Bord Gáis Energy has been proudly serving customers in Ireland since 1976. With a current base of over 460,000 unique customers, the company’s standing is significant. The sport of hurling is likewise important to the island. To help raise brand awareness in rural areas and support a sport with extensive history and traditions, Bord Gáis Energy partnered with GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in 2009. In this interview, we spoke with Head of Brand, Sponsorship and Consumer PR, at Bord Gáis Energy, Irene Gowing.

You entered a partnership with the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) - when did that come about and what does it entail?

We’ve been a partner of the GAA since 2009. We first entered a partnership with them as the title sponsor of the under 21 Hurling Championship. It was a fantastic competition, and we really got a lot of value out of that. We're also the sponsor of the Bord Gáis Energy Legends tours of Croke Park Stadium, which take place every year and we bring customers on that. More recently in 2017, we started the sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and we're one of three partners in that mix. We have a long-standing relationship with the GAA, and it's served us well.

What do you see as the intended goals of the partnership?

If you look at the goals of any and every sponsorship, it’s grounded in what the business ambition is. We have commercial goals that align to the growth of our business and growing our relationship with our customer base. When we started working with the GAA, we had very little rural brand awareness; as a gas company, our traditional customer base is around urban areas. We needed to raise awareness in rural Ireland and offer electricity to those customers. There were certain pockets that we needed to delve into a little bit more and they were often strongholds for hurling: Cork, Munster, Limerick. At this stage, we have a very strong brand awareness on a nationwide level and our partnership with GAA was the starting point.

We’re now on a journey towards reaching net zero by 2045 and helping our customers with that transition too. To do that, we need customers to start to bring in more sustainable energy solutions, including deep retrofitting their homes. While they're aware of Bord Gáis Energy as an energy supplier, they may not be aware of the suite of services that we supply. That’s the commercial reasoning behind this partnership. It's very important to us that nobody is left behind. We call that the just transition, which aligns with the government sustainability strategy.

How do you think Bord Gáis Energy has leveraged the sponsorship to mutual benefit?

We have over 460,000 unique customers and there are 2,200 hurling clubs in Ireland. A lot of our customer base are deeply steeped in those clubs so we're able to talk to them all the time.

A core pillar of our brand promise is the commitment to nurturing and developing an inclusive culture of equal opportunities and creating a culture where difference is valued, and all can thrive. We're promoting the game as a platform for everybody and anybody to get involved. We’re proud that we have been able to use our sponsorship property to start a conversation about team inclusivity and allyship. Last year, we created a campaign ‘State of Play’, that spotlighted diversity and inclusion ahead of the National Pride Festival and was an important step change for how we show up as a brand and use our sponsorship to champion a societal issue.

Our new campaign this year is called It’s Anybody's Game, and we truly believe in speaking to everyone from the hardcore hurling fan right through to the fair-weather fan and everyone in between. The sport is a great leveller. It's the type of sport where you can pick up a hurl and learn it. It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter what the colour of your skin is or what your sexual orientation is. Through a media partnership with Newstalk’s Off the Ball,, we are hearing people's stories every week about how hurling has become a doorway into their local community. We're very much about attaching our activation to what our customers want to see.

Have you been able to measure any response to the partnership?

When you're writing a business case around buying sponsorship rights, you want to have your homework done on what you can contribute to the commercial plan and what you can contribute to the brand metrics. As we are modernising our image, we’re reflecting a more modern Ireland. Sponsorship has a huge role to play.

Beyond growing that rural brand awareness, the next commercial problem was customer retention and customer loyalty. We have tickets to games that nobody else has and customers of ours can buy tickets to games that are sold out. That is a reason to stay with Bord Gáis Energy and one reason why our retention scores are strong.

Sponsorship is a long-term play. If you're looking for sponsorship to deliver a direct response in the same way as a radio or TV campaign, you're not going to get it. That's not going to give your brand long-term success. But if you're looking to build long-term reputation and long-term growth by investing in the future, then a good sponsorship and a considered activation plan is going to deliver that for your brand. My job is to start building and developing our brand for the future.

That leads on to my final question: do you have any advice for marketing teams that are looking at similar sponsorships?

You need to treat sponsorship as a significant business investment. Consider any sponsorship asset that you're about to obtain as a long-term purchase. Organise your business case in a way that can demonstrate how it will deliver strong commercial value in line with the organisation’s goals and objectives. Be able to demonstrate how it can deliver strong brand value because your brand needs to be set up to deliver on commercial promises.

For example, our brand needed to be much more modern facing to have an authoritative voice in moving our customers towards net zero. That's the role this sponsorship has for us. My advice would be that you need to be able to demonstrate brand growth through your sponsorship platform and or demonstrate strong commercial growth. Track your brand health and where you currently are, because if you can't track return on investment, then you're not going to be able to stand up when there's budget challenges and strategy challenges going forward.

To learn more about how sponsorship can support your brand's sustainability efforts, click here.

The post Irene Gowing on growing brand awareness: “Sponsorship is a long-term play” appeared first on The Sponsor.

The global fitness firm Peloton peaked during a pandemic in which their product was a viable alternative to gyms and outdoor activity. Yesterday’s partnership announcement with Liverpool FC shows a brand doubling-down on their ambitions and leveraging sponsorship to refresh brand perception. In this article, we look at exactly how sponsorship can fuel a rebrand.  

What does the partnership hold?

