Why Sponsorship Works More Than Ever in 2024

Sponsorship can be an integrated alternative to traditional media marketing and a platform where consumers are receptive to hearing your message. We enjoy combing through the Reader Survey that SBJ administers each year to see how this dynamic continually changes.

Our foundational belief is that much of traditional media is “interruptive” by nature. It is unnatural, forcing you to view their pitch while you’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.

While the landscape is always changing, the challenge for brands remains to engage the audience, be authentic and improve the overall experience. Let’s take a look at some of the unique findings from 2023:

• Formula 1 ranked second behind the NFL as the hottest sports property.

• Instagram and X tied for first as the most effective social media platform for engaging fans.

• Netflix had 5/10 of the audience’s favorite sports documentaries. Ted Lasso, from Apple TV+ ranked first.

• Messi coming to the MLS ranked as the biggest sports business story of the year.

This combo of highlights can help guide your strategy as you understand where the industry is moving. Content is still king, athlete personality can move entire leagues and it is never too late to innovate as a property or sponsor.