Inside Sponsorship

We’ve all done it. We hear the news that a company has entered into a new sponsorship with a rights holder. Company A has sponsored Rights Holder B, and, in a split second, we think to ourselves “Of course, that partnership makes sense” or, we think “What? How the hell do those brands go together?” Interestingly, while there will most likely be a whole bunch of well thought out benefits, messages and activations in the partnership, it is your answer to the question of “Do they go together?” that communicates so much. That’s why, the communication impact of a deal should not be underestimated by either rights holders or brands. In sports, fans are connected deeply with and are invested heavily in the rights holder and sponsorship deals can fuel either greater loyalty and connection, and that can be transferred to the sponsoring brand, or, it can fuel distaste. “What? How the hell do those brands go together?”, was a common reaction