Sportswear brands in particular have been intensely competing to get an opportunity to prove the value of their new technology and products through sports sponsorship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among sports involvement, the attitude toward sports sponsorship carried by sportswear brands, brand equity, and purchase intention of the products of the sponsor's brand. The study was implemented though a descriptive survey method using a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 455 men (n=289) and women (n=166) in their twenties, residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis of structural equation modeling. The results revealed that sports involvement has an influence on the consumers' attitudes toward sports sponsorship performed by sportswear brands. Also, the sports sponsorship attitude of consumers had an influence on the brand equity and purchase intention toward the sponsor's brand products. It was notable that the attitude toward the manner of sponsoring of the sponsor than the contents itself of the sports event sponsored had an influence more on brand loyalty. Among the component factors of brand equity, brand loyalty showed the biggest impact on purchase intention. Considering the results, in order for sports sponsorship to be more effective, sports involvement of the target market should be considered more carefully.

• 황춘섭(경희대학교 의상학과) | Hwang, Choon Sup
• 최미현( 경희대학교 생활과학연구소) | 최미현