Everyone wants to know, “When will things return to normal?” Now that we have a COVID-19 vaccine, sports executives are optimistic. While it is our position that the sports economy will most likely reinflate quickly, SportsAtlas analysis concludes that the current sponsorship landscape will undergo a significant remapping long after the pandemic has subsided. It’s quite likely there will be a consolidation of the overall sponsorship footprint for most sports in 2021 due to a continued reduction in available inventory and limited budget for many traditional advertisers. SportsAtlas has identified more than 9,000 brands with sponsorships across sports, and nearly 40% have sponsorships with multiple properties.
Entering the new year, brands must decide whether to concentrate their portfolio to a particular league, narrow it to specific properties in each market, exit the space entirely or stay the course. In short, thousands of brands are using the current disruption to rethink their strategies.
We anticipate a shift in sponsorship portfolios that allows brands to accomplish their objectives more efficiently and economically. SportsAtlas recently conducted an anonymous survey of 14 influential sports sponsorship executives. While it’s clear that traditional metrics like viewership and fan base still matter most, the properties that will thrive are ones that can fuel fan engagement, properly monetize their intellectual property and more effectively leverage digital assets. — W.C.
