A sponsored sports venue as a vehicle for social responsibility ? The case of Kindarena, Palais des Sports of Métropole Rouen Normandie
Abstract
It is clear that naming deals that are the result of an agreement between a public authority and a company constitute a dynamic market in France, particularly in the sports sector (Sporsora, 2022). Indeed, no fewer than 18 such partnerships were signed in 2022, following the 14 concluded in 2021. At the same time, there is a growing body of research dedicated to this subject. This work mainly examines the benefits that naming can bring to a sponsoring brand (Marousseau, 2009). However, the benefits of naming for local authorities remain unexplored (Walliser, 2006), even though the latter are increasingly resorting to naming of their public facilities with a view to limiting public spending (Séguin, 2008, Brameret, 2019). The aim of this research is twofold: 1) to examine the benefits that a named sport facilities can offer to the local authority that owns the sport venue and 2) to analyse the benefits in terms of organizational social responsibility (OSR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) that both the local authority and the namer (i.e. the partner brand) can obtain. This article draws on the literature on sponsorship and naming and, more specifically, on the objectives assigned by the various stakeholders (i.e. the sponsored collective entity and the sponsoring brand) through this practice. In particular, it draws on research into the instrumentalization of naming from an OSR/CSR perspective. Within this framework, a qualitative approach based on a single case study, the Kindarena (i.e. Palais des Sports de la Métropole Rouen Normandie), is adopted. Primary data was collected through participatory observation and semi-structured interviews with the local authority, the namer and the sports venue manager. This information was triangulated with secondary data. This research has produced two major academic findings. Firstly, it highlights naming as a strategic lever for the local authority’s OSR policy and the sponsoring brand’s CSR policy. Secondly, a new definition of the concept of naming for sports venues is proposed, one that takes into account the logic of social responsibility. Managerial recommendations are also put forward regarding the use of the naming of sports venues not only as a communication tool but also as a vehicle for both partners’ social responsibility strategy.