• • Peloton has become the Reds’ first ever digital fitness partner, covering both men’s and women’s teams on a multi-year deal for an undisclosed fee. 
  • Peloton now has a presence at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby and at Liverpool’s current pre-season training camp in Germany. The Peloton Bike, Tread, and accessories are a feature in each of these sites. 
  • In the near future, Peloton will also have a presence at Liverpool Women’s facility at Melwood. 

What is Peloton’s rebrand? 

In May, the company announced a rebrand after the full re-opening of gyms has led to a sharp decline in new users.

More Than A Bike: Over half of all workouts taken with Peloton were not cycling related. The company has therefore introduced their most expansive collection of free classes since it first launched in June 2018. 

Peloton App Membership: Peloton will now offer five distinct Membership tiers, with different prices that allow for a more personalised experience. It also includes a completely free tier.  

Peloton Gym: Available across each of the membership tiers, Peloton Gym offers supportive and accessible workouts to beginners and veterans alike.  

Why does the partnership make sense? 

Peloton bikes are not cheap. Together with the monthly subscription, the price has previously taken the product away from most consumers. Before this rebrand, sponsoring a team with such a ranging fan demographic mightn’t have made sense. 

With Peloton’s own broadened user demographic, through a more accessible product, the company has bolstered its relevance to Liverpool FC’s large-scale audience. This alignment as the brand looks to reboot its identity is sure to pay off. 

The timing of the partnership could not have been better. It marks a significant move that will help shape Peloton’s new identity.  

To learn more about what partnership alignment can do for your brand, click here.

The post Peloton is fuelling its bold rebrand by sponsoring Liverpool FC appeared first on The Sponsor.

Baillie Gifford is an Edinburgh-based global asset manager that has sponsored the Edinburgh International Book Festival since 2001. Alongside their notable Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, the partnership endures as an active example of how best to support cultural events. In this interview, we spoke with Michelle McLeod, Sponsorship Manager at Baillie Gifford and Head of Development of the EIBF, Helen Chomczuk. The topic: why this partnership works and what others can learn.

How did Baillie Gifford’s partnership with the Edinburgh International Book Festival come about 22 years ago and what do you see as its intended goals?

Michelle: It started off as part of our corporate social responsibility approach. The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) was one of our local arts organisations supported as part of our philanthropic activity, we support a lot of the arts. The relationship has evolved over the years into something much bigger becoming part of marketing through sponsorship.

In terms of sponsorship, we're completely aligned with literature. For the last 15 years, we've been supporting festivals across the UK and have expanded to cover North America and Asia. We also have The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction - the largest of its kind in Britain. It's always been a genre of the art that we believe in, allowing us to support thought leaders, academics, and big thinkers who write nonfiction. They’re people that we're interested in learning from. Moreover, the audience that attends book festivals are very closely aligned with the type of people who invest in our funds. We look at it from two angles: what we can gain from an investment research perspective, and also  engaging with an audience with a similar profile to our retail clients.

What do you think the benefits are to sponsorship of such an important cultural event?

Helen: I can't overstate the generous financial support enough. It has enabled us to expand and scale up our work at an extraordinary level. We really want to make sure that we're providing great experiences for young readers, so it's really important that we have Baillie Gifford’s backing to begin that process on our side. Many of the people who come to our public children's program are from fairly affluent families, so it’s important from our perspective that we are reaching out to children who might not come, who might not automatically be brought by their mums and dads or their family unit. I have to say thank you to Michelle because Baillie Gifford and the festival have been able to make it totally free. We’re now also able to offer a free book related to the event that the kids are coming to, to every person who attends an event in the school's program. It’s just been phenomenal.

Michelle: At the venue itself, our branding talks about who we are, our curiosity about the world, the thinking, and what our world looks like. It's all illustrated, so it fits in with the environment. As Helen mentioned, we support the schools and the children's program because these are our thinkers, our readers, our writers and our workforce of tomorrow. We create our own artwork, which brightens up the children’s area and while it doesn't necessarily carry any of our branding, it's a project that our internal designers get to work on. From a staff perspective, that adds something different to have fun with and use their creativity.

Have the internal benefits been there since inception, or have you learned to leverage them over time?

Michelle: We've always had staff engagement in terms of ticket allocation, but that has grown over the years. Last year, we had a much bigger engagement coming back from the pandemic, where we really wanted to encourage staff back to the festival. It's always a really popular event in our calendar each year. We also cover the more academic events going on that the investors go to. Then we have a lot of authors that come into the office for private events with our staff.

This is a question for both of you. How do you think this partnership has broadened or changed perceptions of your respective brands across 22 years?

Michelle: You'd have to ask the audience, but one thing that I’m certain has come across is that we're aligned with literature. It's one thing that we are known for in the UK, particularly. We want people to recognize us as an intelligent business, a business that is interested in the world and wants to know what's going on in the world. That happens predominantly through our own magazine, so we don't go out and promote Baillie Gifford as such and all our branding encourages engagement with our magazine Trust. It’s our way of introducing our investment philosophy and our culture and what we're all about and that lands really well. This partnership on top of that adds so much weight to our core values in terms of perception.

