Sponsorship marketing is big business – and with good reason. Why? Because it allows brands to connect with something greater than themselves, aligning their brand with events and other sponsors while boosting their visibility. But, simply slapping your logo on isn’t enough. Many brands fail to effectively activate collaborations by misaligning their brand values and positioning, leading to uninspiring content that doesn’t engage the audience, generating vanity metrics instead of meaningful interactions.
So, how can brands make their sponsorships deliver?
1) Be real
When considering a partnership, it’s crucial to consider how well it aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. Today’s consumers are pretty savvy, and the rise of greenwashing and influencer fatigue has shone a spotlight on authenticity. A successful brand partnership happens when both parties share values, creating a connection that strengthens brand affinity and leads to meaningful returns on investment for everyone involved. So instead of starting from scratch, consider collaborating with influencers, content creators, and publishers who are already well-established in your field.
2) Encourage interaction
Focus on creating experiences that truly resonate with people. Innovative design, user-generated content, and interactive elements can engage audiences in a genuinely memorable way. When fans share these experiences, it creates a strong sense of camaraderie which not only strengthens your brand’s presence but also amplifies your message, making a lasting impact.
3) Give back
Rather than just hitching a ride on the coattails of a partner’s influence, effective sponsorships focus on building genuine connections by giving something back to the community. Brands can step up from being mere participants to becoming co-creators by backing grassroots social and sustainability initiatives and collaborating with artists who share their values.
4) Get creative
As we’ve said, while it can be tempting to plaster a logo everywhere and call it a day, engagement and favour come in spades when partnerships are activated creatively. Which is why we collaborated with English Heritage and Subaru to inject humour and charm into their recent activation. While it wasn’t a ‘big bucks’ project, it worked so much harder than it could have done because of the way we married the two brands.
5) Best in play
You can’t talk about brand sponsorship without mentioning sports. The sports sponsorship market was valued at 97.35 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and is projected to reach nearly 190 billion in five years (Statista). And it’s not just the big hitters that are reaping the benefits. The Olympics has seen emerging sports like skateboarding attract major brands because athletes are perceived as relatable and trustworthy.
We recently partnered with Isuzu to enhance their sponsorship of the non-league FA Trophy and FA Vase. Our efforts authentically connected with non-league fans, celebrating their work ethic and community spirit. This resulted in a 463% increase in social media reach, a 312% boost in engagement, a 70% rise in PR value to £1.1 million, and a 9% increase in purchase consideration among football fans.
6) Juice it
There’s often lots of paperwork involved with sponsorship and partnerships, so it’s crucial that you, and whoever’s activating it, know exactly what you’re getting in return. Seize every chance to maximise potential – how can prizes become social content? How can experiences become a shared opportunity? How can one appearance deliver multiple pieces of collateral?
Our work with Ecolab and Manchester United really drummed home this point, with two appearances resulting in a fully integrated campaign for a whole division of the business, bringing engagement and perfect synergy. Watch the film here…
If you’re looking for ways to enhance the performance of your sponsorships or brand partnerships – and avoid the pitfalls – get in touch. We won’t drop the ball.