October Sponsorship Brands Community Zoom Call Summary

October Sponsorship Brands Community Zoom Call Summary

With the recent PWC Sports Survey release in September, our members reviewed the key findings relevant to the Sponsorship Brand industry. There was great conversation reviewing real examples on the partnership field.

Attendees

AccenturePanasonic
Aston MartinRed Bull
General MillsUmbro SA
IneosUnilever

Collaboration has become key

  • Some brands said this was now a priority. Finding creative ways to work with other brands as a way of communicating with their target clients.
  • Additionally, there is a need to find other partners/brands that right holders can work with to build value for both. Collaboration is replacing one dimensional partnership.
  • One brand said that specifically finding complementary collaboration within the CSR space and with athletes can brought all their supporters together and has shown to be successful
  • Several brands spoke about working with rights holders to connect them to other new partners, leading to successful campaigns.

Education around the value of rights is still unclear

  • With the loss of traditional tangible assets, education internally around the value of new assets, such as digital, has proved to be hard to communicate. This has been frustrating.
  • You may need to lean heavily on the rights holder for valuation, therefore everyone needs to remain flexible and proactive.
  • Several also felt that rights holders need to work better with the brands by adding value to the existing partnership in new ways and by creating new assets
  • This test the trust of the partnership to make sure brands stay relevant and meaningful. Particularly when trying new and different assets that they haven’t previously used

Changing the traditional model

  • If you see an opportunity, work with your rights holder – they are also rethinking their traditional model and having genuine relationships can create new areas to explore. You must be able to have the conversation to see what is possible. If you don’t ask you won’t find out what else is available
  • One particular brand has taken the opportunity to manage their rights holder’s esports, creating its own assets and brand awareness through the gaming space.
  • It is about creativity and the talent to think beyond what was previously agreed. This allows both in the partnerships to achieve and deliver a mutual benefit. Proactivity is vital.

You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel, be creative and look to innovate

  • The view is not all about pivoting, but in creating and leveraging the value of the sponsorship/consumer brands that also relates with the rights holders.
  • Several spoke about how rights were repackaged and distributed in different formats to target the relevant consumer – content has been a great source for invention here.
  • There was a feeling that there wasn’t a clear vision of how you extract value. This is still the main objective regardless of the asset.
  • Finding the new “money can’t buy” opportunities is important. Creativity is key – One brand created their own private Zoom Calls with athletes, giving 1-to-1 intimate experiences.

September Sponsorship Brands Community Zoom Call Summary

With the current climate impacting the way brands utilise sponsorship, participants discuss ways they have adapted to make the most of their partnership and what brands need to take into consideration. 

Sponsorship and Partnerships can still be effective

  • Go into those relationships based on how you can leverage the partnership across your customer journey.
  • Drives top-of-mind awareness and consideration of your product/offering.
  • Sport products and apparel has seen an increase in sales – opportunities to work with Kit Suppliers.
  • Don’t be hesistant to do something different.

Connecting B2B and B2C through Sponsorship

  • With the potential of only a small number of people at events, chance to deliver a more personal setting for potential clients when hosting – instead of the mass reward approach.
  • With lack of live games, look at other ways to support your partners to create additional value to the fans, such as esports, social media content, competitions with signed merchandise.
  • Look to push the assets you can use alongside a digital content plan to build reach and engagement.

Remember both your brand and partner’s objectives

  • Don’t go ahead with an activation if it doesn’t attract the right audience or fan engagement, it might not be welcomed or wanted.
  • Consider both parties’ objectives when looking for new ways to leverage assets.
  • Find the story you want to tell and build your objectives around this.
  • Stick to the basic principles on what is right for your brand and target consumers.

New ways of activation

  • Digital is becoming the default, but works effectively using creativity and storytelling.
  • Look to connect with other brands partnering with your rights holders to build collaborations.
  • Athletes are becoming strong brands themselves to influence fans through home videos and using brand’s products in everyday situations – creating organic and relatable content.

How to plan in this climate

  • If you are looking for new partnerships, enter into them based on the business climate at the time.
  • Be adaptable and flexible to the way you function to fit the shift to the current climate.
  • Health and safety with due diligence needs to be the most important factor when planning an event or activation.
  • Bear in mind the government’s latest restrictions and barriers.
  • If the landscape changes, make sure your event is safe for customers.
  • Don’t stop planning, prepare what you can and be ready to be flexible to the change in climate.

Measurement of assets and activation should be the same

  • Even though planning is affected, how you measure your assets and partnership should remain the same.
  • Use your data to look at fan engagement and interactions.
  • Look at the customer journey for your brand’s objectives.