Sport’s ability to constantly evolve and embrace new innovations forms it’s foundations for successful partnerships. Sports sponsorship offers a wealth of opportunities for brands seeking to engage with dynamic, passionate and digitally savvy audiences. Our team have explored areas with proven success in creating authentic connections and unlocking new opportunities.
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It’s more than sport, it’s becoming part of a cultural ecosystem
The intersection of sports and culture continues to evolve to present added opportunities for partnerships. A tournament, a match, a goal is no longer just sport but a cultural moment that influences everything from food to fashion.
As athletes become influencers, sports sponsorship also offers brands the opportunity to delve deeper to leverage the power of the athlete as they become cultural icons in their own right.
Brands that manage to embed themselves in culture are reported to grow six times faster than their counterparts.
But how can brands leverage the power of sport to create authentic activations that truly resonate with audiences?
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Reach audiences primed for digital engagement
Esports and gaming continue to provide answers to one of the biggest questions that sports sponsorship asks: how are we reaching new, younger audiences?
With 82% of esports fans aged between 16 and 44 and the global esports audience forecast to reach 641 million by 2025, the sport opens the door to create unique and engaging campaigns.
Top tier esports events are hotly anticipated spectacles, with some reaching up to 6.4 million peak concurrent viewers on Twitch. Esports arenas provide brands with a stage to test and trial in-person activations, while digital marketing, influencer collaborations and interactive content allow brands to go beyond the traditional broadcast.
Personalization has become key to any esports activation alongside user generated content (UGC), but it is a double-edged sword. Brands need to consider how to adapt their existing IP to collaborate with the fan community without diluting their own messaging.
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Meet fans on the move with sport in the sky & at sea
The travel sector has been breaking boundaries. The year started with an all-time high with 15.9 million Americans travelling internationally in Q1, and is predicted to mark a milestone for global passenger traffic at 9.4 billion.
Inflight and in-ship advertising presents a unique opportunity for brands to meet a captive audience – passengers who are ordinarily engaged by multiple devices have little distractions for an extended period when in the sky or at sea.
Sport 24, the world’s first and only inflight and inship live sport channel, broadcasted this year’s UEFA EURO 2024 gaining 1.5 million views across airline carriers alone. We expect to see more activations on these channels as brands meet captive audiences at 40,000 feet.
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