The impact of pre-commercial break announcements on audience identification of official Olympic sponsors: a case study

摘要

Research has demonstrated the importance of media context as a situational factor in advertising effectiveness. This preliminary study investigated the impact of a previously overlooked television context factor, the pre-commercial break announcement, during televised coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in the USA. Broadcast advertising is not part of the official Olympic sponsorship package and advertisers must negotiate television schedules in addition to sponsor fees. During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the official US television network, NBC, included numerous pre-commercial break mentions spotlighting official sponsors as well as other advertisers who purchased commercial time during the event. This study investigated the impact of pre-break announcements on viewers' ability for distinguishing between official sponsors and regular programme advertisers. It was determined that these announcements do influence recall and increase the likelihood that any advertiser will be identified as a sponsor, thus compromising the value of an Olympic sponsorship.