“You got a new name!” how does renaming a music festival with a brand affect the festivalgoer's purchase intention

PurposeThis study aims to examines how renaming music festivals with brand names affect festivalgoers' purchase intention in a Southwestern European country.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses 291 festivalgoers' responses attending five music festivals in a Southwestern European country with structural equation modeling.FindingsThe study shows that the brand experience at the music festival directly influences brand attitude, which in turn positively influences purchase intention. The results also show the direct impact of event-sponsor fit on brand image transfer (BIT), positively affecting purchase intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examined only five music festivals in a Southwestern European country. Further studies can investigate multiple music festivals in different geographic regions. Four of the five sponsoring brands of the music festivals are telecommunication operators. Also, this study did not explore the differences in the effect of destination image, artist image and festivalgoers' attachment to music festivals.Practical implicationsThe brand sponsorship of music festivals should ensure the event-sponsor fit to impact BIT and purchase intention positively. A synergy between events and sponsors must be created to involve consumers with the brands.Originality/valueThis study uses congruity theory in a music festival setting. The investigation is unique as it is conducted at five music festivals in a Southwestern European country.