As you know, scoring a sponsorship deal is all about timing. We want to help you start Q2 on a strong note by approaching the right brands at the right times.
In order to help you nail your approach, we’re bringing you 5 opportunities with details on how these brands have historically spent sponsorship dollars in the past. Winmo’s Hookit integration shows us which brands are spending their sponsorship dollars across different teams, leagues, venues, and events.
Crush your Q2 sponsorship goals and check out these five brands to pursue now:
Puma has recently selected Berk Communications as its new North American PR AOR. Berk’s responsibilities include supporting Puma’s re-entry into basketball by building the brand’s athletic roster. As revenue has increased, Puma’s digital display, TV, out-of-home and sponsorship budgets have grown with it.
In February, Puma hired Cesar Vizcarrondo as the Global Head of Puma Basketball Marketing so sellers are encouraged to begin reaching out to him to start building a relationship. Sellers should expect a campaign in the coming months focused on sponsorship, experiential and influencers. Keep in mind that Jay-Z serves as Puma’s creative director and it recently announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Porsche Motorsport. This suggests an increased drive to target male millennials and Gen-Z.
Traditionally, Puma has spent 72% of its sponsorship dollars with global football and has sponsorship opps with Mercedes and Arsenal as well as athletes including Raul Gudino, Usain Bolt, and Cesc Fabregas.
Gillette just recently announced a global marketing partnership with Amazon’s streaming video service, Twitch. This ranks as Gillette’s most wide-ranging eSports sponsorship to date, consisting of 11 Twitch streamers from 11 countries representing the brand and creating content for viewers.
Spend typically spikes during Q2-Q4 with a mainly male demographic and a millennial skew as well. New product releases include a razor designed specifically for men with sensitive skin. Spend is predicted to continue to increase. Grey Group has handled creative duties since 2013.
According to sources, Gillette has spent 29% of its sponsorship dollars with American Football and has sponsorship opps with the New England Patriots as well as the New England Revolution.
Levi recently filed for an IPO in hopes of raising $600 to $800 million, which will mostly go toward overseas expansion efforts in markets such as China, Brazil, and India.
Levi’s overall company growth is paired with growth in marketing as well. Through more sponsorship, experiential, social media and cause marketing, Levi has captured the attention of younger consumers.
In the past year, Levi has established partnerships with Justin Timberlake and Nike’s Air Jordan brand as well. To further push marketing growth, Levi has shifted its executive team with Katie Walsh named as SVP and chief strategy and artificial intelligence officer. Lower level personnel shifts took place also. With these shifts, spend increases and strategy shifts are imminent.
Sellers with the ability to reach millennial and Gen-Z audiences should reach out for new revenue, and keep in mind spend is typically highest from Q3-Q1. Total spend in 2018 increased to $41.4 million with digital display totaling $1.9 million.
Spend is predicted to continue to increase with expansion goals being a new priority. According to Hookit, the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, the CFB Playoff and the Michigan State Spartans are current existing partnerships. Keep in mind majority of sponsorship dollars have gone toward American Football in the past with the highest breakdown at 33%.
Yeti announced in December of 2018 that sponsorship and experiential opportunities are it’s two main goals, with the eventual priority being increased authenticity. The company hired Michael Caruso as it’s new e-Commerce head in an effort to build out insights and optimize data. With strategy and leadership shifts, spend increases are expected.
The company also wants to expand beyond its main outdoor demographic, so keep an eye out for year-round dollars.
Yeti spent $8.8 million on national TV spend in 2018 according to iSpot. With agency relationships reaching average tenure and new goals and team structure in place, Yeti presents opportunities for new partnerships.
Keep in mind most of their sponsorship spend went toward rodeos according to Hookit, totaling at 21%. Athlete sponsorships include Chris Cole, Cody Teel, Mary Healey, and Jimmy Chin along with the PBR league.
The Subway shifts in leadership continue with Joe Tripodi, CMO since 2016, announcing his retirement. A new CEO was recently just appointed, and Roger Mader is serving as acting CMO until a replacement is named.
Subway has a history of focusing on sports-oriented sponsorships, but it also recently announced a partnership with Shamrock Farms and Feeding America in an effort to fight nationwide hunger.
With all of the company changes, agency and martech readers should reach out soon in order to stay top-of-mind since an agency review is likely. Keep in mind they typically target a millennial and Gen-Z audience.
In the sponsorship realm, HookIt reported American Football Subway’s highest areas of spend making up 33% of total sponsorship spend. Team partnerships include the Carolina Hurricanes, Houston Dynamo, Washington Redskins, and Nashville Predators to name a few.
