Reputation on ice: the sponsorship of a sports star does not always guarantee positive and cost-effective marketing. Rob Parr investigates the potential pitfalls of sport sponsorship and questions the extent to which the Drambuie brand has been damaged by attaching itself to disgraced Scottish skier Alain Baxter. (Special Report)

Brand Strategy, April, 2002 by Rob Parr

Sponsorship is a growing phenomenon. Just last month, Unilever announced it was launching a global fund for sponsorship marketing. In a fragmented media environment, sponsorship allows brands to attach themselves to the passion engendered by key cultural events. Nowhere is this passion felt more strongly than in sport. However, passion is a dangerous commodity and sponsorship has its risks.

One of the general rules of sports sponsorship is that controversy in a sport can reflect negatively on the sponsors. The sponsorship industry has described this fact of life as the `Tyson factor': in the 1990s, question marks were raised over sponsorship deals due to the indiscretions perpetrated by the likes of the then heavyweight champion of the world.

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