Abstract:

The communication between companies and their target customer groups holds a significant position within modern marketing approaches. These companies employ various channels such as advertisements, mobile applications, websites, and sponsorship activities to reach their intended customer groups. This, in turn, helps in establishing and reinforcing the brand's position in the minds of the group. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of sponsorship activities carried out by e-sports companies on consumers' purchasing tendencies. To model consumer perceptions, the study considers variables such as purchase intention and word of mouth and employs two decision trees to map the effects of e-sports sponsorships on consumer decisions and behaviors. The results indicate a negative relationship between consumers' purchase intention and a negative sponsor image. Furthermore, the decision tree model developed for word-of-mouth communication reveals that an increase in consumers' perception of the sponsor company's sincerity positively influences their inclination to recommend the brand to others. By utilizing the decision tree algorithm, this analysis of consumer behavior in the context of sponsorship activities fills a significant gap in the literature and provides valuable insights for future endeavors.

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