Research Topic Creation

For graduate students, choosing a research topic (as most have noticed) becomes one of the most important endeavors while working towards the completion of a degree. Most students, like me, are interested in a variety of often unrelated topics. Since I come from a background in international relations, if you had asked me four semesters ago what my interests were, I would have responded with an answer attempting to connect American advertising in Latin America and how it could influence U.S. foreign relations. A complex issue, but probably not best suited for graduate level research. Now that I am more familiar with the various strategies available to improve a company's brand image, I have narrowed my focus to sponsorship as a form of strategic communication.

I have read in previous posts that some students feel like they are behind in choosing a research topic. To those feeling a bit stressed, I can tell you that I didn't have any idea of what I was going to study until last semester when I finally took Dr. Gade's Research Methods and Dr. Taylor's Conceptual Issues. For whatever reason, I couldn't get into the two courses in my first year at Gaylord (new improved website). Last semester offered me the opportunity to explore theories and research topics to which I could relate. Now that I have an area of study in which I am interested, I am working to catch up so I can finish by next fall.

I'm still at a loss for why I didn't recognize sponsorship as an effective communication medium earlier in my studies. I ran competitively during my undergraduate years and have always been closely tied to the running community. Sponsorships provide runners with almost every opportunity they have in the sport. For instance, local races (5ks/10ks) on up to elite marathons (London, Chicago, Boston) are made possible through various sponsors. The sponsors can vary in size and involvement with the events. Family owned businesses enjoy becoming a part of the races and may provide services while companies like Bank of America may choose to give monetary funds. In both cases, the race benefits from the companies' contributions, the participants enjoy a higher profile event, and the sponsors improve their brand image.

I first started paying closer attention to sponsorships after becoming more involved with the Oklahoma running community. I currently work at a locally owned specialty running store that hosts the Brookhaven Run. The race proceeds help fund the cross country teams at Norman North and Norman High. Much of the race's success hinges on the participation of local businesses through their sponsorships.

It is my goal to design a research project that explores how local businesses can benefit from their event sponsorships of community events (e.g. road races). I am more interested in the sponsors' perceptions and how the business thinks it benefits from their involvement with local activities. Since it is difficult to measure exactly how sponsorship effects sales, I believe it is more pertinent to study how managers and owners feel their sponsorship is beneficial to the business. The sponsor/event relationship will continue if managers perceive their efforts in a race make difference for all parties involved.