September 2017

Sport sponsorship shows no signs of waning

More than 1,600 new sponsorship deals and over 400 renewals were signed in the first five months of 2017, the Sportcal Sponsorship Report shows.

The report, which is published by Sportcal, a provider of sports analysis, highlights the continued importance of the role of sports sponsorships for brands wishing to reach an engaged audience. It covers traditional sports such as soccer and tennis but also new and fast-growing domains such as eSports and MMA.

In terms of brand sectors, the athletic and sports equipment sectors were the most active, with names such as Puma, Nike and Adidas making up the top three spenders. In fact, nine out of the top 20 most active brands belong in these two sectors. This is not surprising, according to the report, as sports sponsorships give the brands credibility by providing links to mass-scale sporting events and world-class athletes.

A number of trends are highlighted in the report. First, increasing competition in the athletic and sports equipment sectors have led brands to become increasingly creative in their engagement and activation. For example, Nike created the Breaking2 campaign which is a competition set up with the aim of breaking the two-hour marathon barrier for the first time. While the barrier is not yet broken, the campaign has enabled Nike to create exclusive digital content to promote its new running shoes range.

Another trend identified in the report is the tendency in recent years of sponsors to speak out against rights-holders that have caused scandals or are not seen as breaking a specific moral code. For example, Adidas ended its relationship with the IAAF over corruption allegations and a deal between Cricket Australia and Australian brewer Lion promotes not beer but “sensible drinking”.

The third trend is an increasing focus on the importance of activation and less focus on traditional measures such as media valuation.

"These trends highlight the need for thorough and professional sponsorship management," notes Paul Poole, Founder, Managing Director and Chairman, Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. "Our Engagement and Activation and our Full Service offerings can help brands and rights holders navigate the ever changing landscape of sports sponsorship and partnership marketing and make sure that all aspects of the sponsorship or partnership are optimised to meet marketing objectives."

Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. is an independent marketing consultancy based in Bangkok, Thailand specialising in commercial sponsorship and partnership marketing, working with both rights holders and brands - acting as a catalyst by bringing them together and maximising the relationship.

We have packaged, sold and managed sponsorship and partnership opportunities for a wide range of rights holders and worked with many of the world’s leading brands to source and engage the right sponsorships and partnerships for them to maximise.



Please contact us for more information: Tel./Fax: +66 2622 0605 – 7 Email: info@paulpoole.co.th