Helen: I would add from the festival’s perspective, Baillie Gifford is a very generous company who support a lot of local causes. You’re also quite understated - your sponsorship is never plastered all over things. Perception is built in a very consistent and quite gradual way. For us, it lends weight to the festival that Baillie Gifford has been a partner and supported us for such a long time. In terms of that long term investment approach, a perception of endurance and commitment is central to your business. In the last few years where the pandemic changed our approach, we had to do a lot of things quite differently. Frankly, from a sponsorship benefit point of view, we weren't able to do everything that we had said that we could do, but that hasn't affected the sponsorship.

Baillie Gifford stuck by us and helped. We really appreciate that loyalty. The audience is certainly people who are local to Edinburgh and who maybe have knowledge of the business community here. It's a partnership that from that brand association point of view that both we and the community constantly see the benefits of.

Michelle: I agree, because we are long term investors. That's our strategy and most of our sponsorships are over 10 years old. Like Helen says, it's not all about instant, massive impact that we're looking for through our relationships. We have the same values and are authentic in what we’re supporting. If you come into our offices, there's books everywhere. We've got our own library and books are very accessible to staff and we encourage staff to learn from books. Over the pandemic, we started up our own book festival internally which came from our literary partnerships, Beyond Words, which was focused on diversity and inclusion and that was a collaboration with our HR Department.

Have you been able to measure any response to the partnership itself in terms of public response?

Michelle: I always have a bit of a challenge with some of the metrics around sponsorship. I think you have to look at return on objectives before return on investment, because the latter is so hard to track. We do look at the metrics, but we think qualitatively about the relationship and the culture we’re fostering. We look at all the stats, but actually it's the stuff that we can bring to the festival that is far more powerful for us. The festival does have a survey, however.

Helen: Yeah, we do. So, we do a post festival survey that gets opinions on a range of things, including sponsor brand recognition. Baillie Gifford is consistently up there as one of the most recognised - 70% of people who come to the big events recognise Baillie Gifford as a sponsor. Over 5,000 people take the survey, so it's a sizeable and representative chunk of our audience.

Michelle: It's a strong response because we don't put our logo up very much. We’re conscious that too much branding from one sponsor can push out other sponsors as well.

Do you have any advice for other heads of marketing who are already looking at sponsoring community-focused cultural events?

Michelle: One thing with these events as a corporate sponsor is to remember the art. Leave the art form as it is. Don't get involved in the art form and remember that you’re not the centre stage, so find out how you can be useful. Understand what you're doing and what you're wanting to get out of it and go for something that is authentically aligned to you. If you're authentic about your sponsorship, when something happens like a pandemic, it doesn't matter as much whether your usual assets are getting delivered because you're in it for the long term. It’s all about what your values are at the end of the day. That’s why I’d focus on return on objectives, rather than investment.

Helen: My advice would be around making sure that there's a really wide understanding amongst the whole organisation and your own team around the partnership. Especially in terms of: what are the strategic objectives that we have as a festival, why are we being supported by Baillie Gifford etc. The relationship needs to be supported by everybody within an organisation and a partnership. It won't work if it is just one team who are championing.

Michelle: You get the most amazing projects and initiatives going when you have that relaxed, open, honest relationship. We've obviously had this relationship over a very long time, but it hasn't always been myself and Helen managing the partnership. I'm sure it’ll continue long after I have retired.

The post Michelle McLeod and Helen Chomczuk on Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Book Festival appeared first on The Sponsor.

This week, treble-winners Manchester City expanded their partnership with Asahi Super Dry, with the non-alcoholic beer brand becoming the club’s official training kit partner. It follows a wider trend of brands and events embracing non-alcoholic sponsorship. In this article we look at how this growing approach is helping speak to audiences in a culturally relevant way without shedding brands’ core principles.   

Why do non-alcoholic sponsorships make sense and which brands are leading the way?  

With the prominence of alcohol within sports and its historic association with the fan experience, there lies the potential for brands to grow within the same customer base. In pubs, sales of low and non-alcoholic beer have jumped by 23% during the past year compared with the previous 12 months, and have more than doubled since 2019, just prior to the pandemic. There is a clear need to publicly invest in those consumers. These sponsorships will prompt positive association for consumers of its regular product and keep the brands relevant for those making the switch to less or no alcohol. 

Asahi  

Taking the front of Manchester City’s training kit for the 23/24 season, Asahi Super Dry have upgraded their partnership which began in 2022. The renewed partnership was announced yesterday with an augmented reality video highlighting the importance of training to the players. The well-placed sponsorship will immediately associate the product with training and fitness, thereby emphasising a health-conscious wing to its brand. In keeping with cultural relevance, with Man City’s financial ties to the Middle East, an alcohol-alternative product may play well in expanding support in countries where it is less consumed.

To learn about what happens when brands do alienate audiences, read here.    

Guinness  

At the Guinness Six Nations in March, the title sponsor centred their entire campaign on their 0.0% product. The alcohol-free drink was launched in large part as a response to the pandemic, a period which saw a rise in alcohol abuse. Incidentally, the activation was in response to an increase in consumption of its regular product. At the event, pitch side billboards featured the phrase ‘not drinking?’ and over 50,000 free pints of 0.0% were handed out of the final day weekend. The product has opened the experience of watching Rugby at the pub or elsewhere to those excluded by the sport’s historic drinking culture. Moreover, it has shown Guinness as a brand capable of responding to cultural change.  

Their non-alcoholic sponsorship activations have been enormously successful in promoting the brand and garnering an appetite for the 0.0%. Two days ago, it was announced that Guinness will almost triple production of its zero-alcohol brand. Owners Diageo has invested 25million euro in a new facility at its St James's Gate brewery in Dublin to meet a surge in demand for alcohol-free stout in the domestic and global markets.    

