The document discusses sports sponsorship, focusing on football club sponsorship. It notes that sponsorship of football clubs has heavily increased in the Middle East in recent years. It provides an overview of typical objectives for sponsoring sports teams, such as increasing brand awareness and exposure. The document then discusses best practices for football club sponsorship, including choosing partnerships that match a brand's image, leveraging fan engagement opportunities, and ensuring sponsorship objectives are measurable. It also covers specific sponsorship opportunities like jersey sponsorships and their benefits but potential downsides like price increases.

1. The Power of Sponsorship
YES! IT WORKS

2. Hi, I am Adel!
@AdelBaraja

3. Hi, I am Adel!
@AdelBaraja
Before we start …
Business cards
Phones OFF

4. BILD
The
start
of a
journey

5. The Volkswagen Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world’s leading
automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. In 2014, the Group
increased the number of vehicles delivered to customers to 10.137 million (2013:
9.731 million). The share of the world passenger car market amounts to 12.9 percent.
In Western Europe, more than one in four new cars (25.1 percent) is made by the
Volkswagen Group. Group sales revenue in 2014 totaled €202 billion (2013: €197
billion), while profit after tax amounted to €11.1 billion (2013: €9.1 billion).
The Group comprises twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen
Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche,
Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN.
Volkswagen | Audi | Porsche

6. THE AGE OF SPONSORSHIP AND
ENGAGEMENT
MediaConsumer Brand visibility
Exposure
+
Engagement

7. FROM AWARENESS TO INVOLVEMENT
Awareness
Engagement
Involvement

9. • Across the past 10 years, the Middle East has heavily invested in football
sponsorships in particular.
• Varying from local clubs/leagues sponsorships to affiliations with global football
clubs/leagues.
THE CURRENT
SPORTS SPONSORSHIP MARKET

10. SPONSORSHIP AND THE CONTINUOUS GROWTH
41% 88%
Global
Marketing Spend
Global
Sponsorship
Spend

11. largest European Clubs
now being sponsored by
Middle Eastern airlines
UAE’s ranking in volume
of spending
MIDDLE EAST BRANDS HAVE HEAVILY INVESTED IN
THE SPONSORSHIP OF FOOTBALL CLUBS IN RECENT YEARS
Source: Repucom

12. Sponsorship is at its peak!
IT’S REALITY NOWADAYS…

13. WHY TO SPONSOR?

14. • Sponsors’ objectives range widely.
 Discovering what a sponsor wants is therefore a complex process that merits
considerable effort to ensure that both parties agree on a ‘shopping list’.
CHOOSING A SPONSORSHIP

15. CHOOSING A SPONSORSHIP
Typical reasons for sponsoring a sports event/team/athlete/league or
stadium
 access to a specific target
 association with a prestigious team or event;
 increase multi-media exposure
 entertainment opportunities
 Enhance brand awareness

16. DOES IT ALWAYS WORK?
it depends on the group of
people an advertiser is trying
to reach and how effectively it
exploits multiple
communication touch points

17. Jersey sponsorships, for instance, build awareness effectively because on
top of stadium board exposure, the brand name is on most of the clubs
merchandise that is sold on a global scale

18. DOES IT ALWAYS WORK?
-Passion for the sport spills over to the brand name.
-Position the brand as a winner / success hero
But it can also work the other way around

19. SPONSORSHIP OBJECTIVES CHECKLIST
Understanding the Current Status of the Sponsorship Market
by Johan Grobler
BMI Sport Info (PTY) Ltd

20. THE EVALUATION
A company should evaluate what it wants to promote, who it wants to
promote and what it wants to say.

21. THE EVALUATION – KEY QUESTIONS CHECKLIST
• Who are the target audience?
• Are the objectives of the sponsorship in line with overall marketing objectives?
• Are they clear, and are they measurable?
• What research is available for those target audiences which could help to
identify suitable and effective sponsorship opportunity?
• If no such research exists should it be commissioned?
• Is the budget available sufficient ?

22. FOOTBALL CLUB SPONSORSHIP

23. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – AIMS AND GOALS

24. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – AIMS AND GOALS
THE WIN-WIN-WIN PARADIGM
• Retaining and attracting more Sponsors
• Grow Fan base through increased outreach
• Maximize revenue
• Grows further the reputation of the club
• Become leaders in community regeneration
THE CLUB
• Reinforce the brand’s image and reputation
• Reach new markets
• Build multi-media exposure significantly
• Delivering community investment programs
more effectively
• Possibility of Involve staff motivation via link
with the club’s activity
THE BRAND THE CUSTOMER
• Reach audience via activation and engagement
– Audiences who were hard & expensive to
reach
• Work with role models that aspire forward
• Sustain relationships with the private sector
• Build further the local profile of the brand
• Encourage responsible business behavior§

25. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – THE STRATEGY PROCESS

26. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – THE STRATEGY
PROCESS
•Measurement
•Activation
•Plan development
•Assessment

27. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – THE CYCLE
THE INPUT/OUTPUT CYCLE

28. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – CRITERIA OF SELECTION
Key factors for sponsorship valuation and maximizing value
Key for identifying and evaluating the sponsorship investment value !
THE CLUB
“BRAND”
• Image
• Brand Popularity
• Media Exposure Of
Brand
• Affiliations / Other
Partners
THE CLUB
“PERFORMANCE”
• Players
Performance
• Club Performance
• No. Of
Goals
• Standing
• Trophies
• Facilities / Assets
THE CLUB
“AUDIENCE”
• Fan-base Size
• Reach
• Demographics
• Online / Social
Media

29. THE CLUB’S PARTNERS – THE SELECTION
MATRIX
The selection matrix major elements are:
• Club’s performance and standing
• Players’ performance
• Possible player transfers in the coming 5 years
Actual assessment of club partnership selection and seeking opportunities for
maximizing ROI !

30. THE CLUB’S PARTNERSHIP – THE DO’S AND DON’T’S
- DO’S -
Partner with:
Clubs on the rising trend of
performance
Clubs with history and
achievements
Clubs with solid fan-base in
the region
Clubs that match the brand’s
characters
Clubs that will add value to
the brand & sub-brands
- DON'TS -
Avoid partnering with
Clubs oversaturated with
sponsors
Clubs that have existing
partners in your region
Clubs that will result in paying
the premium for the “club
brand” rather than actual
benefits and added value
achieved from partnership

31. Club’s jersey SPONSORSHIP

32. JERSEY/TEAM SPONSORSHIP
More than walking billboards and advertising media; it is a vital part of
the brand image of their sponsors.

33. Most successful in terms of brand exposure over the past decades
JERSEY/TEAM SPONSORSHIP

34. Pictures of star soccer players with Jersey sponsorships decorate the front
and back pages of newspapers particularly in the Arab region
JERSEY/TEAM SPONSORSHIP

35. BRANDS HAVE INVESTED HEAVILY IN JERSEY
SPONSORSHIP MOSTLY OF FOOTBALL CLUBS IN RECENT
YEARS
Middle East companies have increased their overall share by
26% across the 6 top leagues (capturing 18% SOS)
TOP 4 Investing Countries in
Jersey Sponsorship (2005-
2015)

36. JERSEY SPONSORSHIP - PROS
• Significant Exposure
• Brand Loyalty
• Revenue opportunities (out of Jersey’s Merchandizing Sales)
• Qualified Audience
• Ability for Exclusivity
• Community Involvement – If covered by the overall partnership deal
High Return on Investment when well negotiated!

37. JERSEY SPONSORSHIP – KEY WATCH OUTS
There are a number of watch outs to Jersey sponsorship mostly:
• Price increases and chaotic pricing scheme
• Possibility of alienating customers from rivals’ markets

38. JERSEY SPONSORSHIP – COST OF ELEMENTS
• As a sponsor you should reach an
agreement with the sports body as to
what the project is worth in terms of :
 media exposure,
 audience reach,
 press exposure,
 and the less tangible benefits of improved
brand image, and market and product
positioning.
 Defining the cost of a sports should be
approached on a case-by-case basis.

39. IN SUM…

40. WHATEVER YOU DO
• Be entertaining
• Stand out
• VW and Al Hilal FC

41. WHATEVER YOU DO
• Be entertaining
• Stand out
• VW and Youth

42. WHATEVER YOU DO
• Be entertaining
• Stand out
• Al-Hilal Vs Bayern Munich

43. • Give people the opportunity to
join a community
 Nike events (about 120,000
people in London alone)

44. • Have a hero-product?
 Beckham = Audi
 Be the ‘mother’ of your
category or challenge the
leader

45. IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN FOOTBALL
• Be consistently involved and be associated with football as well as
WC
• Coca-Cola
• If you have the money to be an official sponsor, don’t think the
job’s done
• JVC, Travelex etc.
• Don’t think being an official sponsor is the best way; aggressive
and smart ambush football association can hurt

46. DO NOT ISOLATE THE SPONSORSHIP
INITIATIVES FROM OTHER MARKETING &
COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS…

47. SPONSORSHIP IF NOT WELL PREPARED AND ASSESSED
MIGHT TURN INTO A CATASTROPHE OVER THE LONG RUN.

48. THE AUDIENCE SHOULD GO FOR AN EXPERIENCE AND NOT
EXPOSURE.

49. JERSEY BRANDING WILL NOT
AFFECT THE SALES OF
MERCHANDISING.
FANATICS WILL PURCHASE THE
JERSEY WHATEVER # OF
BRANDS ARE ON THE SHIRT.

50. THE MARKET IS STILL NOT PRICE SENSITIVE!

51. THANK YOU!
@AdelBaraja
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelbaraja