Sports, a word that teaches us that when you are at your best, you only win. Those who win not only get the appreciation, but they are showered with immense love from their fans and followers.
Have you ever wondered who else is behind this win? Or who made the event possible to let you see your favorites win? It's our sponsors who were there to make our experience better with their consistent support and a sense of responsibility to make us smile. This is where sponsorship for events plays a crucial role in ensuring fans enjoy the best possible experience.
Sports Sponsorship is indeed vital to these events, athletes performing, and the brands offering sponsorships. It’s a mutual collaboration that benefits each one involved differently. But how does it work? What are the types of sports sponsorship? Let’s break this down and help you gain clarity on how they benefit all of us involved.
How Sports Sponsorship Works?
Sports Sponsorship is not about raising funds for a sports event; it’s about fostering long-term partnerships between the sponsors, events, athletes, and teams. This collaboration drives brands to provide resources or financial aid to either event organizers, athletes, or the teams to make them deliver their best to make the fans happy. In return, they get a chance to connect with their target audience among sports lovers and fans. As a sponsor, you can share your brand message among the fans and attract your potential customers from the crowd, driving more sales and business growth.
3 Types of Sports Sponsorships
Sports Sponsorship works differently for the different people involved. To closely understand how it works, let’s explore how sponsors collaborate with organizations, athletes, and event organizers through these sports sponsorship types:
1. Sponsoring an Athlete
Sponsoring an athlete performing in a sports event is the first type of sponsorship you or your brand can offer. Here, you support an athlete with funds and resources, or the equipment they need. In return, they either promote and recommend your brand as brand ambassadors during special ad shoots, public events, or even wear your branded merchandise while performing.
Remember Nike Air Jordan, launched in 1985 and still a dream for many sports lovers? This is the power of sports sponsorship as Nike and Michael Jordan made the brand the best sports wear brand globally and made Michael Jordan a Basketball Legend.
Your brand sponsoring an athlete can capture these benefits and more as these athletes bring a two-way reachability for brands. First is one where the sports fans and followers view these athletes play in every tournament, league, or sports event they participate in. The second is that they bring their social media followers to you, where they promote your brand and recommend your brand as their first choice.
2. Sponsoring a Sports Organization
Next is sponsoring a sports organization that is all about supporting the team or a sports league as your sponsorship effort. Teams are offered financial or resource benefits by your brand as a sponsor. While the league mentions you as your title, official, or technical sponsor at every match or event throughout the league.
For example, Spotify, a video streaming platform, has a 4-year sponsorship deal with the Barcelona football club. Here, the brand supports the team with player kits in return getting a front place in both men's and women’s jerseys.
The benefit here is that all the fans and followers, or every public appearance of the team members in this jersey, showcase Spotify, bringing more eyes to the brand. Such a sports sponsorship not only brings your brand closer to the customers but also creates a community relationship that offers long-term results. This approach is quite popular among event sponsors in India who aim to build consistent brand visibility.
3. Sponsoring a Sports Event
The final type of Sports Sponsorship is sponsorship of a sports event. Here, you don't support any athlete, organization, or team; instead, you support the entire league or tournament. Here, the brand sponsors all or fewer backend and front-end activities and operations through financial or material support. For example, if you support the event with venue assistance, you get the place as their title sponsor, getting a place in every announcement and event advertisement.
Let’s take an example of India’s most celebrated national sports event, i.e., cricket. The Tata group was the title sponsor of IPL this year. What did they get? Tata was there as many times as you IPL flashed on your TV and phone screens.
You must not have heard IPL without TATA throughout the tournament. This is what makes a difference for you. Your brand name creates a permanent place in the minds and hearts of the fans and followers through these sponsorships.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the different ways sports sponsorship promotes your brand growth, now is the time to take action. Think wisely and act strategically to choose the right type of sports sponsorship that both resonates with your audience and lets you achieve your brand purpose.
InviteMySponsors is here to simplify this sports sponsorship journey for both sports events and sponsors. It aims to help sports event organizers and sponsors collaborate for extraordinary benefits observed mutually and make sport beyond just an experience.