Inside Sponsorship

Recently, there have been a fair few people who have gotten in touch to let us know that they’ve enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. One thing we have been thinking about, for some time, is creating a curated list of the host's personal favourite insights or pieces of advice from our guests. We have always envisaged it to be a bit of an anchor or touchpoint for those of you with lots of sponsorship industry experience, in the sense that you can always revisit it and be validated or inspired again. Or, for those new to the industry, a condensed show of lots of great advice from lots of smart guests to help you on your journey. As such, in this episode, our host has hand-picked 14 of his favourite pieces of sponsorship advice and insights from 109 episodes. The best of the best! EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there have been a fair few people who have gotten in touch to let us know that they’ve enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. We’ve all seen some great examples of sponsorships adjusting, doing something different, and really creative activations this year because of COVID-19. A lot of those have been driven by necessity. Probably the most talked about activation of 2020, however, has been Burger King’s sponsorship of Stevenage FC, who, at the time of the sponsorship, in 2019, were last in the fourth division of English football. It left many people scratching their heads. It is, of course, the sponsorship that ultimately gave us the hugely successful Stevenage Challenge. This amazing partnerhsip wasn’t driven by COVID-19 or necessity. It was driven through vision and creativity, and, as our guest phrases it later on in the show, “a leap of faith”, to pull off a truly brilliant activation. One of the reasons it was so brilliant was because the opportunity was right under so many people’s noses, yet so many didn’t see it. The activation is both amazing in its boldness yet so jarringly simple. Tap into the already huge, but growing, eSports market, specifically FIFA. Tap into the underdog status and fairytale storyline of them winning. Tap into the desire for people to share their gaming highlights online. Tap into the fact that everyone loves an easily accessible giveaway, especially fast food. The results have been absolutely amazing and driven directly from the 1.2 billion impressions that Burger King’s shirt sponsorship, of Stevenage FC, has produced through the Stevenage Challenge on FIFA. Furthermore, those commercial outcomes and further opportunities are both online and offline. Alex Tunbridge is the Chief Executive at Stevenage FC and he joins us in this episode to take us inside Burger King’s sponsorship of his club. We also hear from Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who joins us to discuss the blog which outlines 3 Things That Will Provide Both Short and Long-term Benefits to Sponsorship Managers. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there have been a fair few people who have gotten in touch to let me know that they’ve enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. In a world where traditional reach and attention are diminishing, brands are looking for cut-through and engagement to drive relevance and ultimately accelerate their growth. Through sponsorship, rights holders help brands access an audience they would otherwise find it hard to access or would not be able to access as cost-effectively. However, we all know that being a sponsor and simply logo slapping is no longer enough; it hasn’t been for a while. That is why creative in sponsorship is one area where brands can really activate their sponsorships to achieve cut-through & engagement to drive relevance & growth. What is, however, the process of creative in sponsorship? What part can it play in activation? How can brands and rights holders bring it to life? What are the pitfalls along the way? Joining the show, to help answer those questions is Misha Sher, Global Head of Sport, Entertainment & Culture at MediaCom, based in London. Also joining the show is Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, to talk about one of KORE’s latest blogs, Building a Sustainable Sponsorship Department. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the history & tradition of combat sport & mixing martial arts can be traced back almost 3,000 years The UFC started in 1993 with a goal to answer the question, “Which martial art is truly the most effective in combat? In 2001, along came Dana White and his business partners who bought the struggling company for USD $2m. Headquartered in Las Vegas, and with a network of employees around the world, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually, featuring a massive global roster of talent from almost 80 countries, consistently selling out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories, via more than 60 global broadcast partners, to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in over 40 different languages. UFC has the highest concentration of millennials (ages 18-34) in its fan base with 54% (compared to other top sports properties). To take us inside sponsorship at UFC is Nick Smith, Vice President Global Partnerships. You can connect with Nick on LinkedIn and find out more about UBS at https://www.ufc.com/ EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global sponsorship portfolio at UBS is rooted in culture and sport including contemporary Art, with Art Basel as the flagship property, and Motorsports, currently Team Partner of Mercedes AMG-Petronas Formula One team, in addition to regional platforms.   Anneliese Mesilati oversees the UBS Arena naming rights agreement and the partnership with UBS Arena’s anchor tenant—the NHL’s New York Islanders.  Additional programs include the Founding Sponsorship of PlayersTV, the first ever athlete-owned media network dedicated to showcasing sports lifestyle and entertainment content, and Global Lead partnership of Art Basel - regionally Art Basel Miami Beach.  