s Motorsport participation

Figure 2.1: Conceptual framework for sponsorship for women in motorsport

In general, Lough (1996) and Greenhalgh (2010) describe that companies who sponsor women in sports have seen many benefits. Benefits such as extended media exposure and extended audience profile since women in sports might attract another demographic fit, sales objectives and promotional opportunities than the men. Berglund and Fransson (2018), Greenhalgh (2010) and Lough and Irwin (2001) continues to say that companies sponsor women in sports in order to create brand awareness. According to Pegoraro et al. (2009), citizen and organizations are starting to realize a need for increased equality between genders. Furthermore, Morgan (2019) describe that women are becoming more visible as athletes and media personalities. This since the companies has realized that the female athletes provide good value in marketing as well as motivates other women to exercise sports (Morgan, 2019). Pegoraro et al. (2009) continues and explain that these three factors indicate for good intentions for companies to sponsor women

in sports. Furthermore, these criteria are key factors for increasing women’s motorsport participation (DeGaris, 2010).

2.6 Frame of reference

Table 2.1: Frame of reference

Subjects Items References Media exposure Greenhalgh (2010) Intentions for Lough (1996) companies to sponsor Berglund and Fransson (2018) Women in Brand awareness Greenhalgh (2010) Motorsport Lough and Irwin (2001) Equality between genders Pegoraro et al. (2009)

Brand awareness Shanahan (2019) Decision-making for sponsoring Women in Motorsport Increased sales Shanahan (2019)

Increasing Women’s DeGaris (2010) motorsport participation

3. Methodology

This chapter will describe what research methods that have been used for this study. First, a description of which research purpose and approach that has been used is presented. After that, the research strategy is presented. In the end of the chapter the data collection method is described and lastly, a description of the data analysis and data quality is presented.

3.1 Research purpose and approach

There are three different types of research purposes when doing a research; descriptive, exploratory and explanatory and these three could also be used together with each other (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2012). This study was based on an exploratory research strategy. Since the research question and purpose had the aim to create a better understanding of what it is that attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport. According to Saunders et al. (2012), an exploratory research can be used when analyzing a problem. Like for example when the researchers have the aim to get a clearer picture of the problem. Within an exploratory research it is of great importance to ask open questions to have the ability to create knowledge about the topic of interest (Saunders et al., 2012). These types of questions were used when the interview guide was created, as could be found in Appendix A and B.

There are two different methods to use when collecting data; quantitative and qualitative (Saunders et al., 2012). This study used a qualitative approach and according to Saunders et al. (2012), a qualitative approach can be described as a data collection technique, where information is collected through non-numeric data. The qualitative approach differs from the quantitative approach where data is collected through numbers. This study used the qualitative approach since it was made to create a better understanding of companies’ opinions regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport. Moreover, Brod, Waldman and Christensen (2009) state that instead of searching after correlations between factors, the qualitative data contemplate social and cultural constructions of the factors for the research. The qualitative approach was beneficial for this study since the interviewed companies gave the study a deeper understanding of attractive criteria for sponsoring women in motorsport.

Saunders et al. (2012) describe three types of research approaches; deductive, inductive and

abductive. A deductive approach is when the researcher uses existing theory to develop a theoretical framework and then explore the theory by empirical observations. The inductive approach is when researchers collect data and see general themes and then develop theory from that (Saunders et al., 2012). Further, Saunders et al. (2012) explain that an abductive approach is when the researcher collect data and from that, identify themes, explore phenomena and explain patterns. This study used a deductive approach since it was based on existing theory when the research problem was discussed as well as when the research question was formulated. Within a deductive approach, the research is narrowed down from a general perspective to a specific perspective and the theory is either being verified or falsified by the data collection (Saunders et al., 2012).

3.2 Research strategy

Within a qualitative research, there are several strategies that can be used and two of the main strategies are case studies and action research. This study used case studies as research strategy since the study was made to investigate the subject from the four chosen companies’ perspective. According to Saunders et al. (2012), a case study can be used when researchers want to investigate a topic within its context. Case studies are more substantially to use when the research questions ask what, why and who (Saunders et al., 2012). According to Saunders et al. (2012) can a holistic strategy be used when a research is made with the perspective from the whole company and not from a specific department. This study used multiple holistic case studies since four companies that are currently sponsoring women in motorsport where interviewed. Therefore, the unit of analysis is the respondents at the four companies that participated within this study and they will be presented in the following section.

3.3 Sample selection

The companies that were chosen (see Table 3.1) for this study were selected through the authors own knowledge and research about which companies that already sponsor women that compete in motorsport. The sampling method for the study was purposive sampling since it was important that the study was based on opinions from companies that are sponsoring women in motorsport. According to Saunders et al. (2012), a purposive sampling is used when the most suitable respondents for the research question are chosen by the researcher. The benefits that follows by this sampling method is that the study will be based on opinions from companies

that are currently sponsoring women in motorsport. Further, a disadvantage with this sampling can be that it is hard to find companies that are sponsoring women in motorsport since there is not so many women in Sweden that are competing in motorsport at the moment.

The respondents got information about this study through an email and then a question if they had the ability to participate within it. This email got sent to 17 companies that are currently sponsoring women in motorsport, but it was only five of them that responded to the email. In the end, the study only got four respondents since the fifth company stopped to reply on both emails and phone calls. One phone interview with each company was made where all of the researchers’ questions were asked to fulfil the purpose of the study. While multiple emails were done with the company that preferred an email interview, in order to get a deeper understanding of why the company are sponsoring women in motorsport.

