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While prior ecolabel research suggests that consumers' trust of ecolabel sponsors is associated with their purchase of ecolabeled products, we know little about how third-party certification might relate to consumer purchases when trust varies. Drawing on cognitive theory and a stratified random sample of more than 1200 consumers, we assess how third-party certification relates to consumers' use of ecolabels across different program sponsors. We find that consumers' trust of government and environmental NGOs to provide credible environmental information encourages consumers' use of ecolabels sponsored by these entities, and consumers do not differentiate between certified versus uncertified ecolabels in the presence of trust. By contrast, consumers' distrust of private business to provide credible environmental information discourages their use of business associationsponsored ecolabels. However, these ecolabels may be able to overcome consumer distrust if their sponsors certify the ecolabels using third-party auditors. These findings are important to sponsors who wish develop ecolabels that are more credible to consumers, and thus encourage more widespread ecolabel use.

This study explored how fans’ perceptions of sponsor participation in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities influence attitudes toward the sponsor, sponsor image, electronic word of mouth (eWOM), and purchase intentions. Limited research has focused on the interactions between sports sponsorship and ESG activities. This study filled this research gap by considering the case of the Rakuten Monkeys, a professional baseball team in Taiwan, and its sponsors. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior, this study investigated how fans’ perceptions of sponsor participation in ESG initiatives affect their purchase intentions through sponsor attitudes, sponsor image, and eWOM. A total of 800 Rakuten Monkeys fans were recruited for this study, and the study hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that all investigated paths were significant. That is, fans’ perceptions of sponsor participation in ESG activities significantly enhance their attitudes toward the sponsor and sponsor image, which in turn positively influence their eWOM and purchase intentions. This study has theoretical and practical implications for enhancing brand image and consumer purchase intentions through ESG activities. The study contributes valuable insights that can be used by sports sponsors for developing marketing strategies.

Little comparative evidence exists about what causes candidates to use negative campaigning in elections. We introduce an original comparative data set that contains experts’ information about campaigning strategies of 172 candidates competing in 35 national elections worldwide between June 2016 and May 2017. Analyses reveal several trends: incumbents run positive campaigns but are especially likely to attract attacks, candidates far from the ideological centre are more likely to ‘go negative’, candidates tend to attack frontrunners and rivals that are far from them ideologically, but they also engage in a logic of attack reciprocity with selected candidates. The comparative nature of the data also allows us to test whether variations in the context affect the use of campaign negativity; we find that the context matters mostly indirectly, by altering the effects of individual characteristics.

PurposeExecutive sponsors play a significant role in the success of megaprojects which, in turn, affect national economies and millions of people. However, the literature on the requisite attributes of project sponsors on megaprojects is still sparse. The purpose of the paper is to provide guidelines to company boards and executives who are tasked to appoint suitable executive sponsors to megaprojects. Thus, the paper contributes to the sparse literature on megaproject sponsors.Design/methodology/approach A total of 26 senior managers, with experience in megaprojects ranging from 8 to 15 years – and who were involved in 6 recent megaprojects with a combined value of US$13.75bn – were interviewed on the attributes of megaproject sponsors. Transcriptions of semi-structured, open-ended interviews were analysed with computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS).FindingsThe study identified the most essential attribute as appropriate seniority, being empowered and accountable, with appropriate seniority, being empowered and accountable, with apposite credibility and with both personal and positional power. The study also uncovered 13 attributes – all components of “competence” – which have not previously been explicitly identified in literature as elements of sponsor “competence”.Originality/valueIn the current study guidelines are provided for the selection and appointment of appropriate megaproject sponsors.

This study aims to contribute to sponsorship-related research by exploring how the linguistic information cues of posts referring to event sponsors influence digital consumer engagement (DCE) in a mega-sports event. A total of 3,416 tweets (resulting in over 6.24 million engagements) published on 25 sponsors of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar are collected using the X (Twitter) API. The study examines the influence of linguistic cues, including drives, affective cues, cognitive cues, and social language, in sponsor-related content on DCE. The study reveals that using drives and cognitive language positively impacts DCE through the central information processing route. Affective language and social language enhance DCE through the peripheral information processing route. From a managerial perspective, the findings underscore the importance of tailoring tweet content to align with different motivational drivers of consumers, thus enhancing DCE.