Unlock The Secret To Building Iconic Brands: How Sports Partnerships Drive Unmatched Success
In today’s dynamic marketing landscape, sports offer unmatched potential for emotional engagement, audience reach, and brand-building. Fans’ deep connections with teams and athletes provide brands unique opportunities to shape consumer loyalty and behavior. Traditionally driven by personal preferences, sports partnerships now focus more on measurable ROI.
As an experienced marketer, I’ve witnessed how sports drive brand equity, consumer engagement, and results. This article examines how we can use the influence and passion of sports to create impactful brand experiences for clients.
David Rothenhaeuser
Published on November 19th, 2024
In this Insight:
The Unique Power of Sport in Brand Building
Sports marketing occupies a unique space in the broader marketing ecosystem. Unlike traditional advertising channels that often interrupt or distract, sport is a form of emotional communication that fans actively seek out. This makes sports sponsorships one of the most effective ways to engage consumers without the friction associated with other forms of media.
Research from Nielsen Sports shows that 81% of global sports fans are more likely to feel positively about brands that engage in sports sponsorship. Moreover, the trust and loyalty fans have toward their favorite teams often extend to the brands associated with those teams. This results in heightened brand affinity, increased purchase intent, and a stronger connection with audiences.
For example, Mastercard’s partnerships with major football tournaments like the UEFA Champions League have aligned the brand with the passion and excitement of one of the world’s most-watched sports. These partnerships provide brands with consistent, high-visibility touchpoints, reinforcing their positioning and messaging across a wide array of markets.
Reaching Audiences At Scale: Why Sport Is An Unmatched Channel
Sport offers an unrivalled combination of reach and engagement. Global events like the FIFA World Cup attract billions of viewers across traditional and digital media. The 2022 FIFA World Cup, for example, was watched by over 5 billion people globally, making it one of the most-watched events in history. For brands, this represents a rare opportunity to connect with massive, engaged audiences in ways that are not possible through other media.
Beyond global events, sports partnerships provide brands with opportunities to target niche, highly loyal audiences. Nike's partnership with Serena Williams, for example, goes beyond traditional sponsorship. Nike leveraged Serena’s status as a cultural icon, creating content and campaigns that spoke to issues like gender equality and diversity, topics that resonate deeply with both sports fans and broader consumer segments.
Influencing Consumer Behavior Through Emotional Engagement
Sport not only provides scale but also has the unique ability to influence consumer behavior through the emotional engagement it fosters. Sports fans are emotionally invested in their favorite teams and athletes, which extends to the brands they associate with. Research from the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) found that 79% of fans feel more favorably toward brands that sponsor their favorite sports teams or athletes.
This is why brands that engage in sport partnerships often see increases in brand loyalty and purchase intent. Consider the case of Red Bull, whose extreme sports sponsorships have become an integral part of the brand’s identity. By aligning with high-adrenaline sports like Formula 1 and snowboarding, Red Bull has cultivated an image of energy, adventure, and excitement—qualities that resonate strongly with its target audience. According to a report by PwC, Red Bull's sports sponsorships have helped the company achieve a brand value of over $10 billion, largely driven by the emotional connection it has built with consumers.
Integrating Sponsorships for Maximum ROI
To maximize ROI, sponsorships must be fully activated and integrated into broader marketing strategies, using compelling content, fan engagement, and digital platforms to extend their impact. For example, SPORTFIVE’s collaboration with Xylem and Manchester City Football Club went beyond logo placements with the ‘Water Heroes’ campaign, addressing global water conservation issues and aligning Xylem with sustainability leadership.
Another example could be SPORTFIVE's work with the LEGO Group for the 'Unstoppable FC' campaign that sought to celebrate the endless potential of girls, shining a light on the stories behind their unstoppable role models. Working with this aim, SPORTFIVE facilitated meaningful partnerships between LEGO Group and some of the biggest names in women’s football, producing a content series which went beyond surface level exposure to resonate with the audience.
