Going Under the Needle for Your Brand: Tattooing as the New Market Medium

The global sports market accounts for an estimated $146.4 billion dollars in revenues, millions of jobs, and some of the most passionate and connected consumers of any industry in the world. The global sports sponsorship market alone is expected to hit an astounding $45 billion in 2014 and this market is expected to grow at the rate of 4 % or more over the next several years. Athletes are gaining more and more power over the marketing and distribution of brand messaging because of the international acclaim and fanaticism they attract. Traditional mediums for sponsorships include: clothing, product placement, banners and guerrilla campaigns. However, there exists a new and controversial medium for sports sponsorship: that of sponsorship tattoos. Sponsorship tattooing is the act of adorning skin with a corporate logo, slogan or symbol in exchange for a financial incentive. While the popularity of logo tattooing is growing, no research has been conducted as to consumer response to the placement of commercial art on athletes. A series of propositions are presented herein based on an extensive literature review.