Seedlip and Heineken  

When Formula E’s Mercedes EQ partnered with non-alcoholic brand, Seedlip, in 2021 they felt much the same: “We have both set ourselves the objective of driving positive change on our planet.” In May of this year, Heineken furthered their own expansive, non-alcoholic sponsorship within Formula One. The Dutch brewery began an endorsement deal with Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen through the ‘Player 0.0’ initiative, a gaming activation designed to create a new virtual racing experience for fans, all with the alcohol-free product in mind.    

Heineken has also been a UEFA partner in one way or another since 1994. Since 2020, it has put down 10m euros a year to associate its non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0 alternative with European football. According to ‘The Drum,’ its bets are now hedged on the growth of the 0% ABV sector. Hans Erik Tuijt, Heineken Global Sponsorship Director, said “We feel it’s crucial to give consumers a choice.” In understanding and not alienating their audience, Heineken, also sponsors of the Europa League, have a higher-quality commercial offering.   

Conclusion   

Asahi are the latest in a long line of brands investing through sponsorship in their own non-alcoholic products. For rights holders meanwhile, non-alcoholic products are an attractive proposal. At this year’s Wimbledon, Stella Artois Alcohol Free will be available for the first time as the brewery moves into its position as Official Beer Partner. It does so without taking centre stage (or court) in its branding - a position still held by its original lager. With an established beer culture already present at Wimbledon, would putting more into advertising its non-alcoholic products forge a new path without affecting that core customer base? We think so - particularly given Wimbledon’s growing focus on a younger audience. 

To learn about one way Wimbledon is looking to speak to younger audiences, click here. 

The post How alcohol-free beer sponsorships are boosting brand relevance    appeared first on The Sponsor.

On April 1, Bud Light sponsored an Instagram and TikTok post from the accounts of trans-activist Dylan Mulvaney. Soon, public figures including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kid Rock, and Caitlyn Jenner were publicly criticising the company. Following months of aggressive boycotting, America’s best-selling beer for more than two decades fell second-place to Modelo Especial. Its sales volume dropped a staggering 29% in the four-week period ending in mid-June from a year earlier. In this article, we assess 3 lessons from a grossly mismanaged sponsorship campaign. 

Do your research 

First, it’s important to note that Bud Light's relationship with Dylan Mulvaney was not extensive. It went as far as two Bud Light sponsored posts featuring a personalised beer can to celebrate 365 days since her transition. Despite the campaign’s relatively small scale, the company took into account neither the breadth nor the qualities of its audience. Further, it’s no secret that powerful companies in the United States, including Apple, Citigroup, CVS, Bank of America and many others have faced immense pressure when dipping into political campaigns. The backlash has been enormous and ought to have been considered with a clear plan of action.  

With one in five Gen Z adults (those born between 1997-2003) identifying as LGBTQ, the partnership with Mulvaney would ostensibly connect to an online audience at the dawn of the legal drinking age. As economist Lee Badgett notes of the community, “it’s not a tiny fraction anymore…it’s a game changer.” The problem is not so much in wanting to support progressive movements, it was in not comprehending its own position in the market and in not preparing for pushback. 

To read why market research is so crucial for your business, click here.

Stick to your guns 

In April, brewing company Anheuser-Busch put out a statement via CEO Brendan Whitworth that sought to settle the dust: “we never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.” To the LGBT community this said, ‘We didn’t realise why this was important to you.’ To its conservative audience this said, ‘We didn’t realise why this was important to you.’  

Speaking to her 1.8million followers last Thursday, Mulvaney stated: “I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did…For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all.” In withholding support, Bud Light went down a sponsorship route, tried to turn back, and now find themselves in commercial no man’s land. All the while, prominent conservative figures continue to celebrate the plummeting of Bud Light stocks and bottling plant closures. “This is what winning looks like,” stated Mark Slapinski on Twitter.  

Be clear in your communication 

Sponsorships build an identity when the campaigns and activations are well thought out. They cannot, however, be substitutes for brand identity, or else they’ll always operate at a superficial level. A lack of understanding over core values will leave brands with misaligned sponsors and therefore open to vulnerability.  

When controversy hits, a robust response stemming from an understanding of your brand can help rebuild trust. When Disney came under fire in 1995 for introducing domestic-partner benefits, CEO Michael Eisner defended his company's inclusive stance: "I think it would be a travesty in this country to exclude anybody." The response was straightforward and neutralised calls for a boycott by laying out company policy.  

While that wasn’t a sponsorship-related issue, Bud Light could have done with Eisner’s clear communication. The answer is not to abandon progressively minded sponsorships. It’s to do them right. Speaking to CBS Mornings, Brendan Whitworth was asked if he would send Mulvaney another personalised can. Instead of a concise answer, Whitworth stated unclear aims to understand the social conversation around the campaign. When pressed, he again avoided the question.  

To learn more about planning around controversy, click here.

Conclusion 

 America’s best-selling beer lost their spot over insufficient market research; the unclear communication is a testament to their lack of both preparation and conviction. Bud Light sponsored a campaign that they weren't prepared to see through. Further, a lack of understanding of its own core identity made the response feel cobbled together and transparent. The result: a non-committal campaign that has failed to win over either side. 

