Meet the Team | Go-Eun Yoon, Brand Partnerships Director, IMG

What does your role at IMG entail?

As a Brand Partnerships Director, I work with clients – whether they’re rightsholders or brands – to connect them with one another in a way that aligns perfectly with their goals – be it reach, awareness, conversion, or something else. It’s all about making the right connections.

When looking to secure meaningful partnerships, what are your key priorities?

My key priorities are alignment, authenticity, and impact. In other words, the partnership must make sense – it should drive measurable results for both the brand and our rightsholders. To do this, we need to understand our clients inside and out – what their values are, what rights can we offer, and who their fans are. It’s about using those insights and data to illustrate to brands why the partnership makes sense.

It’s crucial that the partnership feels organic, so it resonates with the audience and enhances their experience. By leveraging such genuine connections, partnerships can help deliver value to the fans – ultimately ensuring long-term value for everyone involved.

How are shifting consumption patterns impacting partnerships in sport?

Shifting consumption patterns, particularly with the rise of digital and on-demand content, are transforming how we approach partnerships in sports. Fans are no longer just passive spectators; they engage with content across multiple platforms, often in real-time. Brands need to be more dynamic and creative, integrating themselves into the fan experience in a way that feels authentic and adds value. In addition to the exposure and reach derived from traditional broadcast rights, brands need to be creative about multi-channel partnerships that reach fans wherever they are, tailoring activations to be more interactive and personalized.

How do brand partnerships differ regionally?

We are so lucky to have such incredibly talented colleagues around the world providing local expertise at IMG. We benefit hugely from the breadth of our network – it’s one of my favorite parts about working at IMG, having the ability to work with and learn from everyone.

Brand partnerships can vary significantly, shaped by the local culture, fan behavior, media consumption trends, and market dynamics. In Europe, for example, there’s a deep-rooted passion for football – so partnerships often focus on community engagement and tapping into that loyalty. In Asia, where digital consumption is highly advanced and integrated into all facets of life, we’re seeing partnerships that are heavily integrated with tech platforms.

What role do you play in connecting brands to other parts of the business?

My role is all about leveraging our diverse portfolio to create integrated opportunities for our clients – brands, rightsholders and platform owners alike. Whether it’s aligning a brand with iconic events like Wimbledon or Winter Wonderland; delivering creative content solutions through IMG’s Studios division or connecting them with talent from WME; I ensure that we’re tapping into the full spectrum of what Endeavor offers. By bridging these different areas, we can craft unique, multi-dimensional partnerships that reach audiences in new and impactful ways.

What direction do you see sports sponsorship evolving in?

Brands are increasingly using data to tailor their sponsorship strategies and to really localize and personalize partnerships to enhance fan engagement and, ultimately, drive sales. Also, I think integration of technology – like AR or blockchain – will transform how fans experience sports.

You previously held roles at MKTG, Warner Bros. and Discovery before IMG – what are some of your key learnings?

Understand the why. Whether that is in relation to building the strategy and value proposition in our go-to-market sales deck; communicating with stakeholders across all levels to understand what motivates them or brainstorming a creative idea for a content series – everything needs to have a purpose, that is how we deliver value.