Measuring Results of Sponsorships : The case of the financial institution Compass in Italy

The phrase "win on Sunday, sell on Monday", coined by Ford Motor Co. as well as General Motors Corporation , is not as easy to find evidence for. Even if corporations generally refuse to reveal how effective sponsorships really are in reaching the goal of increasing sales, numerous innovative companies every year invest in new events and programs, suggesting that corporate sponsorship works. However, in the always more competitive society of today, characterized by scarcity of resources and time, it is always more important to evaluate results and quickly achieve answers. Financially speaking results are closely monitored through the use of an index called the ROI index. In this thesis, through the analysis of existing literature and the aid of a real life case, the hypothesis that sponsorships have a measurable effect on sales-based ROI as well as on brand and customer equity will be tested.