Final answer:
Sponsorship is the acquisition of rights to associate with a product or event for deriving related benefits, offering increased brand visibility and improved reputation. The correct answer will be sponsorship.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that is defined as the acquisition of rights to affiliate or directly associate with a product or event for the purpose of deriving benefits related to that affiliation or association is known as sponsorship. Sponsorship allows entities to gain certain benefits, such as increased brand visibility and enhanced reputation, by associating with a particular event, product, or activity.
This can be contrasted with marketing activation, which involves engaging with consumers to encourage them to use a brand's products or services; positioning, which is about creating a brand image or identity within the mind of the target market; and association, which refers to groups of companies or institutions that organize around common concerns within an industry or trade.