Alongside ideation, activation and management of regional sponsorship activities, Anneliese is focused on aligning initiatives with UBS’s leadership in sustainable investing and commitment to “Reimagine the power of investing and connect people for a better world.”   Prior to UBS, Anneliese has acted as a brand, marketing and communications lead for several financial services firms including Citi and RBC, among others. You can connect with Anneliese on LinkedIn and find out more about UBS at www.ubs.com EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under FIA regulations. The Supercars Championship holds races right across Australia and has often held one in New Zealand as well. The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going cars, obviously with modifications though. Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest motor racing team and is one of the competing teams in the Supercars Championship, competing as the Shell V-Power Racing Team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles and the team has taken four victories in Australia's premier race, the Bathurst 1000. Nigel Calder is the team’s Head of Commercial and joins us to take us inside the Shell V-Power Racing Team. You can connect with Nigel on LinkedIn and follow the Shell V-Power Racing Team at djr.com.au As a client of KORE, we have also produced a case study looking at how the Shell V-Power Racing Team Achieve Real-Time Asset Tracking & Data Transparency Across Their Organisation with KORE Software. You can download it here. EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We welcome Jessica Geymayr, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnership Marketing at Miami HEAT.  Jessica's resume includes time and success at  Roc Nation, where she worked as a coordinator, Sports Brand Activation, the Denver Broncos, as a coordinator, Partnership Activation, at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, as Manager, Marketing Brand Activation, and now the Miami HEAT where she is Senior Manager, Corporate Partnership Marketing. While we’ll go inside the Miami HEAT this episode, what will become clear to you, is just how infectious and inspiring our guest is, Jessica Geymayr. Whether it is driving overnight to take an intern opportunity, to rocking up and introducing herself to powerful people in the industry at conferences, to pushing herself to take on study during COVID, Jessica is certainly someone who lives and breathes the HEAT Culture. You can connect with Jessica on LinkedIn and follow Miami HEAT at nba.com/heat EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The 49ers entered professional football in 1946 as a member of the All-America Football Conference. They were founded by lumber magnate Tony Morabito, who was one of the first to realize that with the advent of air travel, truly national professional sports leagues were possible.  Indeed, the 49ers were the very first team in the four major North American sports to originate on the West Coast. Today, the 49ers brand is instantly recognised. The conviction, passion, and character birthed, laid the sturdy foundation that has enabled the 49ers to become one of the NFL's premier football powers. To take us inside sponsorship at the 49ers is Senior Manager, Partnership Sales at San Francisco 49ers, Cameron O’Toole. Cameron’s first role in sports was as a ball boy for his beloved Phoenix Suns but, post College, he found himself in a business ops role for the Seattle Reign FC in the Women’s National Soccer League. At the time, the Reign was an expansion club just as women’s sport was really starting to step into the spotlight. From there, Cameron moved to the 49ers, holding multiple roles over the past 7 years, and now, as Senior Manager, Partnership Sales, he takes us inside sponsorship at San Francisco 49ers. You can connect with Cameron on LinkedIn and learn more about the 49ers at 49ers.com Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boasting an average attendance of over 20,000 per game, MLS has the third-highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S., after the NFL and MLB, and is the seventh-highest attended professional soccer league worldwide. MLS currently has 28 teams which makes it the largest first-division professional soccer league in the world. There is no doubt MLS is a powerful and attractive league. That’s why it wasn’t all that surprising that, in 2006, it was announced that Austrian energy drink conglomerate Red Bull had purchased the club. Of course, as part of the sponsorship that came with ownership, the team was completely re-branded, changing the name to New York Red Bulls which included new colours and a new logo. An energy drink company is not the conventional owner of a sports franchise, however, slowly but surely Red Bull has made inroads into an array of sports. In fact, Red Bull's rise in sport has been astronomical and they now have an invested interest in over 15 sports teams across 11 sports with a major focus on football/soccer and motorsports but also Ice Hockey, Sailing, Skateboarding, and Surfing. To take us into one of those teams, New York Red Bulls, is Jordan Iannuzzi, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships. Jordan is able to offer not just a great property in New York, but also access to a truly powerful global network, to brands. You can connect with Jordan on LinkedIn and follow New York Red Bulls here. EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a worldwide brand, with huge awareness, it is no surprise that Toyota leverages sponsorships as part of its marketing mix. Toyota believes that mobility goes beyond cars and wants to support people in their efforts to get across town, across a room, and through life. Toyota also believes in the power of sport, and its ability to connect people with diverse backgrounds as they compete with mutual respect towards a common goal. Through sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games bring together the entire world