The post 3 lessons from Bud Light’s mismanaged sponsorship campaign appeared first on The Sponsor.

‘Race to Wimbledon’ will see Fortnite players competing to set the best time across a course that spans multiple London landmarks, including the London Eye and Wimbledon Village. Those who beat brand ambassador Andy Murray's time will be entered into American Express’s prize draw to win tickets, travel and accommodation to the men’s final of the 2024 Championships. In this article, we take a look at how brands can leverage video game sponsorship through the virtual world to build authentic engagement amongst a hard-to-reach audience. 

Why does this video game sponsorship make sense?

The All England Club is seeking to appeal to a younger audience - one in which football dominates, both in the physical world and that of online content creators. For the desired audience, Amex are enabling interactive experiences that emphasise the qualities of Wimbledon itself. Sponsorship of video game events is a path well-trodden by the tennis event; in 2022, the All England Club launched WimbleWorld on metaverse platform Roblox, receiving more than 12 million visits. With over 80% of users aged under 24, WimbleWorld remains one of the most visited official sports experiences on Roblox. This support from Amex all but confirms the value of such sponsorships. 

It should further be noted that Wimbledon’s sponsors are generally referred to as suppliers. The tournament, run by the All England Club, tends to have commercial partners that bring something practical to the event - including Evian, Ralph Lauren, and Babolat. As a result, any ‘suppliers’ immediately assume a perception of real-life value (assuming all goes well). The fact ‘Race to Wimbledon’ has been released in partnership with American Express underlines the trust that the hosts have put in the company to get this right. 

Ames appears to have got it right, addressing each of The Sponsor's 4 things to consider for esports and gaming sponsorships.

What does 'inauthentic engagement' look like?

John Clarke, global brand and marcomms officer at esports organiser Gfinity stated, “GenZ gamers have little or no time for brands that do not add value to their experience, so bringing something special is key. Brands need to take the time to understand gaming culture and find the right entry point.” Simple ‘brandalising’ of in-game scenarios is a transparent move that the gaming community are more than capable of seeing through. In 2021, Street Fighter V were criticised for incentivising players with in-game currency to purchase branded in-game products. At one point, brands were bidding for space on fighter Dhalsim’s skull necklace. The problem? A lack of authentic engagement.  

Why is active input important?

According to a study from the Centre for Sports and Management (CSM) at the Otto Beisheim School of Management, there is a 69% expected likelihood that audiences will prefer an active engagement over passive content consumption. Sponsorship within video games enables rights holders to speak to a younger audience in a way that feels natural and relevant. In short, your sponsorship must have active engagement as its goal.  

In 2018, Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup led to their ‘Uplifted Alex’ campaign. It featured FIFA 18’s in-game character Alex Hunter securing a sponsorship with the drinks brand in what was called the “first ad within a video game to be launched on real-world platforms.” At the time, Executive Creative Director at Mercado McCann, who teamed with Coke’s gaming team, Diego Tuya stated “It was a genuine moment; we always aim for organic ideas rather than ones where you can see the strings. Alex is great and is now part of Coke’s history as the brand’s first-ever virtual ambassador.” The message from these partnerships is clear: brands that make use of the dynamic potential for authentic involvement in video game sponsorship stand to benefit greatly from increased engagement amongst younger audiences.

The post AMEX’s sponsorship of Fortnite’s ‘Race To Wimbledon’ is a lesson in authentic video game engagement appeared first on The Sponsor.

As the Sheffield club return to the Premier League after two seasons out, senior figures are determined to secure ‘family friendly partners.’ Through this stated ambition, the club have turned down at least three multi-million pound offers from gambling firms to become the club’s new shirt sponsor. Meanwhile, Chelsea rush to push through a controversial deal with crypto-casino Stake.com. In this article, we query whether these moves make sense and what they suggest about the future of Premier League sponsorship. 

What is the state of play in gambling sponsorship?

For sponsors, the Premier League guarantees global viewership. Together with the highest match day attendance average in Europe, it forms the most quantitatively impressive sponsorship platform in British sports. In mid-April, the League announced that its teams had agreed an effective ban of front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship commencing in the 2025/26 season. With Sheffield United’s recent rejection of gambling firms, alongside fan discontent over Chelsea’s proposed deal with Stake.com, we are starting to see two distinct approaches to gambling sponsorship.

To read more about the ban, click here.

Why does Sheffield United’s approach make sense?

As The Sponsor’s Fair Market Value analysis of all Premier League teams suggests, Sheffield United sit alongside Burnley, Luton, and Nottingham Forest at the bottom of the Power Index table. 

United are thought to be seeking at least £6m from the successor’s to current sponsors, Randox Health. In rejecting lucrative gambling sponsorships, the club are in no way undermining their commercial viability. They are simply closing down an already declining sponsorship avenue. Indeed, the club were able to exhibit their sponsorship commitments with a high-profile launch of their new kit deal with Errea at the clothing manufacturers’ headquarters in Parma, Italy, last summer. The club’s eventual sponsor for the 23/24 season will now be perceived on the basis that a conscious and ethically self-aware club has selected them. That only lays fertile ground for brands intent on a positive impact.

What can we learn from Chelsea’s struggle?