Table 3.1: Selected companies

Company Industry Company A Wholesale of beverages

Company B Manufacture of chemical products

Company C Wholesale of hardware

Company D Manufacture of machinery

Company A is a company that develop, produce and sell beverages and the respondent within this company had the position as Athlete Marketing Manager. This respondent was chosen since it was the Athlete Marketing Manager that handle the sponsorship questions. Company B produce second-generation renewable fuels with raw material, which consist of a residual product from paper and pulp production. The respondent within Company B had the position as CEO assistants and was chosen since it was the contact person that handle communication questions at the company. Company C is a company that sell hardware to professionals within the west and south part of Sweden, within this company it was the CEO that was the respondent. The respondent was chosen since the company did not have a special marketing or communication department and the CEO makes the bigger decisions regarding sponsorship. Company D is one of Sweden's leading suppliers of plates, pipes and rods in structural plastic.

The respondent within this company was the Marketing Director since it was the person that handle sponsorship within the company.

3.4 Data collection Saunders et al. (2012) explain that data exists in two forms, primary and secondary data. Secondary data consist of information that other researchers already have collected as raw material for their research (Saunders et al., 2012). This study utilized secondary sources by searching for literature by using keywords such as: sponsorship; women in motorsport; sponsorship criteria; selection criteria. Moreover, the databases that was used to search for this was the electronically library at Luleå University of Technology and Google scholar where the criteria Peer Reviewed Journals was included. Primary data is new data, which has not been collected by someone else before and the information that is collected comes directly from the source (Saunders et al., 2012).

For collecting the primary data, this study made interviews through telephone with three of the four selected companies and one email interview with one of the companies. Saunders et al. (2012) describe different types of interviews: structured interviews, semi-structured interviews and unstructured/in-depth interviews. A structured interview normally consists of a questionnaire, were the questions is predetermined and the interviewer read the question and records or write down the answer from the respondent with help from a standardized table. There is no possibility to ask supplementary question within a structured interview. This type of interview is often used to collect quantifiable data and is therefore, more common in a quantitative approach (Saunders et al., 2012).

Further, Saunders et al. (2012) explain that when it comes to a semi-structured interview, the interviewer has a paper with some important keywords and questions on. Within a semi- structured interview, it is normal that the interviewer skips some questions in some interviews, while some are added in others. This type of interview could also be described as qualitative research interviews (Saunders et al., 2012) and it was a semi-structured interview that was used in this study. The third type of interview is the unstructured interview which are used to get a deeper understanding of a general area. In this type of interview there is no schedule to follow with listed questions. Within an unstructured interview, the interviewer talks freely about things related to the area of interest and it is more like a normal conversation between the interviewer and the respondent. Therefore, it is common that this type of interview sometimes is called non-directive (Saunders et al., 2012). The semi-structured interview should be based

on an interview guide, that is developed from the researcher’s knowledge of the area, for example the previous research within the literature review (Brod et al., 2009). The interview guide for this study can be found in Appendix A and B. Furthermore, the authors describe that the guide and the question are created like a funnel where the first questions are more general about the research subject and the last questions are more specified (Broad et al., 2019).

According to Saunders et al. (2012), a telephone interview can be a good method to use when the distance between the participants makes it hard to see each other for a face-to-face meeting. A telephone interview can also be used even if the participants is not affected by distance, since it makes the data collection faster. But a disadvantage with a semi-structured interview through telephone is that the interviewer is not able to see how the respondent reacts and behaves when answering the questions. The study used this data collection method since the majority of companies that were interviewed were located in the south of Sweden and the study was made in the north of Sweden. This study was made during the COVID-19 situation and the restrictions made it difficult with physical meetings. According to Carr and Worth (2001), the reliability of a telephone interview can be seen as high as the reliability of a face to face interview. The length of the telephone interviews can be seen in Table 3.2.

The email interview can be classified as an electronic interview that is made offline (asynchronous). This type of interview is useful when the distance between the participants is too long (Saunders et al., 2012). Therefore, this study used an email interview, since the respondent company was located in the south of Sweden and the researchers located in the north, as previously stated. Another reason why this study used one email interview was because the selected company preferred to only participate through email. According to Saunders et al. (2012) and Morgan and Symon (2004), an email interview is built on several emails, where a few questions is stated in each of them instead of one email based on a series of questions. This in order to first introduce the topic in a compelling way to make the participant wanting to respond to the questions and after that continue to ask further questions. Email interviews can therefore be an ongoing process for a few weeks until the interviewer have got all answers that are needed from the respondent (Saunders et al., 2012).

Table 3.2: Length of interviews

Company Telephone Email Company A 5 emails

Company B 15 minutes

Company C 21 minutes

Company D 23 minutes

3.5 Data analysis

The data within a qualitative research are depending on the social interpretation from the respondent. Therefore, the qualitative data can differ from quantitative data since it can be characterized as more non-rigid, complex and dubious (Saunders et al., 2012). Moreover, the authors state that when analyzing qualitative data, it is of importance to be delicate to the three characteristics. Since the qualitative data consists of words rather than numbers, it is necessary to understand and clarify the meaning of these (Saunders et al., 2012). This because a word can have more than one meaning. When analyzing qualitative data, David and Sutton (2016) state that there are five stages to go through. The first stage for the researcher is to categorize the data and by that give the data a name or a code. Second in the process is unitizing and that could be described as the data being distributed into relevant categories that matches with the data. After that, the researcher can identify relevant patterns and key terms that could be found within the data. The process is then followed by the fourth stage which is where the propositions of the theory is tested. In other words, the researcher analyzes what already has been said about the subject and makes sure that the relevant patterns and key terms are carefully assessed. The last step in analyzing data is to draw conclusions of the research (David & Sutton, 2016). This study has used these steps when the data was analyzed and when the conclusions were drawn.

Furthermore, Saunders et al. (2012) describe that when the research is based on a deductive approach, there are two ways to analyze the data: pattern matching and explanation building. Pattern matching is when a pattern, which is based on previous theory, is being predicted and can be used if the research has developed a conceptual framework. Explanation building is a type of pattern-matching, within this method, an explanation is being built at the same time as

data is collected and analyzed. The method is used to test theory in an iterative way (Saunders et al., 2012). This study used pattern matching in the data analysis.

