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 Emanuele Venturoli| Posted September 23, 2019 | In MotoGP, Sponsorizzazioni Sportive
I remember well my first scooter: a black Malaguti F10, purchased by my father in May 1998. For those of us who came from the Emilia-Romagna province, the first scooter was an object of desire and a synonym for freedom, but above all a canvas on which to vent artistic and technical creativity. I, who did not shine for engineering skills and at best could replace a muffler, was, however, fascinated by the world of racing and eager to copy the aesthetic side of racing prototypes. Those were the years of Malossi, Abarth stickers , the aforementioned Arrow and LeoVince mufflers, tire lettering filled with white UniPosca, and ProGrip grips with neon inserts. Final touch, the ever-present black arrows and some discussion with the Municipal Police, which has always been unphilanthropic when it came to such creations.
Several years later, almost twenty, the world of the Sponsor Sticker, or rather the kit of stickers that can be purchased in specialized stores or online intended for customizing motorcycles and scooters, has not waned, quite the contrary. Just type “sponsor stickers,” “sponsor sticker motogp” or “racing stickers” into a search engine to find yourself faced with a veritable plethora of solutions, of all shapes, forms, sizes and prices. Because after all, even when you are older, the desire to feel a little closer to the riders and heroes of our hearts never wanes.
With 15, 20 euros you can buy a set of stickers similar to those that appear on Sundays on MotoGP and Superbike bikes, not to mention Dakar, Tourism and so on. The more astute manufacturers, of course, have even begun to produce sticker kits divided by brands and teams, so that it is possible to buy the Honda HRC package, with the ever-present Repsol, Red Bull and SC, the Yamaha package with Monster Energy, Eneos and the triple Diapason and so on. The brands, big or small, are all there: from main sponsors to technical sponsors, there is everything you need for an experience-at least graphically-increasingly similar to the real thing.
However, those of us at RTR Sports who are involved in sports sponsorships look at the phenomenon with a closer eye on the marketing and business implications.
We have said on many occasions that one of the motivations that make sports and sports sponsorships an extraordinary communication tool is precisely the ability to speak to the heart of the user, going beyond what are the defense mechanisms that the latter erects against the advertising battge. Thanks to sports, companies and consumers are linked in a binomial that in many cases becomes inseparable, so much so that some consumers want -even paying- to affix a brand logo to their favorite vehicle in order to get closer to the discipline they love so much.
The proliferation of the market for sponsor stickers and racing stickers is a clear implication of what we have defined in several circles as the secondary benefits of sponsorship, that is, those benefits for the sponsoring company that arise from the sponsorship agreement but are not present in an exposed manner within the contract that is signed with the properties. While in fact sponsor stickers are a clear indicator of the effectiveness of the sponsorship tool, the result in terms of awareness and visibility that this phenomenon has for the brands involved should not be forgotten. Castrol,Magneti Marelli, Shell, Repsol, Dunlop, Ohlins, Red Bull and Monster can thus enjoy significantly increased, albeit unintentional, exposure. Just as in the 1990s-without realizing it-we were all an advertising vehicle for Malossi and Abarth, which had become the object of desire precisely because we saw them on our friends’ mopeds, so today the same thing happens every time we apply an Akrapovic or GoPro sticker to our bike or scooter.
It is a virtuous circle, in which the brand empowers the user-giving him the feeling of being closer to the champion-but in which the user gives new strength to the brand, restoring its visibility and credibility within his circle of friends and acquaintances. It is one of the many nuances that make sports sponsorship a truly extraordinary tool for any kind of business.
For curiosity and inquiries about the world of sports sponsorship and sponsorship in MotoGP, you can always contact us 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.
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
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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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