Shifting Attitudes Toward Corporate Sponsorship of a Public Park Agency: Results From a 14- Year Follow-Up Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2016-V34-I2-7144Keywords:
Corporate sponsorship, municipal finance, public-private partnerships, privatizationAbstract
Public sector park and recreation agencies have become more entrepreneurial in their financing and revenue generation efforts. A number of phenomena, including decreased tax-based revenues, have created the need for alternative funding strategies. One such strategy, corporate sponsorship, has become increasingly common within parks and public spaces. While there is an existing body of research concerning sponsorship effectiveness and acceptability in park and recreation contexts, few studies examine the evolution or shift in constituent support for sponsorship over time. Given the increasing ubiquity of sponsorship in society, it is possible that the public has adapted and become desensitized to sponsorship—becoming more positive and favorable toward it across a range of settings. To assess this issue, this study examines whether constituents’ opinions regarding corporate sponsorship of a metropolitan public park agency (i.e., Fairfax County Park Authority) have changed over the course of time. Data were collected in 1998 and 2012 through random surveys of subscribers to the Park Authority’s monthly magazine. Surveys assessed participants’ level of support for corporate sponsorship at the park agency, the perceived impact of sponsorship on the recreation experience, and the perceived appropriateness of specific corporate sponsorship activation activities and conditions. Comparisons between the two time periods were conducted with independent samples t-tests or Chi-square analyses (along with Cramer’s V statistics) in order to determine whether there were significant changes in sponsorship attitudes and what the nature of those changes were. Results suggest that, over this 14-year period, park constituents became significantly more likely to support park sponsorships. There were significant increases in sponsorship favorability toward sponsorship and well as its perceived impact on the recreation experience. Findings also indicate more favorable opinions toward specific sponsorship elements. Park constituents perceived a wider range of sponsor activities and conditions as appropriate. However, certain sponsorship issues remained problematic. For example, respondents still identified specific industries/products as more appropriate than others, were still wary of granting exclusivity to a sponsor, allowing naming rights, and eschewed visible sponsor recognition at trails and historic settings. Findings suggest that park and recreation agencies proceed cautiously and develop clear guidelines to maximize sponsorship’s contribution and minimize its negative impact.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)
Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors
PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.
I understand that by submitting an article to Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Journal of Park and Recreation Administration to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).
THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
Assignment of Copyright
I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.
Reversion of Rights
Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.
Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes
I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.
All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.
In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.
Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.
Author Representations
- The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
- The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
- The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
- I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
- If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.