Spor İletişiminde Sponsorluk Faaliyetlerinin Önemi: Gençlik Spor Festivali Örneginde Uygulamalı Bir Analiz

The Importance of Sponsorship Activities in Sports Communication: An Applied Analysis in the Example of the Youth Sports Festival

Mehmet Bahadır Erciş¹

¹Atatürk Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi, m.bahadirercis@atateknokent. com.tr Orcid: 0000-0003-4599-9172

Doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18876310

https://www.ijoss.org/Archive/v3-i1/ijoss-Volume3-issue1-08.pdf

Download Full Text

Received / Gönderim: 15.12.2025 Accepted / Kabul: 20.02.2026 Published / Yayın: 28.02.2026

Öz

Çalışmanın amacı, spor iletişiminin günümüzde yalnızca bilgi aktarımından ibaret olmayan; aynı zamanda toplumsal değerlerin, marka kimliğinin ve gençlik kültürünün inşasında önemli bir rol üstlenen dinamik bir alandır.  Bu bağlamda sponsorluk, spor organizasyonlarıyla hedef kitle arasında çok yönlü   bir   iletişim köprüsü kurmakta ve markaların görünürlüğünü artırmanın ötesinde, sosyal sorumluluk ve değer temsili gibi misyonlar da yüklenmektedir.  Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de 2022–2024 yılları arasında düzenlenen gençlik spor festivallerine odaklanarak, sponsor markaların yürüttüğü iletişim stratejilerini, dijital medya içerikleri üzerinden içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır.  Araştırmada sosyal medya mecralarında (Instagram, Twitter/x, Tik Tok, YouTube) yer alan sponsorluk içerikleri; görsel mesajlar, etkileşim düzeyleri ve kullanıcı yorumları gibi ölçütlerle kodlanmış, bu veriler sponsorluk türleri, marka mesajları ve gençlerin tepkileri bağlamında değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmanın bulguları, sponsorluk faaliyetlerinin yalnızca marka tanıtımına değil, aynı zamanda gençlerin sosyal duyarlılıklarını hedef alan içeriklerle kurumsal itibara da katkı sunduğunu göstermektedir.  Çalışmada hem akademik literatüre hem de sponsorluk stratejilerine yenilikçi bir bakış açısı kazandırmayı hedeflemekte; spor iletişiminde gençlik temalı   organizasyonların sunduğu özgün potansiyeli vurgulamaktadır.  Bulgular, kamu kurumları, özel sektör markaları ve iletişim profesyonelleri   için    genç    hedef   kitleye   yönelik    sponsorluk    planlamasında   stratejik    yönlendirmeler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Spor iletişimi, sponsorluk, gençlik festivali, dijital medya, içerik analizi, marka iletişimi, sosyal sorumluluk

Abstract

The purpose of the study is that sports communication in our day is not just a matter of information transfer; it also plays an important role in the construction of social values, brand identity, and youth culture.  In this context, sponsorship establishes a multifaceted communication bridge between sports organizations and the target audience, and takes on missions such as social responsibility and value representation   beyond   increasing   brand visibility.  This study aims to examine the communication strategies of sponsor brands through content analysis of digital media content, focusing on youth sports festivals organized   in Turkey   between   2022-2024.   Sponsorship   content on social   media   platforms (Instagram, Twitter/x, Tik Tok, YouTube) was coded with criteria such as visual messages, interaction levels, and user comments, and these data were evaluated in the context of sponsorship types, brand messages, and youth reactions. The findings of the study show that sponsorship activities contribute not only to brand promotion, but also to corporate reputation with content targeting the social awareness of young people. The study aims to bring an innovative perspective to both the academic literature and sponsorship strategies, and emphasizes the unique potential of youth-themed organizations in sports communication. The findings provide strategic guidance for sponsorship planning for the youth target audience for public institutions, private sector brands, and communication professionals.

Keywords Sports communication, sponsorship, youth festival, digital media, content analysis, brand communication, social responsibility

References / Kaynaklar

• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., & Seguin, B. (2019). Social media in relationship marketing: The perspective of professional sport managers in the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL. Communication & Sport, 7(1), 80–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479517737511
• Babiak, K., & Wolfe, R. (2009). Determinants of corporate social responsibility in professional sport: Internal and external factors. Journal of Sport Management, 23(6), 717–742.
• Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K. (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
• Billings, A. C., Butterworth, M. L., & Turman, P. D. (2017). Communication and sport: Surveying the field. Sage Publications.
• Cornwell, T. B. (2013). State of the art and science in sponsorship-linked marketing. In Handbook of research on sport and business (pp. 456–476). Routledge.
• Cornwell, T. B. (2019). Sponsorship in marketing: Effective partnerships in sports, arts and events. Routledge.
• Cornwell, T. B. (2020). Sponsorship in marketing: Effective partnerships in sports, arts and events (2nd ed.). Routledge.
• Cornwell, T. B., & Maignan, I. (1998). An international review of sponsorship research. Journal of Advertising, 27(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1998.10673532
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2011). The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). Sage.
• Güzel, S., Yaman, M. S., Yel, K., Çakır, Z., Gönen, M., Ceyhan, M. A., & Aydemir, B. (2025). Farklı Branşlardaki Spor Etkinliklerine Katılan Bireylerin Gönüllü Motivasyon Durumlarının İncelenmesi. Dede Korkut Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(2), 241-265. https://doi.org/10.71243/dksbd.1824551
• Fairclough, N. (2023). Critical discourse analysis. In The Routledge handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 11–22). Routledge.
• Gwinner, K., & Swanson, S. R. (2003). A model of fan identification: Antecedents and sponsorship outcomes. Journal of Services Marketing, 17(3), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040310478803
• Hutchins, B., & Rowe, D. (2012). Sport beyond television: The internet, digital media and the rise of networked media sport. Routledge.
• Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press.
• Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1–22.
• Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Lukas, B. A., & Ferrell, O. C. (2000). The effect of market orientation on product innovation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(2), 239–247.
• Maity, D., & Arnold, T. J. (2013). Search: An expense or an experience? Exploring the influence of search on product return intentions. Psychology & Marketing, 30(7), 576–587. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20604
• McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310–321.
• Meenaghan, T. (2001). Sponsorship and advertising: A comparison of consumer perceptions. Psychology & Marketing, 18(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6793(200102)18:2<191: AID-MAR1003>3.0.CO;2-7
• Slack, T., & Amis, J. (2004). The commercialisation of sport. In T. Slack (Ed.), The commercialisation of sport (pp. 1–23). Routledge.
• Walker, M., & Kent, A. (2009). Do fans care? Assessing the influence of corporate social responsibility on consumer attitudes in the sport industry. Journal of Sport Management, 23(6), 743–769.
• Zdravkovic, S., & Till, B. D. (2012). Enhancing brand image via sponsorship: Strength of association effects. International Journal of Advertising, 31(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-31-1-113-132.