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Sport, lockdown and sponsorship, where are we heading in the next few months?
By Silvia Schweiger| Posted October 12, 2020 | In Marketing Sportivo, Sponsorizzazioni Sportive, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
By Silvia Schweiger| Posted October 12, 2020 | In Marketing Sportivo, Sponsorizzazioni Sportive, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
Sport, lockdown and sponsorship, where are we heading in the next few months?
Some weeks ago, Boris Johnson spoke to the Nation saying that in the next 6 months the government will impose new restrictions in order to attempt to minimize the spread of Covid-19. Some of these restrictions will affect the opening and closing times of restaurants, bars and pubs- furthermore, there will be a limit on the number of people that can meet at home and that can meet up for practising indoor sport activities (not more than 6). We will still work from home when possible and sport events will be still played behind closed doors.
The expected day spectators will be allowed to be back in stadiums/arenas/circuits to watch a game live has been delayed by at least 6 months.
A common scenario
Therefore, if we thought that the summer would have magically made the virus disappear, or at least decrease, we were clearly wrong and now we have to face a quite different reality. Unfortunately, the virus does not care about the economic priorities and needs, it does not wait for the governments to make the right decisions or for people to go or be back from vacation. The virus does not follow our rules. We are the ones that have to adapt, and sport is not an exception.
We will be allowed to eat outside until very early at night, but no theatres, no live concerts, no dinner or appetizers with friends, no events, no Christmas parties, and no matches in stadiums for the sport fans.
Survival manual for the next months: wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, wear a face mask, keep social distance, sneeze in the pocket of your elbow and, if you are a company, invest in sports for gifting a few moments of joy.
The importance of sport in social life is very high, even more so during times like these. In a recent research, Nielsen states that sport remains a substantial opportunity for the companies that are keen to interact with the audience at home.
We will spend more time at home and it is foreseeable that a big part of this time will be spent in front of a screen watching sport and entertaining channels. The big difference is that now sport is being played live, and it is a great advantage; in fact, if the championships will still be played we will have live sport to entertain ourselves. So at least, let’s enjoy the positive side of the situation
The new football season, the F1 until December, MotoGP and tennis until November, basketball, rugby etc etc…Something that until last year was taken for granted, it has now become a real privilege; being able to follow live sport on TV, from home, and not historic races or old documentaries.
Still talking about sport, it’s important to underline that gifting a moment of entertainment and relax to all of us stuck at home, forced to limit our social life, is highly recommended for those who’d like to build a strong relationship with their customers.
Going back in time, already in 2006, the Hamburg University was talking about the feel good effect: “The Feel-Good Effect at Mega Sport Events – Recommendations for Public and Private Administration Informed by the Experience of the FIFA World Cup 2006”.
The value of live events, let’s look at alternative engagement possibilities
Heading to stadiums or racetracks to support our team is a unique experience, but for the time being we are happy with the TV screen and we are thankful for having it. We will not be able to engage the audience if not in a virtual way, we will not have guests to entertain and we will not be able to create the relationship between business managers, but we can still do a lot using technologies such as the augmented reality.
Clubs and series that will embrace the new technologies will succeed, and we are waiting for new standards.
Getting free from social media slavery and building a proprietary Database
In order to improve the commercial opportunities of the teams it is imperative to build a fans database. This should be, now more than ever, subject of interest of every sports organizations’ and players.
The next step is to stop intermediating the relationship with the fan/passionate person and go from the TEAM/SPORT -> SOCIAL -> FAN model to the TEAM/SPORT -> FAN one. This will allow teams to get to know their “customers” and to connect with them in a much more specific and efficient way.
This model will definitely increase the interest of sponsors about properties that have a potential direct access to millions of supporters.
Silvia Schweiger
Associate Director, Executive Marketing and Commercial at RTR Sports Marketing, a London-based sports marketing company specializing in motorsport for over 25 years. Without sports, life is boring
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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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