This area of Marketing is hardly EVER discussed. It's strange, because if it is done right and done well, then the results can be highly positive.
The most successful 'brand' to embrace this great form of advertising and Marketing revenue is Bond, James Bond. Bond is synonymous all over the world, so even a little glimpse of a product within one of their films can have a reach into the tens of millions.
Such brands that have been linked with bond include; Aston Martin, Martini, Heineken, British Airways, Perrier, Kodak, Calvin Klein, Sony Ericsson, Jaguar, Rolex and Omega - just to name a small handful.
The iconic brand of 'bond' has lapped up this idea of generating revenue and recouping a vast some of the costs of creating the films, allowing them to experiment with other methods of special effects or by getting a top line-up of actors and actresses, making it more appealing and drumming up a lot more hysteria and interest for the opening night.
However, this works for bond, but does this form of Marketing have a place within the sporting world??
Standard...
Well, the answer to that is - yes, it does. It has a vast attraction and can add value to the brands of the sport or sporting teams. Within the sporting industry product placement is actually termed as, Sponsorships, but it still has the same effect.
If you have noticed, sponsorship is huge within sport. Every professional sport or professional athlete will have some form of sponsorship.
If you have noticed, sponsorship is huge within sport. Every professional sport or professional athlete will have some form of sponsorship.
On the other hand, it is a strange phenomena, as sometimes the sponsorships are relevant and sometimes they are completely irrelevant to the sports they are supporting. For instance, in the premier league, their kits are sponsored by a relevant sports clothing manufacturer, such as, Adidas, Nike, Umbro, etc, which makes huge sense.
It's not just the kit manufacturers that get involved it's big corporations that like to get a piece of this fruitful pie. A recent illustration of this can be seen with Wonga.com's partnership with Newcastle United FC, Darryl Bowman, Head of Marketing at Wonga.com, said on the partnership; "The [Premier] League has such a broad audience, and it's a massive platform to get your brand out there." (as reported in Marketing Magazine)
A fascinating example of this kind of sponsorship can also be seen with FC Barcelona and their shirt sponsor UNICEF. The arrangement that they have come up with has been the first in sporting history. They have struck up a sponsorship deal whereby they will advertise UNICEF, as they are a charity, for FREE.
You maybe thinking, how does that benefit Barcelona? Well, they get a huge amount of positive publicity. As Sports Marketers we have to get away from our monetary and financial approaches and think more outside the box, just like Barcelona have. The whole point of having sponsors and partners is predominantly to network in order to increase 'brand awareness'.
Subliminal...
A key thing to remember with any kind of sports advertising is that it needs to be snappy, colourful and eye-catching. Some examples are below:
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| Look and see how much advertising is within this small image... |
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| Smartly placed bottles of refreshments, still including their wrappers... |
You have got to be clever in the way that you approach having products placed within your sport. Supporters would be highly put off if it was crammed with advertising and logo's and slogans - it would get monotonous.
Celebrityisation...
Sports stars are no longer just athletes - they are now sporting stars. This is HUGE for sports, as each star carries their own brand with them.
David Beckham has not only been one of the best players to ever grace the England team, but he has established himself as his own brand. This drives clubs crazy. Clubs will fight for his signiture, as not only will he be a benefit and a good aquisition for the team, but he would bring his brand with him.
I hear you say,"bring his brand with him?"
Well, yes. According to The Richest, he is worth a staggering £160m ($260m), which is not just from playing football, but also from all the Sponsorship deals he has, with the likes of Calvin Klein, Armani, Adidas, Samsung and Diet Coke - just to name a few.
The Daily Mail reported earlier on this year that in 2011 David Beckham earned £13.3m in advertising and sponsorhsips, which shows, that no longer do sports and sporting clubs have the power - the athletes themselves now control not only their own destiny, but also that of the sport in which they compete.
In Summary...
A key thing to remember is to be selective. At the end of the day we have what all brands would love to have - a stream of supporters ready to engage with us, which means we hold ALL of the bargaining chips. Make it relevant or as irrelevant as you wish, but please remember, do not overcrowd your advertising material with sponsorship - that will not help you.
Sponsorships are key to any sport and are vitally important in either bringing in extra revenue or to increase the sports brand appeal or awareness. However, it is something that should not be taken lightly and when the time comes you will need to sit down with a cuppa, a notepad and have a good old think about it...
Celebrityisation...
Sports stars are no longer just athletes - they are now sporting stars. This is HUGE for sports, as each star carries their own brand with them.
David Beckham has not only been one of the best players to ever grace the England team, but he has established himself as his own brand. This drives clubs crazy. Clubs will fight for his signiture, as not only will he be a benefit and a good aquisition for the team, but he would bring his brand with him.
I hear you say,"bring his brand with him?"
Well, yes. According to The Richest, he is worth a staggering £160m ($260m), which is not just from playing football, but also from all the Sponsorship deals he has, with the likes of Calvin Klein, Armani, Adidas, Samsung and Diet Coke - just to name a few.
The Daily Mail reported earlier on this year that in 2011 David Beckham earned £13.3m in advertising and sponsorhsips, which shows, that no longer do sports and sporting clubs have the power - the athletes themselves now control not only their own destiny, but also that of the sport in which they compete.
In Summary...
A key thing to remember is to be selective. At the end of the day we have what all brands would love to have - a stream of supporters ready to engage with us, which means we hold ALL of the bargaining chips. Make it relevant or as irrelevant as you wish, but please remember, do not overcrowd your advertising material with sponsorship - that will not help you.
Sponsorships are key to any sport and are vitally important in either bringing in extra revenue or to increase the sports brand appeal or awareness. However, it is something that should not be taken lightly and when the time comes you will need to sit down with a cuppa, a notepad and have a good old think about it...
