Brought to you by brand A and brand B - Investigating multiple sponsors' influence on consumers' attitudes toward sponsored events

Events, arts programs, and civic activities are oftentimes sponsored by more than one company/brand. In contrast to the interest in multiple-brand marketing activities in other areas of research (e.g., bundling, brand alliances, cooperative advertising), multiple-brand effects in sponsorship have been the subject of neither theoretical attention nor empirical research. This paper seeks to address this gap by investigating the impact of multiple sponsors on consumer evaluations of the sponsored event. Prior attitudes toward the sponsors, the presence or absence of a controversial/stigmatized product, the sponsor's nationality (domestic versus foreign), and product complementarity are explored in an experimental setting and demonstrate a twofold effect of a controversial sponsor on attitudes toward the event. Sponsor brand nationality and complementarity of products also affect consumers' attitudes toward the event. Implications for future research on multiple-brand sponsorship and marketer intentions are discussed.