Rethinking sports sponsorship metrics

Sports sponsorship is usually seen as a way of increasing reach and exposure, but research out of Australia suggests that brands would do better to adopt a “fit comes first” approach.

It’s a live issue there as only last month Alinta Energy ended its sponsorship deal with the Australian Test Cricket team following “ethical objections” by the team’s captain over the company’s climate impact. 

The research background 

A recently published study from the University of the Sunshine Coast, titled Fan Sponsor Acceptance: So, You Want to Join Our Sports in-Group?, followed Great Southern Bank (then Credit Union Australia) and its sponsorship of cricket’s Big Bash League (BBL) franchise the Brisbane Heat during the 2016/17 season. Using quantitative survey data from BBL television viewers, a model of sponsor acceptance was developed and tested.

Specifically, the research examined how a sense of ‘community’ translated into commercial outcomes, as well as media exposure. “Our study was different because the focus was on an emerging professional sport that did not have ingrained, pre-existing rivalries and tribalism found in the more established leagues in rugby league, Aussie rules and soccer,” explained lead author Dr Lenny Vance.

What the study found 

• The alignment of family – BBL was designed as a family experience and young families were a big target market for Great Southern Bank – made the sponsorship a good fit.
• “Community acceptance” of a brand sponsoring a sports team was found to be the best indicator of the sponsorship’s commercial success.
• Since Great Southern Bank wasn’t engaged in any other marketing campaigns at that time, it was possible to show how the sponsorship directly translated into new memberships and new loans sold: it was very successful.
• The tribalism of sports fans did not extend to sponsors; both Brisbane Heat fans and rival fans were positive about the bank’s sponsorship.

Key quote

“It’s got to be about fit and the alignment of the brand values of both the sponsored entity and the organisation” – Dr Lenny Vance, School of Business and Creative Industries, University of the Sunshine Coast.

Sourced from University of the Sunshine Coast