Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The soft power strategy of soccer sponsorships

2016; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 19; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14660970.2016.1199426

1743-9590

John S. Krzyzaniak,

Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering

States have developed a new means of building soft power by sponsoring elite soccer clubs. Through a qualitative analysis of the experiences of Azerbaijan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, this study explains why jersey sponsorship is appealing to states, and theorizes the conditions under which sponsorship is most likely to be successful. Specifically, sponsoring more teams and teams with stronger brands results in greater soft power gains. Additionally, states that use a state-owned corporation for the sponsorship are more successful than states that do not. More importantly, using the concept of branding, the study gives insight into the mechanics of soft power building. The finding suggests that if states learn from each others' behaviour, the future may bring differentiation in their sport-as-soft-power strategies. Unbranded states will invest a greater share of resources in elite soccer kit sponsorships and avoid the high-risk proposition of hosting mega-events like the World Cup.