" Win in Africa, With Africa": Social responsibility, event image, and destination benefits. The case of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Applying image transfer related to sponsorship theory and the cognitive-affective model of consumer behavior, this study explores how the deployment of a socially responsible program by a multinational (non-governmental) sport organization impacts the image of a mega sport event. Using the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the research context, the hypothesized model is tested among a sample of international sport tourists (N = 6606) from all nine host cities (ten stadiums) in South Africa during the tournament. The structural model results demonstrate that: (1) tourists' familiarity with the 'Win in Africa, with Africa' program, and (2) the perception of FIFA as a socially responsible organization influence event image and one form of consumer patronage. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.