The sports industry got another wake-up call at last week’s Sports Sponsorship Symposium presented by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily in New York City.
The event attracted a number of the top decision-makers in our business from the brand side, and their message should be taken to heart.
The decision-makers seemed to focus more on other forms of entertainment sponsorship and marketing than on sports marketing. Sports is entertainment, but when top brands seem to value their ties to the music and film industries more than their investment in sports, it’s incumbent upon our industry to realize the threat that’s inherent. For every sponsorship dollar Visa spent on “National Treasure,” it was unlikely the company found other dollars to spend on the NFL or the Olympics, or to target new sports properties.
We’re not advocating that every sports property try to create a reality show or force “sports-tainment” on consumers. Instead, offer partners “their moment” in your content. Be flexible, be responsive.
Sell yourself and be yourself, and look at all you have to offer, but make sure you also look at what’s being done in music and film — and learn from it.
