Leveraging beauty pageants for brand exposure: An analysis of sponsorships and advertising opportunities in Philippine pageantry

This quantitative research examines how beauty pageant sponsorships impact brand exposure and brand equity among Filipino consumers. A survey (n=450) measured unaided and aided brand recall, attitudes, and purchase intent based on exposure to real and simulated pageant sponsorships. Results demonstrated significantly higher recall for sponsored brands compared to non-sponsored brands (unaided 67% vs 23%; aided 93% vs 62%). Brand attitudes were more positive for sponsored brands, especially on attributes like prestige and reputation. Purchase intent also increased for brands aligned with cultural values. Overall, findings show that pageant sponsorships are an effective marketing platform for increasing brand awareness, enhancing brand image, and driving consumer behavior. Associating with events like Miss Universe Philippines provides branding opportunities in the Philippines, given pageantry's prominent role in popular culture. However, marketers must authentically connect sponsorships to local values. This empirical research quantifies pageantry's impact on key branding metrics like awareness, image, and purchase intent. It highlights the importance of strategic alignment with socio-cultural meanings. Marketers can leverage these consumer-focused metrics and quantitative approaches to optimize sponsorship strategy. Further research could build on this framework to expand evidence on pageants' marketing potential across developing contexts.