Raptors Latest Team To Land Jersey Sponsor, Signing Sun Life To Agreement

The Raptors are the ninth NBA team to sell a jersey ad patch, having signed a three-year deal that will put Toronto-based Sun Life’s logo on the jerseys beginning next season. Sun Life’s jersey patch will be the anchor of a CSR program promoting diabetes awareness and prevention. Sun Life has run a similar program through a Celtics sponsorship which supports a regional “Dunk 4 Diabetes” program since ‘14. The Raptors' patch sponsorship, which TSN is reporting is worth more than C$5M annually, will support a similar program across Canada. “For a corporate responsibility program, we explained that the way to really authenticate was showing what the pinnacle of a healthy body can look like, with this sort of intimate association,” said MLSE Chief Commercial Officer David Hopkinson. The deal includes rights with the group benefits, life insurance and retirement planning portions of the insurance/financial services categories, along with courtside signage, along with digital and social ad inventory for Sun Life. The company has been a Raptors sponsor for four years and a sponsor of MLSE for seven years. “Our key insight here is that it’s not about the real estate,” said Hopkinson, adding that the deal took around six months to complete. “If you want to just buy impressions, there’s nothing like outdoor (advertising). If you want to stand for something, there’s nothing better than having a presence on the athlete.” Sun Life’s other Canadian sports sponsorships include the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and the CFL. MKTG Canada negotiated the deal for Sun Life.