Corporate marketing in Kenyan sports
Abstract
Strategic corporate investors use sports variously as a medium of marketing their
products and services. This paper is a result of a study on the corporate sector
involvement in sports in Kenya. A high response ate (74.2%) to a simple survey provided
data on 46 companies incorporated in Kenya, and operating in Kenya. Findings revealed
that the Kenyan sport has gradually changed during the last 15 years in line with a shift to
a more liberalized economic environment. Most companies (95.65%) reported to have
used sports as a means to gain ancLdevelop publicity while others, used sports (21. 74%)
to introduce new products to the market as well as to create product awareness. The use
of sports for product and service promotions, sponsorships, sports related corporate
marketing activities and use of full-time sports marketing personnel indicates the
increasing importance of sports to the corporate sector. The study revealed that the
corporate sector is extensively involved in sports activities in Kenya for varied reasons,
the ultimate one being profit maximization.