o:29597 Configuring perceived fit to mitigate consumer animosity in the context of cross-border sport sponsorships en Abstract: Research question: While cross-border sport sponsorships are widespread, such partnerships introduce a notable complication – consumers in one country may dislike the sponsor’s country of origin (COO). This raises the question as to whether animosity towards a sponsor’s COO negatively affects sponsorship outcomes, and if so, how it can be addressed. For the latter, we examine holistic sponsor-object fit as well as a set of its constituent elements. Research methods: Data collection pertained to a brand engaged in a hypothetical sponsorship. Study 1 involves a Serbian brand sponsoring the Croatia national football team and for Study 2 German sponsors of the England national football team. Survey data are analyzed using a latent modeling approach. Results and findings: Study 1 shows that animosity reduces consumers’ attitude towards the sponsorship. However, higher perceived sponsor-object fit weakens this effect. Study 2 replicates this finding, and on a more granular level establishes the moderating properties of several sub-dimensions of fit. Congruence in color, personality and status ameliorate animosity. Implications: We outline implications for sponsors operating in environments where their COO invokes animosity and how sponsor-object fit may mitigate thi Keywords: sponsorship, country of origin, animosity, perceived fit 1552099 10.1080/16184742.2020.1765828 1552101 1618-4742 2023-05-18T12:06:11.060Z 44 no 46 Robert Angell Paul Bottomley person Ružica Brečić person Jelena Filipović Univerzitet u Beogradu Ekonomski fakultet person 2612583 0000-0003-4232-1948 Matthew Gorton person Maria Logkizidou person John White person application/pdf 257853 https://phaidrabg.bg.ac.rs/o:29597 no yes 1 70 1552253 11A03 European Sport Management Quarterly 21 4 605 624 2021