ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Many studies have been conducted on the occurrence of brand image transfer,but very few of them have focused on one of the most important determinantsof such transfer namely, brand fit. Brand image transfer is the transfer of brandassociations, attributed to another entity, to the brand, while brand fit has beendefined as a consumer learning process that seeks to match those brandassociations held of the relevant brands involved. This study proposes toassess brand fit.Since a variety of brands were involved in this study, conjoint analysis wasused as a method of assesing brand fit. In particular, choice-based conjointanalysis was singled out because of its capability to allow the relativeadvantage of brands considered jointly to be ascertained. Brands might not beable to be measured if taken one at a time. Both qualitative and quantitativeresearch methods were employed in order to assess brand fit using conjointanalysis, which was the main reason for this study.Rugby sponsorships were chosen to asses brand fit, as this particular game isthe second most-watched sport in South Africa, with the highest monetary valueattached to its sponsorships at the time of this study. The qualitative researchwas accomplished by using focus groups to determine which brands were typically perceived to be associated with the Springbok rugby brand. Thedifferent industries and brands used in the focus groups were selected on thegrounds of their being current, previous, and potential sponsors of theSpringbok rugby brand. The quantitative research was conducted by means ofan online questionnaire, sent via a link in an email to a chosen database on thesocial networking site, ‘Facebook’. A screening question served to ensure thatonly rugby supporters would be eligible to complete the survey. Theinformation was captured in ‘real time’ in the conjoint analysis software, therebydetermining which brands were perceived to best fit the Springbok rugby brand.The realised sample was composed of a younger, more male-dominated group.All respondents were also Springbok supporters who possessed sufficientknowledge on the Springbok brand and sponsors. There were six brandsidentified to fit the Springbok rugby brand, namely, Castle, Vodacom, SASOL,Canterbury, Nike, and Adidas. These identified brands proved that the studydid indeed assess brand fit using conjoint analysis.Conclusions were drawn that brand fit could be established in a variety of ways.The most dominant ways were by leveraging the sponsorship, and also bysponsoring on a continuing basis. These two ways serve to inform consumersof the sponsorship, making them aware of the brands, and building the basis ofbrand fit in their minds. Brand fit was also achieved based on similar brandimages of the two different brands.It was found that brand fit was absolutely essential for a successful brandimage transfer. Before undertaking a sponsorship, it is important to establish ifa perceived brand fit between the various brands will be perceived. If not,additional leveraging of the sponsorship, by means of a marketing campaign,should be used to teach consumers the basis of the brand fit between thevarious brands.