3.6 Data quality

The quality of the collected data is according to Saunders et al. (2012), affected by its reliability and validity. Therefore, it is important that the research design is adapted to minimize the risks of getting invalid results, as described below (Saunders et al., 2012).

3.6.1 Reliability

Saunders et al. (2012) describe that a high degree of reliability is achieved when the result of the research has been obtained through the correct use of tools and the ability to conduct and interpret interviews correctly. Reliability also means that another researcher should be able to detect logical results by reading the research, if the research has been conducted correctly (Saunders et al., 2012). According to David and Sutton (2016), reliability is an important variable to avoid false results. David and Sutton (2016) continues to describe that it sometimes can be difficult to achieve a high degree of reliability for studies conducted primarily by interviews. This because it is not possible to formulate the result from data in figures and statistics through interviews in the same way as it is possible through questionnaires, which means that the consequence of the result can be difficult to achieve (David & Sutton, 2016). Saunders et al. (2012) continues on the same line by explaining that it is at this point that potential failures can occur in the result. This can happen if the interviews for example are conducted in stressful situations or other personal factors that may be threats for the reliability of the research (Saunders et al., 2012).

Saunders et al. (2012) describe that these threats can be categorized into four groups. The first threat is research errors that can arise from misconceptions of the researchers as it may be due to poor preparation. The second threat is the research bias that can arise if the researchers deliberately rewrite the empirical data to fit the research results. Participant error is the third threat that can affect how the participants respond to the questions during the interview which is affected by where and when the interview takes place. While the last threat is participant bias where the participant might feel insecure or stressed during the interview which could lead to misleading answers (Saunders et al., 2012).

Regarding this study, both researchers were well prepared and informed before each interview to make a professional impression during the interviews. Secondly, the interviews were conducted by both researchers so that interpretation errors would not occur. In addition, the respondent companies were carefully selected. The primary focus was to ensure that the interviewed companies had sufficient knowledge of sponsorship by only selecting respondents from companies that currently sponsor women in motorsport. This also led to a higher reliability of the study since the interviews consisted of both relevant and valuable information, which was important for further analysis. Lastly, the interviews were conducted in quiet environments and during times that suited the respondents' time schedules. This in order for the respondents to not feel stressed and insecure during the interviews. Which was done in order to increase the chance that the respondents would answer honestly. Furthermore, when assessing the quality of the study, it is important to consider the validity of the study.

3.6.2 Validity

According to Saunders et al. (2012), validity regards whether the research measures what it intends to measure and within a qualitative research it can be divided into internal and external validity. Internal validity refers to the extent to which the interviews actually measure what is to be measured and to what extent it contains questions that actually affect the research area. It is therefore important to have clear boundaries in the research problem and research question, and that the questions in the interviews are well formulated and not angled to achieve certain answers (Saunders et al., 2012). In order to ensure the internal validity, the interview questions were first approved by the supervisor in order to ensure that the right questions were asked and that they were not misinterpreted before the telephone interviews with the selected companies started.

The internal validity also entails certain threats, where the first threat is past or recent events which is an event that can change the perceptions of participants. This threat does not exist in qualitative studies as it is the event that the researcher intends to study (Saunders et al., 2012). The second threat is testing which according to Saunders et al. (2012), is the effects of testing on participants' actions or opinions. The respondents can for example, think that the result of the research can lead to negative consequences for them (Saunders et al., 2012). In order to respond to the threats that the respondents in the interviews think that the research result can

lead to negative consequences, all respondents were given the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to be anonymous or not in the interviews. Furthermore, the respondents were informed that the information shared will not pose any risk for the companies. The third threat is instrumentation which is the effect a change of a research instrument produces between different stages in a research project. This in turn affects the comparability of the results (Saunders et al., 2012). Since this study was done during the COVID-19 period it could be a risk that the situation affected the responses from the selected companies. It could affect the study since some of the respondents maybe had the virus and therefore, could not return our emails or phone calls. Moreover, it could also affect the respondents and companies’ ability to answer our questions since they might have gotten dismissed and no one replaced their position for the moment. Therefore, there is a possibility that some companies could not participate in the study even if they would have wanted to. The COVID-19 situation could also affect the financial part of the companies so that they do not have the ability to deliver the sponsorship that was promised. The COVID-19 situation has also led to that the motorsport competitions has been moved forward to the end of the year without spectators which can affect companies’ willingness to sponsor. Many companies might want to move the sponsorship to next year or longer to make sure that they get maximum effect out of the sponsorship.

In order to respond to the threats of changing research instruments, the interviewed companies got the same questions through the data collection. This in order to be able to make a comparison between the respective interviews with the companies. While the fourth threat is mortality which is the effects that arise when participants decide to withdraw from studies (Saunders et al., 2012). The threat of mortality was not a problem in this study as each respondent chose to conduct the interviews without interruption. Maturation is the fifth threat which according to Saunders et al. (2012), is the effects that arise when changes occur outside the research’s influence, which in turn, can influence the participants' behavior and attitudes. The last threat is ambiguity about causal direction which is the lack of clarity about causes and effects. For example, during a research, it can be difficult to determine whether poor performance ratings are caused by negative attitudes or whether negative attitudes are caused by poor performance ratings (Saunders et al., 2012). Neither maturation nor ambiguity about causal direction affected this study.

The external validity is according to Saunders et al. (2012), whether the study has the ability to generalize the result to another context. The external validity was compromised in this study

since a limited selection of companies that currently are sponsoring women in motorsport were interviewed. This meant that statistical generalizations could not be obtained. According to Saunders et al. (2012), qualitative research does not need to be generalizable since the result can still be of beneficial value to companies in several areas that want to sponsor women in motorsport or other female drivers who are in need of sponsorship.

4. Empirical data

In this chapter the empirical data, collected through semi-structured interviews with four companies, is presented. The collected data has a connection to sponsorship for women in motorsport and is divided into three subheadings.

