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

6.5 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

List of Tables

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.

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

Intentions for companies to sponsor Women in

Motorsport

Increasing Women’s Motorsport participation

Criteria for sponsorship

• Media exposure

• Brand awareness

• Equality between genders

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

Intentions for

companies to sponsor Women in

Motorsport

Media exposure Greenhalgh (2010) Lough (1996) Brand awareness

Berglund and Fransson (2018) Greenhalgh (2010)

Lough and Irwin (2001) Equality between genders Pegoraro et al. (2009)

Decision-making for sponsoring Women in Motorsport

Brand awareness Shanahan (2019)

Increased sales Shanahan (2019) Increasing Women’s

motorsport participation

DeGaris (2010)

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

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