Are you willing to sponsor?
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
By Riccardo Tafà| Posted October 16, 2020 | In Marketing Sportivo, MotoGP, Sponsorizzazioni Sportive, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
When the pandemic started back in March and the nations were forced to introduce lockdowns, we all had to stop. At first we thought, or rather we wanted to delude ourselves, that sport could go on smoothly, maybe behind closed doors, without an audience… then we realized that it was not possible to do it safely and therefore also the sport industry stopped. For the first time in history. It was in fact hard to believe that contact sports, above all, could be safe to play; football, basketball or rugby, are sports where players come into contact with each other continuously and they run, they sweat, they breath heavily; almost impossible to keep your distance, it’s not in the nature of these disciplines.
In other sports, however, international travel has become a major obstacle; how could you be be able to compete in America or Asia when most of the teams are based in Europe? Traveling was not safe anymore and nations started closing their borders and introducing quarantine rules; so traveling had to stop as well.
As a matter of fact during the lockdown, sports organizations had to rethink and review all fixtures and schedules and find new solutions so to be able to play again. Every single aspect had to be checked and revised: new calendars, new safety procedures and restrictions, implemented regulations, testing system for all players and staff, rigid bubbles to be respected.
They have done everything in their hands in order to create a secure and safe environment, everything that was possible so to be able to resume playing, even without an audience, but at least be back live. MotoGP has resumed with a widely modified calendar, tennis has managed to play two Grand Slams, football has restarted behind closed doors, just elite athletes run the London Marathon, all the other entrants run on their own. Slowly and with some obstacles to overcome, we have been able to start again. But what awaits us in the future months? It is quite evident that companies that do invest in sports will ask themselves the same question.
In this unprecedented time all live entertainment (such as cinemas, theaters, concerts, shows) has practically closed down. Restrictions in every country are getting tighter and we will soon find ourselves at home, in front of the screen, on the sofa, even more than before; live sport therefore , will become one of the very few live entertainments available and people will appreciate and treasure it.
Companies will definitely go on communicating through sport, its social relevance in this moment is pretty evident, but they will have to select the right sporting discipline even more accurately than before.
Generally speaking, when you are about to choose the sport or team to invest in you have to take a number of factors into account. The main ones are those linked to the values of the discipline you are willing to sponsor; they must be consistent with the brand or product’s identity. You then have to value the popularity of the discipline, the target it refers to, the audience and its territorial diffusion and so on. From today onwards, however, it will also be necessary to consider another element that not only joins those previously mentioned, but somehow overwhelms them all: the chances that the sport event/championship/tournament will be canceled or not due to infections rates.
It is clearly not possible to guarantee that races, matches and championships will always be played without interruptions, or suspensions or changes to the calendar but it is also true that there are some disciplines that are less likely to be interrupted than others. These are all those disciplines in which social distancing of athletes is guaranteed by the very nature of game.
Contact sports such as rugby, football, basketball, in recent days cycling (see the Giro d’Italia) and combat sports do generally expose athletes to continuous physical interactions that can potentially increase the transmission of the virus. It will be more difficult to protect the health of those who actively participate in these disciplines rather than, for example, tennis players and car drivers or motorcycle riders.
Attitudes, behaviors and activities must adapt to this unprecedented situation. Companies that invest in sport must ask themselves if it is not worthwhile to look around and move towards safer shores, perhaps without interrupting what is already in place but by equipping themselves with a safety net that can be leveraged if necessary.
It would not be the first time that two realities from different disciplines coexist under the umbrella of the same sponsor. Think of Pirelli, just to mention one, sponsoring both football with Inter and F1. Pirelli will certainly not be short of communication topics or automatic visibility linked to events.
And if the resources are not those of Pirelli or other big companies and you have to make a choice, then perhaps it might be safer to move towards sports that have a lower “risk”.
Among these the most popular are certainly F1, FormulaE, MotoGP, Tennis just to name a few and they would allow to connect and engage with international audiences.
In some countries there are other very popular and highly effective disciplines, including sailing in the Southern Hemisphere and in the United States or anything related to horses and golf in England and again in the USA. These are clearly some quick examples of opportunities and one can certainly go deeper based on the needs of each single company and brand
If you are going to sponsor an athlete you still have to make some considerations about it and be sure to have all the information on how to mitigate the pandemic risk. While it is absolutely true that a winning athlete is a very important and strategic asset for the company investing in his/her, it is also true that it is all about one single person; if your athlete gets sick and cannot play a match or ride a race, the company has no alternative left.
The risks here are surely counterbalanced by the explosive potential of communication represented by having a “celebrity” available (when they win) who ensures to your brand global visibility and commercial returns. Think Jordan, Tiger Woods, Valentino Rossi, Cristiano Ronaldo just to name a few.
The general good rule to refer to in our opinion could be this one: sponsoring a single athlete represents a greater risk than sponsoring a team, a team represents a greater risk than sponsoring a league or a championship…. it is up to the company then, and to the agency that gives them consultancy advices, to have all the strategic information (risks, dangers, opportunities and benefits) and evaluate them carefully. Sponsorships should never be a gut choice, but choices driven by datas.
In short, there are plenty of opportunities to look into and they would give you the chance to reduce the risk that the pandemic will completely disrupts the communication activities that you have planned and that are linked to sport sponsorships
Try to take these tips into account and, as far as possible, the next few months should not be holding any big surprises.
If you want some more examples of how two and four wheels could suit your needs please do not hesitate to contact RTR Sports Marketing at info@rtrsports.com
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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Read MoreIn an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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