4.1 Decision-making for sponsorship

This section consists of an overview of the decision-making principles for sponsorship regarding the four interviewed companies. Previous research state that it can be difficult to understand how the company selects athletes to sponsor. Moreover, some companies have a coherent link between their decision-making for sponsorship and the company’s sponsorship policy. The strength of this connection depends on which role the decision-maker has within the company and the decision-makers individual judgements.

Within Company A it is the Athlete Manager that decides on who to sponsor together with the managers at the head office. The company explains that the decision is based on the plans and goals that the company have and describes:

“The goal with a sponsorship is to get wings.”

Moreover, the company claims that there are no challenges with sponsorships. They have a policy regarding sponsorship, but for the majority of the sponsorships, everything is depending on timing, resources and market.

In Company B, it is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that has the decision-making role for sponsorship, which is declared within the company’s sponsorship policy. The CEO has worked within the company for seven years but recently decided to resign. Moreover, the company claims that their goal with sponsorship is to achieve equality between women and men. The reason for this is because they think that there is inequality between women and men, and they state that the male athletes get more and bigger sponsorships than women. Furthermore, the company explains that they do not use sponsorship to sell more and explains:

“We do it as a commitment to make the world a little better.”

For Company C, it is the site managers that make the decision on local sponsorship requests, while the CEO decides the major initiatives. The CEO has worked within the company for three years. Furthermore, the company describes that their goals with sponsorship are visibility, in general, brand building (both externally and internally), disseminating their values and involving suppliers and customers in their efforts. Some of the challenges that the company sees with sponsorship are that it is easy to pay the sponsorship and then "forget" to work with the recipient on an ongoing basis. To overcome this, the company tries to constantly and actively work with the athlete. Moreover, the company explains that they partly have a policy regarding sponsorship, but it is only informal within the company and are not documented.

In Company D, it is the marketing manager together with the management that decides on who to sponsor. The marketing manager has worked in the company for over 20 years but has only been at the marketing manager position during the last four years. Moreover, the company explains that their goal with sponsorship is to expose the company’s brand through prospective customers and find new customers in different industries. The company claims that some of the sponsorship decisions can be a professional decision, based on bigger sponsorship agreements, while others can be smaller local agreements, based on their willingness to help local athletes succeed. Furthermore, the company states that they have not faced any specific challenges with sponsorship since the company tries to be careful, so they avoid doing anything that goes against both the company’s values and the company’s owners’ values. Therefore, the company explains that they analyze every sponsorship proposal to make sure that the sponsored athlete has the same values as the company. Furthermore, the company claims that they do not have a specific policy regarding sponsorship, they have some guidelines to follow but it is not documented.

4.2 Selection process and criteria

This section is an overview of the four interviewed company’s sponsorship selection process and criteria. The literature indicates that companies analyze different aspects depending on how well the company matches with the athlete. Therefore, companies might have different processes when they look at sponsorships.

Company A explains that their process for sponsorships probably differ from other companies since their process, in general, is longer than many others. Furthermore, the company claims that their agreements with all the sponsored athletes are different. This since they depend on the individual athlete, the company explains that the majority of the sponsorships are built on a base and bonuses. Regarding criteria for sponsorships, the company describes that one criterion is that the athlete has a goal to become as good as it can within their sport and another criterion is that the person must have the right personality so that it matches with the company’s mindset.

For Company B, the process for selecting which athletes to sponsor starts when they get a sponsorship proposal either by phone or email. Moreover, the company explains that their sponsorship agreements differ from individual to individual and they claim that they do not have any exchange requirements. The criteria that the company has for sponsorships are that the athlete has to be a woman that is locally anchored to the north part of Sweden and is active on different types of social media.

Regarding Company C and their sponsorship process, they stand out against the other interviewed companies. The company explains “we have a program we call "from talent to professionals" that we run over a three-year period with respective recipients”. The process begins by firstly selecting an athlete, then they try to find other partners for the sponsorship by looking at suppliers and lastly, they start their sponsorship. During the process, they evaluate and develop the sponsorship before they settle down. The company claims that their sponsorship agreements consist of supporting the athlete with money and some kind of material. Moreover, they explain that they always want to collaborate with one or more of their material suppliers so that tools or clothing can be exposed in favorable positions together with the sponsored athlete. One criterion that the company states that they have regarding sponsorship, is that they want to cooperate with one or more suppliers and they only sponsor individuals and not teams. Furthermore, the sport that the athlete is performing should include something that the company can deliver in the form of tools or clothing (can be in racing depots or similar). The company describes that they want to be one of the major sponsors so that they get good exposure and they also state that they prefer to sponsor female athletes.

Company D explains that their sponsorship process starts when the marketing manager receives a sponsorship proposal and analyzes it. The company explains that during the process

they are looking into if the applicant has the right profile, that fits with the company’s values. Moreover, the company claims that they do a general assessment of the applicant and since the company is relatively small, they explain that they do not spend a large amount of money on sponsorship. The company states that they do not want anything specific in return for a sponsorship, they say that it is a mutual agreement between the parts. They describe that this agreement often consists of money from the company and then the sponsored should expose the company’s brand with a logotype on for example the car. Another criterion for sponsorship, described by the company, is the message of what the sponsorship entails, and the commitment required from the company. They also look at the length of the sponsorship, for example, if it is annual or just one time. Moreover, the company explain that they are also interested in knowing statistics from the sponsored athlete’s social media and their advertising. This since they claim that they want value for their company in return, like for example if people click through to the company’s website. The company states that they want the ability to measure the result of the sponsorship.

4.3 Sponsoring Women in Motorsport

In this section, the opinions of the four interviewed companies regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport is presented. Previous research has claimed that there is a difference between sponsoring a woman compared to a man. Moreover, it could be seen as a disadvantage to sponsor women, while other companies see benefits with it.

