Branding for sportfans
In 2006, more than 604 million sports fans watched Italy take on France in the World Cup final. Well, that’s what Fifa claimed anyway. Actually, it’s more in the area of 260 million viewers, which is still quite impressive. Over the entire world cup, about a billion people will have watched a soccer match at least once. That’s why not only soccer fans, but also advertisers love tournaments like these.
Sports marketing is always appealing. As a brand you can choose from many sponsoring options, and if a club is doing well, your brand can reap the benefits. However, you have to determine your channel strategy beforehand, because otherwise your campaign will have a low impact. Why not consider less obvious choices such as bicycle saddle covers, beer cards or wraps? Or why not set up an online tool for predicting the outcome of the games on your website to generate extra traffic? Sports fans who flock to your website to win a prize will be happy to leave behind their e-mail address for you.
Soccer or cycling?
Because the ‘big’ tournaments are often held during the summer, there’s a good chance some of them will tend to overlap. Be sure to make a wise choice. In Belgium, cycling is still king, so the Tour de France could be a smarter choice than the soccer world cup. Once you’ve picked a winner, narrow down your strategy: are you going to sample your product among the adoring fans? Do you have the budget for radio or tv ads?
Breaking viewing records
The popularity of these ‘big’ events (see also: The Olympics) has been on the rise for years. And while TV numbers are dropping, the online audience is growing on a global scale. Events like these can be a perfect platform for your brand’s most important (or appealing) values.
Breaking cost records
The popularity of sports events that fall short of the global top ten has been in decline for some time. This leaves brands with a dilemma: the big ones have the audience and continue to grow but are also becoming more expensive, while the smaller ones are falling behind but can also be substantially more budget-friendly. The answer is to be smart and take the local tastes of your target audience into account. When Tempo-Team wanted to sponsor a sports event a few years ago, they chose the ‘Tour of Belgium’ instead of the Tour de France. This strategy, a collaboration with Brandhome, lowered costs and allowed them to hone in on a target audience, resulting in some impressive results for the brand.