Introduction to sports marketing and sport sponsorship
The World Cup 2022 takes place from 20 November until 18 December 2022 in Qatar. This competition welcomes 32 different teams from around the globe.
This event is good news for most football enthusiasts all around the world. They will be able to watch this competition because more than 100 countries will broadcast the matches. But this is also good news for brands.
Indeed, the wedding between sports like football and sponsors seems to last. So let’s focus on what kind of marketing tactics are hidden behind these big sports events.
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Sports marketing and sports sponsorship are often mixed up
Marketers realized a long time ago the popularity of sports among fanatics or casual viewers increased significantly. As a result, the field of sports marketing has grown along with it. Sports marketing is the set of marketing techniques and strategies applied to the field of sports. According to Marketing Schools, this branch of marketing “uses sports, in any form, to help sell goods and services.”
3 forms of sports marketing
There are 3 different forms of sports marketing:
- Marketing of sport: promoting athletes, sports teams, or events such as the World Cup, the Olympics, the World Cycling Championships, etc.
- Marketing through sport: sell goods and or services that are not directly related to sport. In this case, the promotional tools are the athletes, sports teams, or events.
- Increase participation in sport: getting people or children to discover a particular sport in a funny way.
Sport sponsorship a dimension of sports marketing
Sports marketing has different dimensions
The main one is sponsoring or also called sponsorship. This communication technique consists of associating its brand with a sports entity to reach marketing communication objectives. Moreover, about twenty years ago, only sports brands usually chose to use sponsoring. Nowadays, other companies (banking, fashion, consulting, health, etc.) use sports and athletes in their marketing strategies.
Sponsorship is part of the communication mix
This marketing tactic has become more professional and has become an absolute part of a communication mix.
Sponsorship divided into 3 categories
Moreover, this strategy has many objectives for a company. According to French marketer Gabriel Dabi-Schwebel, sponsorship can also be divided into 3 main categories:
- Brand awareness sponsorship: this consists in showing many brands and company names. It usually covers big sporting events, such as the Champions League, World Cups, etc.
- Image sponsorship: this is used to build a brand image consistent with the target audience, such as sports brands like Adidas or Nike during the Olympic Games.
- Credibility sponsorship: this type of sponsorship allows companies or brands to associate the quality of their product or services with events.
In a nutshell, all these types of sponsorships are used to associate a brand’s image with that of a particular sport. Sports marketing allows any company to be linked to the values of the supported team of athletes, which can make or break the reputation of both parties.
About the author
Laetitia is a passionate marketeer who likes to coordinate all kinds of marketing projects. She started her career as a Junior Brand Manager @Moureau NV and was responsible for a portfolio of 5 luxury brands. She is creative, result-oriented and an eager-to-learn person with a sparkling personality.
Want to know more about Laetitia? Feel free to start a conversation with Laetitia on LinkedIn.