Company A explains that they do not distinguish between sponsoring a man or a woman and they claim that they sponsor a woman for the same reasons as they sponsor a man, the athlete has the goal to be the best within their sport with the right personality. The company see all their athletes as equal, where they all appeal to different target groups. However, they explain that it is important to have good female role models in a male-dominated sport, in order to lead the way for the future generations. The company describes that they hope all of their sponsorships has a positive impact, even if it means sponsoring a woman or a man in motorsport or other sports.

Company B states that one reason why they are sponsoring women in motorsport is because there are not many women within the sport, which makes it an issue. Moreover, the company explains that there is only one woman in F1 today, who does not even get the chance to

compete. The company claims that this makes the sport very distorted and therefore the company wants to help more women into the sport. Furthermore, the company explains:

“By sponsoring women in motorsport, we hope that we are able to achieve more equality for the women by giving them the same rights as men.”

Company C explains that they only see it as a positive factor to sponsor a woman in motorsport. The company claims that the reason why they are sponsoring a woman in motorsport is because their industry is male-dominated and conservative in the same way as motorsport and therefore this sponsorship has a good contrasting effect and impact. By sponsoring women in motorsport, the company hopes to provide increased visibility per invested SEK, strengthened brand positioning and better communication internally of their values. The company’s conclusion is that they believe that the company's brand also is positively affected by sponsoring a woman in motorsport.

Company D explains that they are sponsoring a woman in motorsport since this woman is young and talented with a passion for the sport she is performing. The company states that it is a benefit that she is a driver in motorsport, since it is a tough and dirty sport where the sponsored woman is a mechanic on the car herself. The company continued to explain that they work with car technology and industry itself and has many women in their workshop and therefore this sponsorship fitted especially well. Moreover, the company describes that they see it as a benefit that the woman has the ability to come and visit the company at events and fairs with her race car. They also explain that they have the ability to visit her at a racetrack where she can give the staff a ride around the track with the car. Furthermore, the company describes:

“We see it as a positive factor for our brand awareness since we are a company within the industrial sector. Today we have a woman on every position, both in sales, production and purchasing and we advocate a good balance when it comes to men and women in the workplace.”

5. Data Analysis

In this chapter the empirical data presented in the previous chapter will be analyzed. The process for analyzing data will be based on what is written in Chapter 3 about pattern matching between previous research and empirical data.

5.1 Decision-making for sponsorship

Cornwell (2008) explained that a company’s sponsorship policy is based on what they have written in a document about sponsorship agreements. The empirical findings show that the majority of the companies have a sponsorship policy. After analyzing the empirical data this study has shown that it is unusual to have the sponsorship policy written in a document. Regarding Company C, they did not have a policy documented, it was only informal within the company. This is also in line with Company D that did not have a policy documented, instead the company have some guidelines to help out when they get a sponsorship proposal. Previous research has shown that a company’s selection criteria for sponsorship can be based on the sponsorship policy (Vance et al., 2016; Cunningham, Cornwell, & Coote, 2009). Furthermore, a sponsorship policy can be connected to the company’s mission statement, but the connection could only be seen from people within the company (Vance et al., 2016; Cunningham, Cornwell, & Coote, 2009).

Company A explained that they have a policy, but everything is depending on what is available for the moment and how the market looks like. This in line with previous research which described that individual judgements are a depending factor in the decision-making process (Vance et al., 2016; Johnston, 2010; Daellenbach et al., 2013). Moreover, Vance et al., (2016), Johnston (2010) and Daellenbach et al. (2013) stated that the decision is depending on individual decisions and the effects that comes with it. The theory also matches with what Company B said, that the sponsorship policy is decided by the CEO that has the decision- making role. Shanahan (2019) continued and stated that in today’s society, companies want to achieve a bigger value with the athletes. Therefore, the athletes work as for example ambassadors for the company. Company B did not cohere with this, since they do not use sponsorship to create brand awareness and sell more. Their goal with sponsorship, as they stated, is to make the world more equal and thereby make the world a little better.

Maldonado-Erazo et al. (2019) explained that the company’s goals are measured in terms of the link between desired results and the goal that has been set. For Company A the company’s goal is the same as the goal with sponsorship. The decision makers for sponsorship within all four companies in this study, has been at their positions for at least three years. Johnston (2010) stated that these types of companies, therefore, are more likely to get involved in sport sponsorships. Moreover, Greenhalgh (2010) explained that it is common that sponsorship proposals are analyzed and decided by the marketing department. The empirical findings show that this is only in line with Company D, where the marketing manager has the biggest impact on the decision-making for sponsorship. Within the other interviewed companies, it is the CEO and the Athlete Manager that has the decision-making roles.

5.2 Selection process and criteria

According to Shanahan (2019), companies want to work with athletes, especially racing drivers, who have engaged target groups and can help the company increase brand awareness and sales. This is in line with Company C’s goals for sponsorship since they, in general, want to increase their visibility and strengthen their brand, both internally and externally. Company D also agreed with Shanahan (2019) and explained that they want to expose their brand so that they reach out to more customers through a sponsorship. Furthermore, Shanahan (2019) explained that some years ago companies found it enough with just putting their logotype on the race car. The empirical findings showed that even nowadays, it is enough for Company D to just have their logotype on the race car. Shanahan (2019) continued and stated that in today’s society, companies want to achieve a bigger value with the athletes, therefore, they work as for example ambassadors for the company. Company D agreed with this, as they have the ability to have the athlete at events to show its race car and be there as an ambassador for the company.

The previous research by Ukman (1999) stated that one criterion companies analyze regarding sponsorship is the capability for the company to motivate their retailers. Company C stated that they wanted the ability to be able to collaborate with the company’s suppliers. Moreover, the previous literature found that a company’s selection criteria for sponsoring either a man or a woman, depends on the decision-makers values and beliefs (Shaw & Amis, 2001). After analyzing the empirical data, the findings were that Company A did not make a difference between sponsoring women and men. Furthermore, Shaw and Amis (2001) stated that there is a financial difference between a male sport sponsorship deal and a female. The empirical

findings showed this, and Company B described that men get more and bigger sponsorship agreements than women. As argued in Greenhalgh (2010), Irwin et al. (1995) and Meenaghan (1983) one selection criteria for sponsorship can be legal and tax aspects. Therefore, this matches with Company B since they know about this and therefore chose to sponsor women.

