Outcome Measurement
Part of Sponsorship research and audience evidence
Designing a survey about sponsor recognition
Define the population, write neutral unaided and prompted recognition questions, plan recruitment and report findings within their limits.
Define who the survey should describe and what kind of recognition to measure before writing questions. Decide when and how those people will be invited. Findings describe respondents; a claim about a wider population depends on the sample design.
Choose the recognition measure
Unaided naming, recognition after a name is shown, and memory of a particular sponsor activity are different tasks. Decide which answers the study needs and keep their results separate. State how many people answered each question.
If the intended population is event attendees, recruit across that population, not only among visitors to the sponsor’s stand. An event-exit survey cannot describe recognition across a wider service area on its own. For before-and-after comparisons, plan comparable recruitment, wording and question order for both waves.
Unaided vs Prompted Recognition: Key Differences
- Unaided Naming
- Respondents recall sponsors without prompts. Measures spontaneous awareness.
- Prompted Recognition
- Respondents identify sponsors from a list. Reflects recognition after cues.
- Memory of Sponsor Activity
- Measures recall of specific sponsorship placements or events.
Write neutral questions
An illustrative unaided item is: ‘Which organisations, if any, do you remember sponsoring this event?’ Include ways to answer ‘none’ and ‘don’t know’, and set a rule for coding spelling variants. Ask it before showing any sponsor names or logos.
A separate prompted item could show a list of organisations and ask: ‘Which, if any, do you remember seeing named as sponsors of this event?’ Include ‘none’ and ‘don’t know’.
Choose and test the list carefully: the options and their order can affect answers. Label the result as prompted recognition of an event-sponsor association under that question. It is not unaided naming or proof that a particular placement was seen.
Ask an eligibility question before items that assume attendance. Use short, single-purpose questions and avoid assuming that someone noticed the sponsor. Pretest wording with people similar to intended respondents; revise any question they interpret differently from its intended meaning.
Plan recruitment and fieldwork
Record the eligible population, invitation method, survey place or channel, field dates, number invited where knowable, completed responses and any incentive. An exit intercept, ticket-holder email and open social link can reach different groups. State whom the chosen method may miss.
Recruiting only beside a sponsor asset may affect both who answers and what they remember. Give interviewers a consistent, neutral invitation script. For a self-completed survey, check that the questionnaire works in the actual setting and on the devices respondents will use.
Survey Design Best Practices: Key Metrics
- Eligible Population Size
- Recorded in planning phase
- Invitations Sent
- Number known from recruitment records
- Completed Responses
- Reported as part of fieldwork outcomes
- Response Rate
- Calculated as completed responses ÷ invitations sent
Recruitment Methods: Pros and Cons
- Exit Intercept (on-site)Pros: Immediate access to attendees. Cons: May miss those who didn’t visit the venue or sponsor stand.
- Ticket-Holder EmailPros: Reaches a broad group; can include non-attendees. Cons: Lower response rate; may exclude those without email.
- Open Social Media LinkPros: Low cost, wide reach. Cons: Self-selected sample; potential bias toward more engaged users.
Report within the design’s limits
Keep the exact questions, answer options, order, recruitment method, dates and completed response count with the findings. Show the denominator for each result. Distinguish skipped questions from ‘none’ or ‘don’t know’ answers. Flag any change in wording or recruitment beside a comparison with an earlier wave.
A large response count alone does not make a voluntary sample representative of every attendee. Describe the measured group and material coverage or non-response concerns. Recognition is a memory measure; it does not establish that sponsorship caused a sale.
