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About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on a case study approach, taking its point of departure in two sponsor brand management paradigms, the projective and relational paradigm. The case of Malmö FF in the Swedish top tier league and the club's official partners has been chosen to exemplify the commercially immature context. Findings -The study has shown that the most important value the club can provide for sponsors is to act as a mediator in sponsor-stakeholder relations. Exposure effects are subordinate to the relational effects sponsors achieve through their sponsorship.Research limitations/implications -The study indicates that the relational construct in the sponsorship literature should to a greater extent include sponsor-stakeholder relations, beyond the sponsor-club dyad, in a context of commercial immaturity. Practical implications -The results indicate that club management should engage in stakeholder management with a strong focus on stakeholders of sponsors to provide value for these sponsors. Originality/value -This study explores a new dimension to the relational construct of sponsorship, using the relational paradigm of brand management in a context of commercial immaturity. The mediating effect of the club is a contribution to the discourse on the relational construct.