Sponsorship

What we know about sponsorship effectiveness

Article • WARC Best Practice, July 2018

Examines how brands can build awareness and increase loyalty through effective sponsorship.

How to plan an effective sports sponsorship strategy

Article • Neil Hopkins, WARC Best Practice, March 2018

Provides marketers with key best practices on planning an effective sports sponsorship strategy, which is dependent on a rigorous strategic planning process to ensure effective targeting.

What we know about marketing at major sporting events

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2018

The current thinking and reading on the subject of sports marketing – aligning a brand or product with an event or team – including major sporting events such as The Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup or The Super Bowl.

Team Sky leaves 'sponsorship template'

News • 13 December 2018

Sky’s decision to end its ownership and sponsorship of cycle road-racing’s Team Sky after the 2019 season opens a major new opportunity for a brand with deep pockets.

Diageo: The Welcome Drink

Case Study • Anouk Kalaf, Linda Fagerlund, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Drinks manufacturer Diageo joined forces with TV cooking show MasterChef and created a multimedia strategy to boost spirit sales in Australia.

Courtyard by Marriott: Where winners feel at home

Case Study • Stuart Wareman, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Hotel group Marriott created a partnership with football club Bayern Munich, in order to rebrand its Courtyard offering and boost loyalty and sales in Germany.

Just Eat: The Perfect Night In

Case Study • Poppy Barnes, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Just Eat, the online takeaway ordering platform, used a TV sponsorship to increase awareness and sales in the UK.

Clear: NBA Live in-game sponsorship

Case Study • Kel Alegre, Nol Christian Calimbahin, Loren Saguil, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Anti-dandruff shampoo Clear changed its brand proposition and used its sponsorship of the NBA Live app to increase brand awareness of its Cool Sport hero variant, and drive engagement in the Philippines.

Dacia: The Auction

Case Study • Viviana Sampugnaro, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Car brand Dacia used old football shirts donated by fans and worn during the Serie A match between Udinese and Lazio to communicate its 'Much more than you expect' strategy in Italy.

Listerine: Bring Out the Bold – Listerine and The Voice

Case Study • Mario Mejia, Laura Murcia, Sandrino Vejar, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Mouthwash brand Listerine partnered with TV programme The Voice to reach audiences across Latin America.

Age UK: The Loneliness Documentary

Case Study • Anneka Dew, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Age UK, the charity dedicated to older people, co-created a TV programme in order to explain the issue of loneliness and increase donations and volunteering in the UK.

Axe: Cybersport

Case Study • Natalia Kudryavtseva, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Deodorant brand Axe used a cybersports sponsorship to connect with young men in Russia and increase market share.

How sponsorship, word of mouth, and event marketing delivered brand love to Panama’s national airline

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Festival of media LATAM, October 2018

Copa Airlines, Panama’s national air carrier, built consumer engagement through its connection with the country’s soccer team.

Lacoste: life as a sport and fashion brand

Article • Matthew Carlton, Event Reports, Leaders Sport Business Summit, October 2018

Fashion brand Lacoste is intimately bound up with sports, tennis and golf in particular, reflecting the background of its founder, but its marketing approach to these sports differs.

How City Group and Wimbledon are building a global footprint

Article • Matthew Carlton, Event Reports, Leaders Sport Business Summit, October 2018

Major sporting brands are looking to extend their reach beyond existing markets, a trend that involves developing digital and content-producing capabilities.

Soccer makes its mark among Indian brands

News • 31 October 2018

There may be some way to go before any sport can even come close to India’s love of cricket, but soccer is starting to attract brands’ attention as its popularity grows in the country.

Lvivske beer: Changing beer climate

Case Study • European Association of Communications Agencies, Finalist, 2018

Lvivske, a Ukranian alcoholic beverage company, found its beer sales in Eastern Europe had decreased in a colder and rainier month of May, so it tried neutralise the weather's influence via brand communication.

How Lidl Ireland changed attitude to Ladies Gaelic Football by calling for serious support

Case Study • Sinead Cosgrove, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Entrant, IPA Effectiveness Awards, 2018

Lidl, a value supermarket, confronted the negative attitudes that prevailed around women in sport, which led to it becoming the most recalled sports sponsor in Ireland.

A game changer: How Heineken reinvented its champions league communications

Case Study • Ed Booty, James Moore and Kate Hinz, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Silver, IPA Effectiveness Awards, 2018

Heineken, a beer brand, increased brand loyalty and made the UEFA Champions League (UCL) games a more important occasion by enlisting football manager José Mourinho to spread the message to football fans globally.

Suzuki Saturdays

Case Study • Rachel Courtney, Chris Herbert and Simon Harwood, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Gold, IPA Effectiveness Awards, 2018

Suzuki, an automotive brand, achieved sales growth and brand recognition in the UK by partnering with Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

IBM: #Whatmakesgreat

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Silver, 2018

IBM, a multinational information technology company, increased awareness of its Watson technology in the UK by launching an AI tennis pundit at Wimbledon.

When Roc Nation came to London

Opinion • Sam Peña-Taylor, October 2018

Jay-Z’s record label-turned-sports agency, Roc Nation, has been growing its marketing offer with a range of high-profile athletes.

Unilever explores 'passion partnerships'

News • 03 October 2018

Unilever brands are using sports sponsorships – including in Formula One and football – to connect with fans on things that mean the most to them.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation tackles soccer

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, Event Reports, SportsPro: The Brand Conference, September 2018

Roc Nation, the label turned agency founded by the rapper and businessman Jay-Z, is pivoting to Europe and to signing up footballers to aid its brand proposition.

Lidl: How Lidl changed the nation's attitude to Ladies Gaelic Football by calling for Serious Support

Case Study • Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, Bronze, ADFX Awards, 2018

Lidl, a value supermarket, confronted the negative attitudes that prevailed around women in sport, which led to it becoming the most recalled sports sponsor in Ireland.