BRAND SPONSORSHIP OF CULTURAL FESTIVALS: A CASE OF THE WINNEBA MASQUERADE FESTIVAL

ABSTRACT This study examined the brand sponsorship of the 2019 Winneba Masquerade Festival (WMF). It specifically explored the motivating factors of festival organizers for seeking sponsorship from certain selected brands and also examined why some brands sponsored the 2019 WMF. The design was a case study and it was underpinned by the tenets of the Social Exchange Theory. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and observations. The findings were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed three categories of sponsorship for the Winneba Masquerade Festival which comprised of: MTN Ghana as the official sponsor or title sponsor; Fan Milk Limited as the sponsor, and Guinness Breweries Ghana accredited as supporting sponsor. The study also revealed that organizers of the 2019 WMF sought sponsorship from some selected brands because of visibility, prominence of the organization, perceived sponsor benefit and evidence of previous successful sponsorship of other festivals. Also, it was realized from the data that organizations sponsored the 2019 WMF for these reasons: increase visibility, enhancement of reputation, the creation of marketing opportunities. The study concludes that unlike Fan Milk Ghana that had sponsored the event over a decade, both MTN, and Guinness Breweries Ghana Limited were first time sponsors to the annual event. Secondly, the track record of each sponsoring organization was important for making informed decisions on them and providing them the space to assert their presence. The study recommends that organizations and brands should be interested in supporting such events to promote the cultural heritage of Ghana. Thus, Ghana Tourism Authority should develop keen interest in improving of masquerade festivals by granting incentives to large corporations who are ready to sponsor.