Creating authentic brand collaborations in the sports industry

Authored by Shubhangi Gupta, CMO, Co-founder, SportVot.

In recent years, the sports industry globally and specifically in India has witnessed tremendous growth concerning the number of people participating in sports activities regularly and the number of people taking up sports as a professional, leading to the emergence and rise of new sports leagues, tournaments, and franchises. The most interesting part is, that this rise of sports and emergence of sports leagues globally is not restricted to the pro tier but has penetrated at the grassroots level sports ecosystems as well. The number of people engaging with sports either as an active participant or athletes or as a fan and sports enthusiasts has generally increased exponentially compared to the previous decade. This has ultimately resulted in giving brands a new avenue to market themselves and reach out to their desired target audience.

Today, as we see with the IPL, the 2023 ODI World Cup or any other sports event across the world, brands are constantly in a quest to leverage the fandom around these tournaments and reach out to the masses. The advertisement and sponsorship deals coming through for sports tournaments solidify the belief that there is a huge demand for sports content and it can only grow from here on. While the brands are investing heavily in sports, the fact is, that very few brands have been successful in creating authentic brand collaborations and making a long-term association and impact within the minds of the community. One of the key reasons for this is the lack of knowledge regarding the sports industry and the potential that lies at the heart of it at the domestic level. Therefore, even though brands are keen on investing in sports, they struggle to build authentic collaborations.

The way to build authentic collaboration via investing in sports is to understand the community at the grassroots level, their aspirations, their challenges and their values and beliefs. Brand investment in sports should not have a one-time approach with the expectation for immediate return on investment, but rather a strategic long-term plan laid out with a vision of tapping into the fastest growing community around the world; sports fans. Brands in the past or even now have been successful in identifying the appropriate sports properties or talent and developing natural collaborations.

One such brand is Pepsi. Pepsi for the longest time has been associated with cricket and football. Capitalizing on the intense emotions and passion of the fans for the sports, Pepsi builds a connection with its target group as a youthful, energetic, dynamic brand. While Pepsi tapped upon the energy and intensity that drives sports fans, Rolex, the luxury watches brand associates itself with sports and sports tournaments that are popularly considered as elite such as the Wimbledon in Tennis, the Open Championship and the Ryders Cup in Golf, etc.

Similarly, ‘Decathlon’, a brand that wants to project itself as a sports brand accessible to all, actively invests in local sports activities. From school and college sports events to tournaments organised on special occasions such as Women’s Day or Independence Day, etc. It is highly likely to find a Decathlon connection at many of these events. Investing in these local sports properties helps them establish themselves as a sports brand for all, irrespective of their social background. It also helps them create direct connections with their potential customers.

Another example of such authentic, natural collaborations in recent times, can be seen with Adidas when the sports giant announced its partnership with Real Kashmir FC, a tier-two professional football club in India. The collaboration felt authentic as it resonated clearly with Adidas’s vision statement of changing lives with sports.

All these collaborations hint towards one aspect in particular, while it is necessary to invest in sports, the brands need to understand their vision and motto and then invest in and collaborate on the sports properties, talent, and causes that resonate the most with it. Collaborating with companies that cater specifically to sports and sports communities or have expertise and access to the sports communities globally as well as locally, can help brands channelize their marketing efforts, tap into the accurate target group and successfully build authentic long-lasting collaborations.