Making the numbers count

June has always been one of my favourite months of the year. It marks the conclusion of the Master in Sport Management program at the Johan Cruyff Institute. On Wednesday 16th June the graduation ceremony for 38 international students will be held to complete a journey we started in September 2020. Like many organisations there have been challenges along the way, on campus to online and back again but we will conclude this enriching educational experience together. This is the 14th year of the Master program, a special number for all those who are part of the Cruyff Institute family.

Roland Garros or the French Open tennis tournament is a staple sports fixture for many fans and scholars. The 2021 tournament started with the unfortunate withdrawal of Naomi Osaka but concluded with some of the most memorable matches for many years. Notably, the defeat of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal in the semi-final followed by victory for Novak Djokovic in the final to become the only male player in the modern era to win all four slams twice. The calendar slam or possibly the golden slam is on, and sporting immortality awaits. Djokovic has won 50% of all slams since 2014. Amazing. How many Djokovic fans will be acquiring a red Lacoste shirt to mark this special occasion?

It was 25 years ago that England hosted UEFA EURO96. A classic summer of sport with all major sports events you would expect that feature every four years. English fans will be hoping the three lions can go one step further in 2021 and compete for the title in a fan packed Wembley Stadium. As sports marketers we recognize sports events by their longstanding association with sponsors, especially the ‘trophy properties’ such as the World Cup, EUROs, Olympics, Wimbledon or Tour de France. Think of your most memorable sports event and which brands were present…how many can you name?

Settling down to watch England versus Croatia a raft of sponsors appeared on the digital advertising boards. Of the 12 official EURO2020 sponsors, only one was present at EURO96, the red and white of Coca-Cola. The once familiar names of Snickers, JVC, Umbro, Philips, Canon, Carlsberg, MasterCard, Fujifilm, McDonalds, and Vauxhall have all moved on.

As any professor will tell you, the first task in sports marketing is to generate name awareness and empathy with the event, teams, or property. I must confess, I had no idea Alipay, Hisense or Vivo were sponsors of EURO2020. According to media reports Alipay invested €200 million as part of an eight-year deal with UEFA. In addition, I had to find out what product or service Vivo was selling. Smartphones, really? Perhaps I am no longer in that sweet spot of the under 30 target group but surely, I am not the only one. In my quest to find out more by visiting sponsor websites, only seven offered EURO2020 content for visitors, fans, or customers. I also learned that TikTok generated 657.4 million views of #tiktokeuro2020. As a non-user of this social media phenomenon, it had completely passed me by. Perhaps more surprising was the Gazprom site that was full of information, activation, and fan engagement opportunities. The only sponsor offering anything appealing that stands a good chance of purchase prior to my next England match is Heineken. Cheers!

I caution people who criticize sponsor campaigns without knowing a sponsor’s objectives. However, with 10 of 12 official sponsors being classified in the FMCG or D2C market, it does raise questions about their activation strategy. No doubt Covid has wreaked havoc with many of the original plans, but this sponsorship format is not difficult to understand. Effective marketing campaigns are based on understanding the customer and building a relationship with relevant engagement over a period of time. Last minute attempts and promotions lose their appeal as quickly as they appear in your social media feed. If you are going to invest big numbers in your sponsorship agreements, then make sure you have the resources to convert eyeballs into meaningful experiences before transactions and sales. Times change, venues upgrade, media channels proliferate, and new sponsors arrive. Like sport, winning the hearts, minds and wallets of fans is much more than the score line at the end of the match!