In a complete inverse of Sheffield United’s approach, Chelsea were this week under fire for a  deal being finalised with Stake.com. It comes after the Premier League rejected a proposed deal with streaming service Paramount Plus on the grounds that it could affect viewership figures. Further deals with Allianz and a crypto-currency firm have also collapsed in recent weeks. While the deal with Stake.com would likely be short-term to account for the eventual ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship, supporters have nonetheless hit out in droves. A Chelsea Supporters’ Trust survey revealed 77% of 3,297 fans polled either disagree or strongly disagree with the decision. Further, the deal has been seen to undermine the club's charitable foundation's work on gambling addiction, with some fans labelling it a ‘total mockery.’ If the deal goes ahead, Chelsea would only be able to sell shirts displaying Stake in adult sizes, with kids’ shirts showing no sponsor. The sacrifices in terms of public perception are clear. 

However, given The Sponsor’s assessment that Chelsea’s fair market sponsorship value plummeted by 60% after a devastating season, it is unsurprising that the club have their eyes and ears tuned to the highest payers. With an FMV of £16.9m, the reported £40m deal with Stake.com could on balance compensate for the effects of the club’s on-pitch performance. 

Final thoughts 

Between the two clubs, we saw a qualitative and a quantitative approach to sponsorship. In terms of the future, Sheffield United will be able to leverage the goodwill between the club and their fan base. Meanwhile, Chelsea may well stay financially afloat, but will do no help to the already dissatsifed audience. 

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The post Qualitative vs quantitative: how Sheffield United and Chelsea’s recent sponsorship activity differs appeared first on The Sponsor.

Birkett Long is a full-service law firm with a presence in both Essex and London. The firm recently partnered with East-Anglia’s first LGBTQ+ Rugby Club, Colchester Kings RFC, in an effort to sustain their positive impact in the community and broadcast their services across the sectors of agriculture, construction, education, health, and social care. We spoke with Jen Skingsley, Head of Marketing at Birkett Long and Colchester Kings superfan, about the importance of meaningful involvement for local businesses in their sponsorship campaigns.

The partnership began with Jen using her connections to the community to contact Sam Biscoe, the Kings' chairperson and Head of Marketing at the Mercury Theatre, of which she is a board member:

“He posted on LinkedIn that he was thinking about setting up the Kings and I replied that this was absolutely something that Birkett Long would be interested in supporting.” 

Recognizing the alignment between Birkett Long's sponsorship plans and the proposed rugby team, Sam and Jen decided to explore the concept further. Initially, both parties were uncertain about what the partnership would entail – Jen was very honest about the fact that the socially-conscious alignment was so palpable, it was very much a case of getting involved with one another as soon as possible.

 "For us, it was about having sponsors that worked well alongside our activities in the community…Our strategy is not just to throw a logo or money at stuff, we want to be fully involved. This was quite an unusual case in that we were involved in their operations first and then tried to work out a way to have effective branding.”

To get the ball rolling, Birkett Long took an active role in supporting the Kings’ marketing efforts. Leveraging their strong social media presence, Birkett Long actively promoted the team's activities, spread the word about taster sessions, thus generating interest. A pivotal moment in their partnership came during Essex Pride – a significant event for the area and beyond.

“They didn't have the capacity to go to Essex Pride at that point and we had a stand there, so we took their leaflets and approached people to ask if they were interested in rugby.”  

Through public engagement in a community-focused event, Kings saw an increase in sign-ups while Birkett Long’s community-conscious efforts were opened up to a participating audience. The legal firm's support enhanced the team's visibility and helped attract potential players and supporters. Furthermore, the exposure garnered during Essex Pride was instrumental in expanding the team's reach and fostering a sense of community around and through the sport.

“With Birkett Long, community is the golden thread that runs through the firm. It's a bit cheesy to say that, but it really is. The people and community are two of our core values - when we see people for interview or meet people out in the community, that is the real thing we get recognised for.”

Birkett Long's involvement in the Colchester Kings RFC extended beyond mere financial support. Jen attended a taster session during the summer, distributing goodie bags to the players and having discussions with them about the club.  As the collaboration progressed and both parties gained a deeper understanding of each other's objectives, Birkett Long became a kit sponsor, enabling them to showcase their dedication with tangible support.

The firm’s sponsorship strategy prioritises active participation over superficial logo placement. By engaging with the Kings Rugby Team's activities, Jen and Birkett Long aim to create a lasting impact and forge a genuine connection with the team and its supporters. Their decision to be actively involved right from the start highlights their intention to contribute meaningfully to the team's success and promote a sense of shared purpose.

“Whenever we look at sponsorship opportunities, we think in terms of: we want to sponsor this, what are we going to get from it? But most importantly, what can we do to help? That way we’re showing that we can be impactful and supportive.”

The goal fits neatly in their wider sponsorship portfolio. In addition to partnering with the Kings, they recently organized a free webinar led by their Wills, Trusts, and Probate expert, Emma Harper, which focused on providing a guide to wills specifically tailored to the LGBTQ+ community. Crucially, any sponsorship that purports to be aligned needs to be meaningful and active on both sides.

The firm encourages their staff to identify and nurture relationships with local organizations that fit with their values. Through these internal connections, Birkett Long has fostered partnerships with diverse organisations, including Essex Search & Rescue, Essex Wildlife Trust, Essex Young Farmers, and St Helena Hospice, a charitable organization established by their late Senior Partner, Christopher Holmes.

So what’s the final advice?

“Make use of the innate personal links to your community first and foremost and see what's important to the local area. Being able to mirror your company values through a local sponsorship is so important.”

