Marketing your product and service through sponsorship offers a different experience than if you were to market through more traditional media or even a digital platform. There are more risks, challenges, opportunities, and ultimately a host of unique benefits that come with marketing through sports business. The differences involved may have led you never to try sponsorship before.
When you look to market a product, technology or service, there are hundreds of platforms for you to choose from (digital, print, etc.). However, much of this traditional media can be “interruptive” by nature. It is unnatural, forcing a potential customer to view your pitch while they’d rather be watching/listening to something else.
In sports, and especially motorsports, sponsorship is enthusiastically accepted and intrinsically linked to a team/driver’s ability to compete. Your branding and the work you are bringing to the world is a natural fit when seen in this setting. It becomes your challenge to engage the audience, be authentic and improve the experience as a fan.
We see a lot of sports business news like this: "How can I engage the audience when all there is to see is my logo on the car?" It is an understandable question when you don't consider the rich activation opportunities that you gain access to with sport business partnerships.
More than any other difference between these two categories is the innovative activation opportunities you can leverage when you invest in sponsorship. An active shift in mindset happens when you consider how you can activate a sponsorship. We put together three ways where you can start with a targeted budget and focus on maximum ROI to get your creativity flowing.
Leverage your sponsorship to access some of the most exciting events in the world where you can engage your partners, customers and employees.
Give this a try: imagine a sponsorship with no logos and no branding on a uniform. It is a weird thing to think about, but an important exercise. Sometimes, this exercise is forced upon us with canceled or postponed events. Where do you see value? How do you see the platform now?
We believe some of the best work happens well behind the scenes of logos and branding by connecting the excitement of sports to business objectives. That's why we believe sponsorship can be an integral part of your marketing strategy and doesn't require your entire marketing budget. You can treat it as a strategic supplement to your existing promotions, including your digital and broadcast work.
That said, we don't favor actively removing logos and branding from sports. In fact, seeing all of the different brands coming together on one platform is a thrill. We are, however, in favor of putting all of the ways you can activate your sponsorship ahead of just "brand awareness" initiatives.
