How is Sponsorship Different Than Other Marketing?

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, especially motorsports, sponsorship is enthusiastically accepted and intrinsically linked to a team/driver’s ability to compete. Your branding and the work you bring to the world is a natural fit 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. An active shift in mindset happens when you consider the different ways you can activate a sponsorship.

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 it is an important exercise. Sometimes, this exercise is forced upon us with canceled or postponed events. Where do you see value? What would you do? What will be in your reports? 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 integral to 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. Seeing all the different companies together on one platform via their logos and brands is a thrill when they are integrated organically.

We are, however, in favor of putting all of the ways you can activate your sponsorship ahead of just "brand awareness" initiatives.