Investigating sport league sponsor retention: Results from a semi-parametric hazard model

Abstract Belying the maturity of the sponsorship-linked marketing literature is the fact that quantitative research on sponsor retention is scant, specifically which organizations retain their sponsors at higher rates and investigations of factors that lead one sponsor to renew while others exit. This study fills this gap by analyzing a dataset inclusive of nearly 500 “official product” sponsorships across six North American sport leagues utilizing a proportional hazards model. Results indicate that partnering with tech firms, clutter, and sponsoring at a lower level reduces the probability that sponsors are retained, while congruent and B2B sponsors are more likely to be retained. In addition, results indicate the superiority of the National Football League (NFL) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in their ability to retain sponsors. From a managerial standpoint, these findings improve our understanding of sponsor retention, and assist both sponsors and sponsees in developing longer-term relationships.