As Berrett and Slack (1999) stated, personal relations between the company and the athlete can also have a significant role in the beginning of a sponsorship. The empirical findings indicated that for Company A it is important that the athlete has the right personality, which matches with what Walliser (2003) described about what image the athlete have and its willingness to cooperate. This is also in line with what Company D said, that it is important that the sponsored athlete shares the same values as the company. Moreover, companies are looking at different aspects regarding sponsorship such as marketing related objectives, like for example advertising. Other aspects of relevance are sales and brand image (Vance et al., 2016; Masterman, 2007; Meenaghan, 2013). This study has shown that all of the interviewed companies consider some of these criteria in advance when looking at sponsorship.

5.3 Sponsoring Women in Motorsport

Company A, B, C and D have, in general, a different view on sponsorship. As previously stated, Company A sponsor both women and men since they do not see any difference between the genders. For Company B it is only women that are allowed to apply for sponsorship which agrees with previous research that stated that a company’s sponsorship focus can be on a specific sport or a program (Greenhalgh, 2010; Irwin et al., 1995; Meenaghan, 1983). For Company C, the gender of the sponsorship applicant is not as important as it is for Company B, but they prefer to sponsor women in motorsport. Company D only saw it as a benefit for their brand awareness that the sponsored athlete is a woman in motorsport since the company advocates a good balance at the workplace between the genders. The empirical findings regarding Company D, therefore, matches with Greenhalgh (2010), Irwin et al. (1995) and Meenaghan (1983) that stated that one criterion that companies consider when it comes to sponsorship is how the company will be associated with the athlete.

Another selection criterion stated by previous research is exclusiveness (Greenhalgh, 2010; Irwin et al., 1995; Meenaghan, 1983). which matches with what Company C explained about being one of the main sponsors so that they get good exposure. This is also in line with the

theory that explained that a company want the ability to be seen in media (Greenhalgh, 2010; Irwin et al., 1995; Meenaghan, 1983). Company D agreed with Company C and Greenhalgh (2010), Irwin et al. (1995) and Meenaghan (1983) and explained that they want their logotype to be seen on the race car so that their brand gets exposure. Shaw and Amis (2001) described that sponsorships for men’s sports are more unstructured and cluttered compared to women’s sport and their sponsorships. The empirical data showed that Company A does not treat a female athlete different from a male athlete when it comes to sponsorship. Therefore, there is no connection between what Shaw and Amis (2001) claimed and the empirical findings from Company A. Moreover, the company explained that they only sponsor athletes who has the right personality and wants to be the best in their sport, no matter if it is a female or male.

Pegoraro et al. (2009) described that companies are starting to see the need for increased equality between the genders which provides pressure for companies to be socially responsible. This in turn contributes more potential for women in sports to get increased sponsorship (Pegoraro et al., 2009). This is in line with what Company B explained, that they want to promote female athletes, especially in male-dominated sports like motorsport. The company does this because they are aware of the current under-representation of female athletes within motorsport and therefore wants to help out in any way they can. Company D also agrees with Pegoraro et al. (2009) and explained that they are sponsoring women in motorsport who show that they have the passion for the sport they are performing in. The empirical findings regarding Company D also matches with the previous research by Vance et al. (2016) and Hall (2007). Within these researches the authors stated that one of the psychological factors that can affect the decision-maker, is the athlete's ability to convince the decision-maker to sponsor them.

Moreover, Company D continued and described that they also work towards equality between male and female at work. This since the company works with car technology and industry itself and has many women in their workshop. Company D is therefore in line with the previous research by Pegoraro et al. (2009) where it was stated that companies have started to see the lack of equality between the genders. Shaw and Amis (2001) explained that the low numbers of women within sport can be seen as a negative factor when companies consider sponsoring a woman. The empirical findings for Company B and C are not in line with the previous research regarding this statement about sponsorship. Both companies see it as a positive thing to sponsor women in male dominated sports. Regarding Company C, their industry is male dominated in the same way as motorsport. Therefore, they explained that the company want to sponsor

female drivers to be more socially responsible which matches with what Pegoraro et al. (2009) described about being socially responsible.

Lough (1996) explained that companies that sponsor women’s sports have realized benefits. These benefits can be extended audience profile since sponsoring women might attract another demographic fit, size and extended media coverage, promotional opportunities and sales objectives. This matches with Company D that stated that they have the ability to have the sponsored woman and her race car on exhibitions and events. The empirical findings from Company D is also in line with Irwins et al. (2002) that described how involvement with an athlete can affect the marketing. Moreover, the authors stated that the athlete can take advantage of the athlete’s fame to market the sponsored company’s products (Irwins et al., 2002) which the empirical findings showed that Company D did. Previous research has also shown that companies have different goals when sponsoring women’s sports compared to traditional sports. The companies that sponsor women’s sports want to create brand awareness (Lough & Irwin, 2001). All of the interviewed companies are in line with what the previous literature said, that sponsoring female athletes can provide different benefits. Company A stated that it is important with female role models in motorsport in order to lead the way for next generation of women. This is in line with Morgan (2019) that claimed that it has become more obvious for companies that female athletes motivate other women to compete in sport.

