The Evolution of Sports Sponsorship – Misha Sher

Manchester United were the first to spot the opportunity and have benefited greatly by being first to market with this strategy. 

The club has secured in excess of 60 regional partners since signing Smirnoff Vodka as an Asian-Pacific partner in 2008. Others have followed their lead, with the top English and Spanish clubs developing their own versions of regional partnerships.

In addition to this localised approach by rights holders with a global reach, we are also witnessing an influx of new categories. 

Sports sponsorships used to be dominated by financial services, insurance, FMCG, automotive and telecom brands. While these sectors are still playing a big part, growth is coming from categories which were almost non-existent just a few years ago.

We’ve seen a rapid evolution of technology alongside a seismic shift in human behaviour. That’s why some of the fastest growing sponsorship categories are fantasy sports, wearable technology and peer-to-peer marketplaces, to name just a few. Fantasy sports is one of the hottest sponsorship categories in professional sport. 

FanDuel and Draft Kings, are driving this activity and, while most of their partnerships have so far focused on major US sports, it won’t be long until we see them expand to other markets.

Wearables like Fitbit and GoPro are also taking the sponsorship industry by storm, partnering with major rights holders and re-defining the traditional role partners play in these relationships. 

These sectors are capitalizing on the fact that sports fans have the desire, and now the ability through technology, to participate in what they’re watching.

Sitting firmly at the heart of these changes is data. It has been the buzzword for a long time, but it has taken most clubs until now to realise the power of understanding exactly who their fans are.

Now football clubs, and other sports organisations, are continuing to gain a much more sophisticated and deeper appreciation of their fans and what they like.

This is crucial both in understanding how to best connect with their audience and which sponsorship categories are likely to be the most successful.

On the other side of the coin, brands want an opportunity to create deep emotional connections with their target audience. Sport is a brilliant platform to do that.

My advice to any sporting organisation is to get a very clear view of your audience – who they are, where they are, and what they’re into.

This can be achieved through use of a CRM system for purchase behaviour, fan surveys, analysis of conversations on social channels and general trends related to behaviour.

If, as a football club, you can demonstrate that you have an audience that is relevant to a specific brand or category, you can be sure to have a much easier conversation with a desired sponsor.

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Misha is one of the leading sports executives, with over a decade of experience in areas of media, sponsorship, event management, and representation. Holding a number of senior roles, he has consistently delivered significant results ranging from development of successful new market strategies to negotiating tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship and endorsement contracts.

In his current role as Head of Sport, EMEA, Misha is responsible for the growth of Mediacom’s sports advisory division which works with many of the agency’s top clients to deliver the maximum impact from sport sponsorship.

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