to celebrate the highest realization of humanity, and it is the elite Paralympic athletes who truly demonstrate that when a person is free to move, anything is possible. Toyota is helping drive towards a better world. Part of that better world is Toyota becoming a part of The Olympic Partner program in 2015. As the Worldwide Mobility Partner, Toyota is committed to mobility as a source of inspiration and as a way to improve the quality of life for all. As per that commitment, Toyota also became a Worldwide Paralympic Partner in 2015. And to take us into what that really means at Toyota, and the wider sponsorship portfolio, we welcome Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Sponsorship Marketing, at Toyota. Dedra has spent time at two well-known brands, Citigroup and TD Ameritrade, before joining Toyota as Group Manager, Olympic/Paralympic Marketing, and then progressing to Group Manager, Sponsorship Marketing, at Toyota. As you’ll hear, Toyota doesn’t see the Olympics and Paralympics as separate partnerships. Inside Toyota, if you say Olympics, you are expected to say “and Paralympics.” as well. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think of the UEFA Champions League and sponsors, you think of Heineken. When you think of Formula 1 and sponsors, you probably think of Heineken as well. Heineken could have reached those synonymous positions simply through longevity of logo slapping and the long association of sport and beer. We have all, however, seen the amazing activations Heineken executes. Heineken is a huge company, with 25 million Heinekens served each day across 192 countries. Like all great companies though, they evolve and lead. It has been fantastic to see Heineken’s commitment to women’s sport and the integration of their zero-alcohol beer into existing sponsorships. To take us inside sponsorship at Heineken, Thomas Mulders, Senior Global Sponsorship Manager, joins us on the show. Thomas is closing in on eight years at Heineken, having begun in marketing and social media at the Heineken Experience. These days Thomas manages UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europe Conference League sponsorships at a global level. He also manages partnerships with top-tier museums in Amsterdam. In the show, there is mention of some amazing activations Heineken has undertaken. Be sure to check out these links. Heineken - The Jonah Lomu MachineHeineken - The DilemmaHeineken - The Negotiation EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are very privileged to be able welcome such amazing guests onto this show and chat to them about their work. And, despite the ongoing challenges faced by the world, 2022 gave us another round of great guests and episodes full of excellent advice, insights, and experiences. Now, as always, we've wrapped up the year and re-visited the 12 episodes of Inside Sponsorship from 2022. You might have seen on social media that, for each show, we pull out a 30-45 second snippet and turn it into a video to help whet your appetite. As such, we’ve gone back and pulled the full question and answer, for that snippet, and created a best of 2022 show for you. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels pretty redundant to note that there has been a lot of change in the world in recent times and, of course, those working in the sponsorship space know this only too well. Included on that front is the employment market, a popular news topic at the moment. There are fewer people moving between countries, people returning home to their countries, and talk of the great resignation, silent quitting, and employment padding. One thing that hasn’t changed is that the industry still needs quality professionals to sell, manage, and activate sponsorships. That’s why, in this episode, we’ll take a look at the current employment market and how it relates to sponsorship professionals and sports and entertainment more broadly. To help us do that, Jonathan Harris, Managing Partner, ANZ, at SRI, joins us. SRI is an executive search and consulting firm focused on driving individual, team and organisational performance in converging and transforming industries: media, entertainment, gaming & esports, fashion, technology, sport, and sporting goods. So, whether you are looking to make a move to a new job, or you want to attract and retain the best talent, Jonathan is well-placed to provide us with an update. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn and find out more about SRI on their website. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sponsorship industry can be guilty, sometimes, of just rolling out the same old properties activated in the same old ways. We all cringe at the thought of logo slapping and chairman's choice sponsorships, yet it still happens. Innovation is what can give a sponsorship a competitive advantage. Whether that is better awareness and positioning for brands versus their competitors, access to target audiences, better ROI/ROO, or whether it is just a stronger overall relationship. In the end, innovative sponsorships become a very attractive commodity. Of course, creativity is synonymous with innovation and while many people working in sponsorship are good at their jobs, they don't often describe themselves as ‘creative’. So, if we know innovation drives better outcomes, and we need to be creative to be innovative, how do we help ensure that happens on a consistent basis in our sponsorships? It's a question for all three sides: rights holders, brands, and agencies. To help answer that question, one of Australia's most recognised innovators, Adam Ferrier, Founder and Consumer Psychologist at Thinkerbell, joins us. You can connect with Adam on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter. I highly recommend checking out his Black T-shirts Podcast, I'm a listener myself. Adam also has two books - Stop Listening to the Consumer: Try Hearing Your Brand Instead as well as The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we know, sponsorship is one of the most effective means of marketing.  