The Kings will be joining their first official International Gay Rugby League season in September and both Jen and Birkett Long will be cheering them on.

The post Jen Skingsley of Birkett Long on how to support the community through sponsorship  appeared first on The Sponsor.

After it was announced this week that eBay will replace Just Eat as Love Island’s headline sponsor, what have the online marketplace done to separate themselves from the show’s history of problematic partners?  

Why have Love Island partnered with eBay? 

The shift to a more sustainable headline partner addresses widespread criticism for Love Island’s extensive association with ‘fast fashion’ brands. Since the partnership began, eBay’s success has been phenomenal: during series nine, the platform saw a 1400% increase in on-site searches for ‘pre-loved fashion’ compared to series eight. It has further seen a 24% increase in new circular businesses joining the online marketplace so far in 2023.  

For Love Island, distancing itself from Boohoo, whose illegal working conditions and unsustainable practices continue to be sponsorship poison, makes sense. Even last year, users reported that the eBay tab on the Love Island app was hard to find, and that it focused mainly on single use plastic toiletries and makeup. As YouTuber Leena Norms notes, the lifestyle promoted by Love Island is “directly at odds with how we’re going to have to live in the next 30 to 50 years.” More had to be done for a meaningful effort at sustainability, and this renewed, developed partnership certainly helps. 

The aim for eBay is to show the functionality of pre-loved items and drive conversation around fashion circularity; the aim for Love Island is to address their association with environmentally damaging companies. As they replace Just Eat, whose model relies on an enormous degree of single use containers, a sustainability-driven campaign all but adds reliability to both brands. 

What are eBay doing?  

Once again, Amy Bannerman will resume her role as eBay’s Pre-loved Style Director, sourcing clothing from eBay to style the new Islanders. A selection of authenticated sneakers and garments from eBay’s Imperfects range will also be entering the villa’s wardrobe. The company will run a series of idents during the main show’s ad breaks, as well as any catch-up programmes. 

What can we learn from eBay’s success and what are the potential risks looking forward?  

The lessons from eBay’s success run deep. To have a positive impact, your product or service’s strengths should respond to issues within the prospective partner’s model. In circumstances where a current sponsor is negatively affecting said partner, consider how your product or service can address those issues in a public and positive way.  

While it is unclear exactly how this partnership will play out on our screens, eBay’s sponsorship campaign does include gaps of its own. Islanders wear multiple outfits every day – could eBay have allowed items to be reused to confront excessive consumption? Furthermore, selecting items before the Islanders have even been chosen feeds into criticism of contestant control around the show. In sponsoring “the most commercialised show on British television,” eBay run the risk of being associated with the show’s wider problematic image.  

Conclusion 

Ultimately, fashion’s sustainability efforts are confabulated through an amalgam of fast fashion dominance and affordability. Through doubling down on their partnership with Love Island, eBay have advertised the practical uses of their platform exceptionally, as shown by the 20% increase in listings YOY since the initial launch in 2022. eBay have also shown that they are able to respond to specific trends such as Y2K and push the show into representing high-end, better-quality brands. The challenge going forward will be in continuing to leverage the sponsorship to improve perceptions of Love Island as a whole. If they can do so while increasing traffic towards their services, they will cement themselves as practical players in the conversation around fast fashion.  

The post How eBay’s Love Island sponsorship increased engagement by 1400% appeared first on The Sponsor.

The London Marathon provides an excellent opportunity for sponsors to mirror its values of commitment, endurance, and going beyond. Sifan Hassan and Kelvin Kiptum placed first in the women’s and men’s elite races, in what was regarded as some of the highest-quality line-ups the events have ever seen. All the while, the partners used their products and services to try and enhance the sporting experience. Below, we assess how effectively these partnerships were leveraged to benefit both parties.

Buxton

As the official water sponsor of the race, Buxton was responsible for replenishing runners at heavily branded water stations. It provided 100% recyclable bottles that were collected at numerous drop zones and then taken to be recycled.

Partnering with Mind, Buxton ran a campaign called ‘Sweat and Tears’ through which it supported a team of ‘Rise Up Runners.’ Buxton gave people the opportunity to share their mental and physical running stories for a chance to win one of eight places to compete in the marathon. Out of 5,567 applicants, eight unique winners were chosen to form Buxton's 'Rise Up Runners' team.

Over a four-week period, the campaign followed gruelling training sessions as the brand showed its support by sharing inspiring stories on social media. To celebrate the final countdown to Marathon day, Buxton shared the athletes' achievements and reasons for taking part.

As well as the £13,000 raised by the ‘Rise Up’ runners from 481 supporters, Buxton also donated £100,000 to Mind, continuing its effort in mental health to help ‘build a resilient Britain​.’

At the event, Buxton volunteers helped Green Square Mile’s recycling team clean the streets after the races.

Buxton cemented its commitment to promoting mental and physical wellbeing. It is easy to promote positivity at a surface-level, but making a true difference requires meaningful investment in causes. It’s no surprise that due to its proactive efforts, The Drum issued this campaign with its Social Media Award.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tag Heuer

TAG Heuer entered its eighth year as the official timekeeping partners of The London Marathon.

The watchmakers provided a defining moment for runners who completed the course by supplying an official running time for everybody’s finish line photograph. Runners were able to share their own finish line selfie on social media, providing brand awareness while creating a memorable occasion for competitors.