The empirical findings show that Company B pay attentions to other benefits with sponsorship for women in motorsport compared to the other interviewed companies. The company claimed that the benefit they receive by sponsoring a woman in motorsport is that it makes the world a better place by creating more equality between the genders. Company C described that they expect to receive benefits with sponsorship for women in motorsport such as increased brand positioning, better intern communication at the workplace as well as increased visibility for invested SEK. The empirical findings show that Company C is in line with Ukman (1999) who described different selection criteria such as exposure in media and the opportunity to influence the company’s sales. Moreover, Company D see it as benefit to their brand awareness to sponsor women in motorsport since the company advocates a good balance when it comes to men and women in the workplace as well. The company also see it as a beneficial that they can come to a racetrack with the staff and give rides in the race car.

The research question “Which criteria attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport?” have now been answered. The findings were that companies look for sponsorship proposals from women that contains criteria such as brand awareness, thereby media exposure, but also equality between the genders, see Table 5.1.

Table 5.1: Main findings of data analysis

Subject Criteria Company Explanation Media exposure Company C Company A did not have any Criteria that are Company D special criteria for sponsoring used by companies Brand awareness Company C women; they sponsor the athlete to sponsor Women Company D that have the right personality, regardless of gender. in Motorsport Company B Equality between Company C genders Company D

6. Conclusions and recommendations

In this chapter, the conclusions from this study’s results regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport are discussed and presented. Further, the research question is answered followed by a discussion about theoretical and practical contributions. The chapter ends with some recommendations for further research.

6.1 Conclusions

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding on which criteria that attracts companies to sponsor motorsport. Special focus was on female drivers within motorsport since there are only a few of them. Based on this, a theoretical frame of reference was developed from the previous literatures and also a conceptual framework. These two was then compared with the selected interviewed companies’ opinions regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport. The results of the study show that companies look at different criteria depending on the type of sponsorship. Something of interest is that the companies see a sponsorship for women in motorsport as a benefit for their company. After analyzing the data, the findings show that the majority of the interviewed companies see it as a benefit for their brand awareness to sponsor women in motorsport. These issues were confirmed by previous studies as well as this study.

The research question was answered by analyzing the interviewed companies’ responses regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport. “Which criteria attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport?”

The analysis has now resulted in the conclusions presented below.

Decision-making for sponsorship After analyzing the data for decision-making for sponsorship one of the conclusions are that all the interviewed companies have a policy regarding sponsorship. Further conclusions that can be made are that it is not usual to have it documented, which was something that was stated in previous research as well. Regarding the decision makers within the companies, the conclusion is that they are more likely to sponsor sports since they have been at their positions for more than three years. Another conclusion was that the majority of the companies did not

use their marketing department to analyze sponsorship proposals. Therefore, this study cannot claim that it is a special department within the companies that handle the sponsorship proposals since it depends on the individual company.

Selection process and criteria This study has concluded that a general criterion that companies have regarding sponsorship is that they want to increase the company’s visibility and by that, expose their brand. When it comes to the selection process, the result was that the majority of the companies was more likely to sponsor women in motorsport compared to a man. For one of the companies, the analysis of the empirical data resulted in that their process only contained women who lived in the same region as the company is located. The conclusion out of this is therefore, that there is no special process to follow when it comes to sponsorship proposals. Companies often receive sponsorship proposals by email and after that they analyze them to see if the proposal matches with the company’s values. One thing that could be seen in the result of the analysis is that companies have some general criteria that they want to be met and these are analyzed when they get a sponsorship proposal. The most common criteria are, as stated in the beginning of the section, brand awareness for the companies.

Sponsoring Women in Motorsport After analyzing the empirical findings, the results were that companies sees benefits with sponsoring women in motorsport such as brand awareness. The results showed that the previous literature claimed that companies analyze sponsorship proposals to see how the company could be associated with the sponsored women. Another finding in this study was that one of the companies also worked towards equality at their workplace and another wanted to make the world a better place by improving the equality between the genders. Moreover, the analysis resulted in that one of the companies is active in male-dominated industry and therefore, they wanted to take a greater responsibility towards the society by sponsoring women in motorsport. A conclusion out of this is that companies have realized that the world is not equal, neither in the business world nor within sports. Therefore, companies sponsor women in motorsport to make the gap of equality smaller between the genders.

Previous research has claimed that it could be seen as a negative factor for companies to sponsor women in motorsport since there is just a few of them that participate in the sport. The

conclusion from this study is that companies only see it as a positive factor. It is not just good for the companies that stated that they achieve brand awareness. The results of this study indicated that it could also be good for other women to have a female role model who compete in motorsport. This could result in other women wanting to be a part of the sport as well. Moreover, this study resulted in that the brand awareness criterion is an important factor to include within a sponsorship proposal. This since the companies analyze if the proposal contains the expected criteria when they receive it. The interviewed companies claimed that it was good to expose their brand and reach out to potential buyers with help from the female athletes.

The research question can thereby, be answered by the criteria media exposure, brand awareness and equality between genders. “Which criteria attracts companies to sponsor women in motorsport?”

6.2 Recommendations

The results of this study showed that brand awareness is an attractive criterion for sponsorship. Therefore, we recommend women to take advantage of this criterion by including it when creating a sponsorship proposal. Another recommendation based on this study’s result, is that companies use this brand awareness criterion to get something beneficial in return for their sponsorship agreements. Moreover, the results of the study also showed that equality between the genders are an attractive criterion. Therefore, we recommend companies to sponsor women in motorsport and by that, be more socially responsible. This in turn could lead to a better reputation around the customers and suppliers.

The authors of this study are themselves involved in motorsport, where one of the authors is a woman who competes at European level in motorsport. While the other has a lot of experience since her sister competes in motorsport. Therefore, there are many personal experiences of how it works when it comes to women in motorsport, as well as different types of sponsorships from their own perspectives. On this basis, we would like to make some recommendations to motivate companies to start sponsoring women in motorsport and in this way, also be a support to women in sports in general.

As a woman in motorsport, there are both advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest advantages from our own experiences is that women get a lot of media exposure, especially

when they are performing well at the races. We believe that one of the reasons behind this, is that there are not so many women in motorsport and there are not many people that think that women can succeed in such a male-dominated sport. But once the women show that they manage to beat the men, it becomes very big in terms of media, which involves a lot of attention in, for example television, radio and articles (both online and offline). This is something we think that companies should notice and take advantage of by exposing the company’s brand together with the women.

