Arts sponsorship is being used increasingly by businesses as a marketing communication device. Sponsors can choose from an array of activities and events, and the choice of a particular sponsorship is based on a decision-making process. Three components, that is the decision-making unit, the decision-making criteria and the decision-making outcome, were found to be important in this research. As regards decision-making criteria, a content analysis of reports on nine sponsored events revealed that the effect-related category (corporate objectives, product related objectives, and sales related objectives) was the most important for Canadian arts supporters.

Arts sponsorship is being used increasingly by businesses as a marketing communication device. Sponsors can choose from an array of activities and events, and the choice of a particular sponsorship is based on a decision-making process. Three components, that is the decision-making unit, the decision-making criteria and the decision-making outcome, were found to be important in this research. As regards decision-making criteria, a content analysis of reports on nine sponsored events revealed that the effect-related category (corporate objectives, product related objectives, and sales related objectives) was the most important for Canadian arts supporters.