TAG Heuer also partnered with urban running collective Run Dem Crew to sponsor the ‘cheer zone’ at Mile 21 – one of the liveliest points on the course - which features loud music and a vocal supporting crowd.

The winners of the elite races were presented with a TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 watch.

TAG ensured a worthwhile partnership by making a personal connection with participants – its branding will remain on the mantlepiece of thousands of homes forever.

Rating: 8/10

TATA Consultancy Services (TCS)

At the conclusion of the 2021 marathon, TCS took over the role of Title Sponsor from Virgin Money. This is the second of its six-year deal. The company’s branding across the event was prevalent, but the partnership went far beyond optics.

London Marathon Events used ReScore – a cloud-based application developed by TCS for the Council for Responsible Sport. ReScore further measured the environmental and social impact of the marathon. The Belief Booster feature – which built on the 163,000 submissions in its debut year - enabled supporters to share encouraging messages for participants that were displayed on the finish line LED gantry and shared on social media. In emphasising the native positivity of the event, TCS leveraged its partnership functionally and with an encouraging, tangible impact.

Beyond public perception of accountability, ReScore supported TCS in its ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions across its own operations by 2024. By reporting against sustainability standards set by the council, TCS showed that it was open to external analysis of performance. To further reduce its carbon footprint, TCS finisher shirts were made from 100% recycled polyester.

The free-of-charge Mini Marathon, held on Saturday 22nd, saw more than 8,000 participants compete in its biggest edition yet. Every finishing participant aged 17 or under earned a £10 voucher from TCS for their school to spend on PE or IT equipment.

Running in the TCS @LondonMarathon and cheering their students on in the Mini Marathon, it was a pleasure to have 14 runners from Team TCS Teachers taking part in this year's big race. Hear from some of them below: https://t.co/dX3RBsPlSU#LondonMarathon #BeliefRunsLondon pic.twitter.com/Aix8x8R9RG

— TCS @ #BeliefRunsLondon (@TCS_UKI) April 23, 2023

TCS used its technological experience and customer know how to enhance the event for the benefit of organisers, participants, and spectators. Through a virtual marathon, it also connected with those who couldn’t make it to the event.

Rating: 8/10

Abbott

Global Healthcare Company, Abbott, are title sponsor of the World Marathon Majors. Here, it promoted its largest ever initiative to help runners complete the Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York races – otherwise known as the Six Star journey. Abbott had a stall at the end of the race, where Six Star runners could receive their medals upon finishing.

Abbott also had a stall at the London Marathon expo, where visitors could test themselves on a treadmill against the world record pace.

This partnership will have helped Abbott’s global campaign for an elite bracket of runners, but perhaps should have been more tailored to the London event.

Rating: 6.5

New Balance

Alongside extensive branding across the London Marathon, New Balance introduced its 2023 TCS London Marathon Race Range – a head-to-toe collection inspired by the history and culture of London.

The global sports brand also had a message wall at the London Marathon expo, where encouraging messages could be scribed onto a wall carrying its logo.

New Balance’s London Marathon collection looked fantastic, and its brand presence at the event was vast. That said, the partnership was relatively unambitious when compared with other, more dynamic sponsorship campaigns.

Rating: 6.5/10

Flora

Having served as Title Sponsor of TLM from 1996-2009, Flora’s partnership was renewed in a much-reduced capacity in 2020.

This year, FLORA sponsored reality TV star Mark Wright and his brother Josh to help broadcast its ‘Making Healthy Switches’ campaign. As an ambassador for FLORA, Mark stated “I had to get my brother involved this year and to rope Mum and Dad into making this healthy switch, too.”

 

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A post shared by Mark Wright (@wrighty_)

This was a solid partnership from a long-time sponsor supplementing its own health-focused campaign. However, after its historic involvement in the event, FLORA’s diminished role was apparent.

Rating: 6.5/10

iFIT

While runners raced to the finish line, iFIT invited those at home to run the London Marathon in five parts with iFIT Trainer Casey Gilbert. The race, part of their marathon series, was also available for those training in the lead up to the marathon.

While the sponsorship made good use of iFIT’s product in one aspect, the company could have been more expansive in its efforts to connect runners virtually with the event.

Rating: 6/10

Lucozade Sport

Lucozade Sport became the longest-standing incumbent partner of the London Marathon when it extended the partnership in 2021.

Every Lucozade Sport bottle distributed on the course at this year’s race was made from recycled plastic, using a closed-loop system which collected and returned the bottles. The Lucozade Sport drink tables at Mile 9, 15, 21, and 24 also provided the beverage in compostable cups in support of the company’s sustainability efforts. Lucozade's branding included its new 'No Sugar' product, with posters and road banners advertising its healthier alternative.

Away from the race itself, Lucozade ran a campaign from 5th-18th September 2022 called ‘Own the Unknown’ in partnership with Strava. The campaign challenged runners to complete 20 miles of activity in the timeframe, whereafter they were entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a 2023 TCS London Marathon place. ‘Own the Unknown’ competitors were also permitted exclusive discount codes for Lucozade Sport products.

While its campaign was unfortunately limited in scope, Lucozade nonetheless found a way to create content and encourage potential competitors into the event.

Rating: 5.5/10

Click the below links to learn more about successful and limited sponsorship campaigns in the world’s biggest sporting events:

Rugby World Cup Sponsorship Report

FIFA World Cup Sponsorship Report

The post The London Marathon Sponsorship Report appeared first on The Sponsor.