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Why is London such a good place for a sports marketing agency?
By Riccardo Tafà| Posted June 9, 2019 | In MotoGP, Sports Marketing
By Riccardo Tafà| Posted June 9, 2019 | In MotoGP, Sports Marketing
Why is London such a good place for a sports marketing agency?
London is more than just a capital city – it’s also a centre for technology, creativity, digital leadership – and of course is also home to some of the world’s most successful and iconic sports teams.
From the creative agencies and international marketing companies of Soho to the innovative start-ups of East London Tech City, London has a long history of leading not just Europe, but the whole world when it comes to dynamism and progress. Tonnes of international sports marketing agencies already have headquarters in London, especially in Soho, alongside numerous creative, PR and communications agencies – all of which can work alongside your sports marketing agency to achieve great things.
Of course, London is also a sporting mecca – three of the four teams represented in this year’s European football finals (Arsenal vs Chelsea in the Europa League and Tottenham vs. Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League) hail from the capital.
Added to this is the open, international outlook that London has. It’s something that, because of the city’s global nature and the importance of this both to its own economy and that of the rest of the UK, is unlikely to change. People want to invest in London, because of its position as a leader both in Europe and the world.
Sports marketing London: a tech hub that’s looking to the future
So, what has this got to do with international sports marketing?
A lot, as it turns out. London is amongst the world’s capitals when it comes to sports marketing, due to the huge numbers of businesses based here, the creative and international outlook of the city, and its young, tech-savvy, ambitious population.
The UK has an important sporting tradition and, along with the USA, is the place where sports marketing was born and eventually began to grow up. Now, London’s innovation is driving international sports marketing forward, as the London-based Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign portraits.
Think also about the many AR and VR opportunities that are being presented by London’s dynamic tech start-ups, and how they might intersect with, influence and guide the sports sponsorship activations that you could develop if this technology was on your doorstep. Sports sponsorship agencies in London are already, and will continue to be, at the forefront of this innovation – and will be the first in the world to benefit from it.
What successes have sports sponsorship agencies in London had?
London sports marketing agencies are consistently working with huge brands – see Octagon’s work with Hotels.com x Tottenham Hotspur, Chivas Regal x Manchester United and WarChild for strong examples. Farringdon-based Mongoose’s Make Your Mark campaign launched England Cricket’s new kit alongside New Balance. WePlay works with the Betfred Super League, FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC and the PGA European Tour, amongst many others. CSM manages the partnership between HSBC and the World Rugby 7s tournament. Earnie worked on campaign identity for the 2017/18 NFL season. The list of London sports marketing agencies that are working on innovative campaigns goes on and on.
A word on MotoGP sponsorship…
Motorsport is our game here, so we couldn’t end without noting a recent win for Fifty Digital. The London agency (Discover the Sports Marketing Agency London) has been named as the lead social and digital agency for Gulf Oil International, which includes the Aprilia Racing MotoGP team. It’s certainly a boon for an agency that was only founded in 2016. If that doesn’t prove our hypothesis that London sports sponsorship agencies can take on the world, we don’t know what does.
If you want to discuss or find out more about international sports marketing, sports sponsorship agencies in London or UK sports marketing in general, contact RTR Sports Marketing today using info@rtrsports.com
Riccardo Tafà
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 MoreWhy choose RTR Sports Marketing
In 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.
Save time and money
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.
The right information, the right choice
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 beating heart
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.
Objective measurements for a certain return
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.
Sit back, relax, we’ll take care of it
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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