6.3 Theoretical contributions

The study was made to add knowledge in which criteria that companies find attractive to enter a sponsorship with women in motorsport. After analyzing the empirical findings against previous research, the results show that the findings from this study are in line with what previous studies claimed. The results of this study can, for example, help companies understand the benefits of sponsoring women in motorsport. Lough (1996) argue that one benefit that follows by sponsoring women in motorsport can be extended media coverage for the company. The findings of this study confirm this since companies find it as a benefit that their brand gets more media exposure by sponsoring women in motorsport. According to Lough and Irwin (2001), companies that sponsor women in motorsport wants to create brand awareness which the findings of this study confirms. Another benefit is that a sponsorship for women in motorsport can contribute to more equality between the genders. This confirms the previous research by Pegoraro et al. (2009) that claimed that companies have started to see the need of more equality between the genders in the society. Moreover, this study contributes to previous research within the equality criterion. This since the empirical findings showed that companies are working actively towards a more equal society by sponsoring women in motorsport and do not only see that there is a need for more equality between the genders.

Although this study was limited to Sweden, the findings can be applicable in other countries. But the generalizability is limited since the study was conducted in one country and the values and attitudes of companies in other countries may differ.

6.4 Practical contributions

The results from this study confirms what previous studies has claimed about which criteria that companies find attractive in sponsorship. What has been added to the existing knowledge

is that many of the companies tend to sponsor women in motorsport in order to help them forward in a male-dominated sport. Another reason is also because the companies, by sponsoring women in motorsport, are involved in contributing to a more equal society which is becoming more and more requested nowadays. The study can also help women understand which criteria are needed to bring together a sponsorship proposal by seeing the study’s results on what companies are looking for. Through this, the women can be more prepared with a well- built sponsor plan for the next sponsorship meeting, which increases the likelihood of a new sponsorship collaboration.

6.5 Limitations

This study, like many other researches, has identified some possible limitations. For example, the study had a time frame that had to be followed, which in turn limited the number of case studies. If more time had been available, the study could have increased the number of interviewed companies. It would also have given the opportunity to explore the views regarding sponsorship for women in motorsport from the female’s point of view and then compare this with the companies. This, in turn, could give the study a more general and broader picture of sponsorship for women in motorsport. Another limitation is the number of respondents since many of the companies that were asked to take part, never responded and therefore we could only collect data from four companies. Since there is not so many women that compete in motorsport in Sweden, the population of companies that sponsor them are limited as well. If all of the companies that never responded would have participated in the study, it would in turn have given the study a higher reliability.

The study did not have any face-to-face interviews since there is no company located close to the authors that sponsor women in motorsport. Due to the circumstances of COVID-19 around the world during the time period when this study was made, it was not possible to go and visit the companies. One thing that could be missing is therefore how the respondents reacts to the questions with their body language. Moreover, another limitation is that this study is only based on companies that are located in Sweden and sponsor female drivers from Sweden. Therefore, it can give the study a biased result since the sponsorship culture in other part of the world, might not look like the one in Sweden.

6.6 Recommendations for further research

A recommendation for further research could be to analyze sponsorship within motorsport from the female's point of view as well. Another recommendation for further research is to investigate and analyze more about the gender solidarity since previous research have claimed that it has not yet been researched enough about. This especially includes the sponsorship for women in sport. Moreover, it would be interesting to dig deeper into the criteria for sponsorship that were found within this study. Then more investigations could be about the importance of the criteria, from both the company’s point of view, but also from the women’s point of view. This could result in women understanding what companies are looking for in a sponsorship proposal, but also what women think that the companies expect in return regarding sponsorship.

Since this study is based on companies located in Sweden, it would be interesting to see the opinions from other companies around the world. That could make the result even more adaptable on both companies and also if the research contains female drivers from different countries. A further research like that could also show if the sponsorship cultures are different in other countries.

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Mitchell, S. (2018). Formula 1 abandons idea of points system change for 2019. Retrieved 2020 February 13 from https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/139309/f1- abandons-points- system-change-for-2019

Appendix A. Intervjuguide

Bakgrundsfakta

Vad är detta för typ av företag?

Sponsring i allmänhet

Vem beslutar om vem och vad som ska sponsras?

- Hur länge har personen jobbat inom företaget?

Hur ser processen/stegen för sponsring ut?

Vad ingår i ett sponsoravtal för er?

Vad är ert mål med sponsring?

Vilka utmaningar ser ni med sponsring? Hur jobbar ni för att överkomma dessa?

Sponsrings kriterier

Har ni någon policy att följa när det gäller sponsring?

Vilka kriterier har ni när det gäller sponsring?

Kvinnor i motorsport

Hur ser ni på att sponsra en kvinna i en mansdominerad sport?

- Varför sponsrar just ni en kvinna i en sådan sport?

Vilka fördelar hoppas ni få ut av att sponsra en kvinna inom motorsporten?

Hur tror ni företagets varumärkeskännedom påverkas av att sponsra en kvinna inom motorsporten?

Appendix B. Interview guide

Background about the company

What kind of business is this?

Sponsorship in general

Who decides who/what to sponsor?

- How long has this person worked at the company?

How does the process (the steps) for a sponsorship look like?

What is involved in a sponsorship for you?

What is the company’s goal with a sponsorship?

What are the challenges within sponsorship? How are these handled?

Sponsorship criteria

Do you have a sponsorship policy to follow?

Which criteria do you have for sponsorship?

Women in motorsport

How do you look at sponsoring a woman in a male-dominated sport? Why does the company sponsor a woman in that kind of sport?

What benefits does your organization expect to receive through this sponsorship?

How do you think sponsoring women in a male-dominated sport affects the company’s brand awareness?