In a US$60 billion industry (and growing) where brands spend tens to hundreds of millions of dollars on sponsorship, the ‘gut feel’ is still largely being used. As such, the biggest challenge marketers face is quantifying ROI. It is a challenging situation and often traces back to disparate data sources, a lack of measurement framework, or even consistent KPIs. For brands, those things have long been an issue ... and then COVID came along and brands were forced to really evaluate their sponsorship portfolio. As such, the age-old question, for brands, "How do we properly manage, measure, and optimize our sponsorship portfolio?" has become so much more important. The answer is a single source of truth and to help us unpack what that means, and why it is critical, Scott Tilton, EVP, Sponsorship Analytics at KORE Software, joins us. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is scary to think that it is only a few months until 2023 rolls around. For many, we already have an eye on 2023 and are deep in planning for a successful year. However, what should you be considering and keeping top of mind when planning? You could argue that there’s a lot of ‘noise’ within sport and entertainment sponsorship. It just gets busier and busier and there seem to be more and more platforms; whether they be social media platforms or new OTT services that further fragment viewing. How do you navigate the noise and help ensure sponsorship success? What role does cultural relevance play in sponsorship planning and execution? Should you even be focussing on relevance or is going 'all in' on reach your best play? How do you make the best use of your budget? How flexible and responsive do you need to be to make use of opportunities that pop up, despite a plan already in place? What about purpose? All big and important questions which are discussed in this episode as Dan Collier-Hill, Head of Strategy, Creative Systems, at MediaCom Australia, joins the show. You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn and find our more about MediaCom on their website. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, the first competition for wheelchair athletes, which was named the Stoke Mandeville Games, involved 16 injured servicemen and women who took part in archery. Fast forward from its humble beginnings, and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Japan featured 4403 athletes from 161 countries. Ryan Neiswender was one of those athletes, winning a gold medal in wheelchair basketball, for the USA, and he joins the show to discuss paralympic and disabled sports sponsorship. Ryan is a Visa sponsored athlete as Visa’s connections to the Olympic and Paralympic Games extend beyond simply their sponsorship of the Games. Visa understands that the skills that make Olympians and Paralympians successful in sport extend to the workforce as well. As such, a number of elite athletes have taken the opportunity to join their global team where they are investing in their careers. Ryan is one of those elite athletes and is a Digital Partnerships, Senior Manager at Visa. As such, this chat is really insightful as Ryan can speak from both sides of the fence – rights holder and sponsor. There are 1.3 billion people in the world who are living with a disability and those 1.3 billion people have a combined disposable income of US$13 trillion. While the world is largely focussing on digital, Web3, crypto, and blockchain, as new sectors and opportunities to develop in sponsorship, maybe there’s been an opportunity right under our noses the whole time. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Worldwide, Rugby Union boasts 500 million fans and 10 million players within 128 national member federations affiliated through six regional associations. The driving force behind the sport’s significant growth has been World Rugby’s portfolio of major events, from the flagship men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups and U20 Championship to the excitement of the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens and HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series which are instrumental in attracting new fans. Plus, Rugby Union is now an Olympic Games when it returned to the Olympic Games program at Rio 2016 with rugby sevens and, of course, rugby sevens is also a Commonwealth Games sport. In Australia, Rugby Australia is the sport's national governing body and is a member of World Rugby, Oceania Rugby, and SANZAAR. In Australia, Rugby Australia is the sport's national governing body. It essentially arranges it’s commercial program around three pillars – the classic 15-a-side teams, for both men and women, the newer sevens teams, for both men and women, and classic wallabies, a program for past players. It is an exciting time for Rugby Australia as they have a huge calendar of events coming up over the next 10 years or so with both Men’s and Women’s World Cups, multiple Olympics and Commonwealth Games, and a British and Irish Lions tour. Today, James Durbin, Chief Commercial Officer, takes us inside sponsorship at Rigby Australia. If you would like to connect with James, you can do so on LinkedIn and you can find out more about Rugby Australia at www.rugby.com.au Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing we have been thinking about, for some time, is creating a curated list of the host's personal favourite insights or pieces of advice from our guests. We have always envisaged it to be a bit of an anchor or touchpoint for those of you with lots of sponsorship industry experience, in the sense that you can always revisit it and be validated or inspired again. Or, for those new to the industry, a condensed show of lots of great advice from lots of smart guests to help you on your journey. As such, in this episode, our host has hand-picked 14 of his favourite pieces of sponsorship advice and insights from 109 episodes. The best of the best! EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.