Book excerpt: Sponsorship of sports, arts or events can be a powerful form of marketing communication for businesses and organizations. This new edition of Sponsorship in Marketing introduces the fundamentals of sponsorship-linked marketing, helping the reader to understand how sponsorship can be planned, executed and measured. Drawing on original research and exploring key theory, best practice and cutting-edge issues, the book fully explains how the sponsor can implement successful sponsorship to achieve communication and engagement objectives. It covers every important conceptual and functional area of sponsorship in marketing communications, including: understanding the technology-led transformation of sponsoring learning about audiences, strategies and objectives leveraging and activation in traditional and social media building sponsorship portfolios and rosters managing and ending relationships understanding public policy and legal issues Every chapter includes international case studies and examples, test questions, and data from real organizations, business, campaigns and events, vividly illustrating the link between fundamental principles and effective practice. This updated edition features a new model of the sponsorship process with an ecosystem perspective, discussion of endorsers and influencers in sponsorship, an introduction to the impact of streaming on sponsoring, and entirely new thinking on sponsorship returns and evaluation. No other book provides such a comprehensive, evidence-based introduction to sponsorship, demonstrating how organizations can connect brands to real life. This is essential reading for all students and practitioners working in sport marketing, sport business, events marketing, arts administration, business communication or marketing management.