In conclusion, sport is not just a medium for brand exposure, it is a powerful tool for driving emotional engagement, building long-term brand equity, and influencing consumer behavior. By aligning with the passion, reach, and influence of sport, brands can achieve measurable results that go beyond awareness, creating lasting connections with their target audiences.
As a seasoned marketer who understands the nuances of sports partnerships, I firmly believe that brands must view sport as a strategic asset, not just an advertising platform. By working with the right partners and fully activating their sponsorships, brands can leverage the full power of sport to achieve their marketing objectives, both now and in the future. Whether through global events or niche activations, sport offers unmatched opportunities for building brands that resonate deeply with consumers and deliver tangible business results.
In modern sports, several different types of partnerships exist, all of which can generate significant value.
Sponsorship deals are perhaps the most common form of sports partnerships. Companies invest in sports teams or events in exchange for advertising and brand exposure. These deals provide financial support to the teams and help sponsors connect with their target audience.
Strategic alliances involve two or more sports organisations coming together to achieve common goals. This could include sharing resources, facilities, or even talent. Such partnerships can lead to improved facilities, enhanced scouting networks, and ultimately, better performances on the pitch.
Successful sports teams recognize the importance of engaging with their local communities. Community partnershipsinvolve initiatives such as youth sports programs, charity events, and education. These partnerships not only create goodwill but can foster a committed and engaged fan base.
In today's digital age, media collaborations are key. Sports teams and media outlets often join forces to collaborate on engaging content, including exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and live broadcasts. These partnerships boost visibility for both parties.
Partnership marketing is an important part of the sports industry. It involves collaboration between a sports team, league, or event and a brand or company. This collaboration can take many forms, such as sponsorship, product placement, or joint promotions. The goal of partnership marketing is to benefit both parties by increasing exposure, revenue, and brand recognition.
By partnering with a sports team or league, a brand can reach a large audience of fans who are passionate about their sport. This can lead to increased brand recognition and customer loyalty, as well as increased sales of particular products. Additionally, by offering special promotions or experiences, teams and brands can create a more memorable and enjoyable experience for fans.
When selecting the right type of partnership, teams and brands should consider factors such as brand values, fan demographics, and the overall image of the sport, to ensure it remains authentic whilst still connecting with the target audience.
Sports athlete sponsorships are those where individual athletes are sponsored by a brand. They may wear branded apparel whilst competing or during commercial appearances and press conferences, or they might appear in advertisements or other promotional materials for the brand. The brand will either offer a set fee to them, or pay for their kit, equipment or travel in return.
Sports organisation sponsorships involve entities like a team or league being sponsored by a brand. Like with individual athletes, they will either receive a fee from the brand, or payment for things like kits, equipment or ground maintenance.
In return, a team may display the company’s logos around its stadium, for example, while a league might include the sponsor in its name.
Sports event sponsorships are where sports events — like an international or regional tournament — are sponsored by a brand. This type of partnership can involve things like the event either changing its title to incorporate the brand’s name, or using the brand’s logo on official products. The event organisers will either receive a set fee or have expenditures like venue hire, hospitality, catering, publicity, programmes and officials’ costs covered.
Sports partnerships can be defined as a new level of sports sponsorships: they represent a tighter-fitted collaboration between sports and businesses or brands.
Partnerships are less based on standard marketing benefits and more tailor-made on the company’s specific needs, and several company levels are involved in the sports project: from marketing to Research & Development, from production to management.
Partnerships tend to be focused on the improvement and development of specific products or services, and are usually long-term. They can be very effective on the customers and clients, who witness a true affinity with some of the world’s most winning properties. Partnerships are often multidimensional and multi-layered, with the development of new tech, as well as new products and the marketing that comes with them.
Sports sponsorship lets brands create emotional content and become an integral part of fans’ daily lives. Every year, over 58 billion euros* are invested in sports sponsorship around the world as a way of reaching and acquiring customers through fan engagement.
€58bn* global volume in sports sponsorship in 2018
