How brands are using sports sponsorship to launch new products
Launching a new product can be hard work. You’ve done the research and created something great. But in a world of constant content and endless choice, how do you stand out? More and more brands are finding their answer in sport.
Sports sponsorship offers a powerful way to successfully shape a product launch. Whether it’s a completely new product or boosting brand awareness of a current product, sports sponsorship brings reach, credibility and emotion.
We unpack why sport is becoming the go-to launchpad for new products, and which brands are doing it right.
Sport delivers global, loyal & engaged audiences
Simply put, people care about sport. Whether it’s football, Formula 1 or basketball, sport brings together millions of fans with genuine passion and loyalty. And when a brand aligns itself with that passion, it earns attention.
When Bose launched its QuietComfort Ultra headphones, they didn’t just rely on ads – they partnered with Jack Grealish. By putting their product on the ears of Grealish, they blended performance and personality. The launch video generated 4.2 million views and a 50% uplift in fan attraction.
As the Official Headphone partner of NFL, Bose is no stranger to sports partnerships. Their products quickly became part of NFL game-day ritual, allowing Bose to reach a global audience, while aligning their product with focus and elite athletes.
It's a fastrack to credibility in new markets
Trying to launch in a new country or demographic? Sports sponsorship can help build trust, faster and with more impact. Rather than starting from zero, brands ride on the credibility of a club or league that people already trust.
Chinese smartphone brand, OPPO wanted to build product presence in Europe. Instead of just opening stores, they signed on as a premium partner of Roland-Garros. The move signalled ambition and aligned their product with world-class performance – qualities that tennis fans value.
The partnership also saw OPPO showcase their flagship smartphones including the Find N2 Flip. Courtside branding brought to life the product’s photography features, while OPPO’s “Shot of the Day” initiatives brought the best shot direct to fans through Roland-Garros’s social platforms throughout the tournament.
It helps build local market awareness
Sports partnerships offer a global audience, but also present the opportunity to activate locally to help target specific communities or markets. Take Formula 1 sponsorship. The racing world offers a global audience of over 1.5 billion that can be activated locally across 24 grand prix weekends, in five different continents.
While Heineken is a global sponsor of the sport, it created local campaigns to push their 0.0 product. In Mexico, they developed a clever campaign featuring Mexican driver Sergio Pérez – capturing fan reactions as they realised their Uber driver was in fact the Formula 1 star.
At Zandvoort, they leaned heavily into home-hero mania with Max Verstappen starting the second edition of the Heineken Player 0.0 competition. It’s a smart mix of big-stage visibility and local relevance, perfect for launching or spotlighting specific products in key markets.
The benefits of sports sponsorship
You can make your product part of the story
Sports sponsorship isn’t just sticking your logo somewhere and hoping for the best. It’s about creative activation and bringing the product into the fan experience in a way that feels natural.
When SNK and the Saudi-backed MiSK Foundation relaunched Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves after 26 years, they brought in Cristiano Ronaldo. What made the deal stand out was the scale and vision for the product: CR7 was integrated into the game as a playable character.
The game launch was scheduled to coincide with Fatal Fury sponsoring a series of boxing events around the world to maximise impact. The campaign meant the product relaunch wasn’t just gaming news, it generated over $500M in media value and put the product at the centre of conversation.
It builds emotional connection, fast
At its heart, sport is about emotion. A last-minute goal or an unexpected winner on court creates a powerful moment for brand storytelling. If your new product is part of the moment, it’s far more likely to stick in the minds of fans.
When Mohamed Salah scored at Anfield to help Liverpool claim the Premier League title, he celebrated with a crowd selfie. It was simple and effective – just Salah, the fans, the raw emotion of the moment and of course, a Pixel phone in his hand.
Google had recently partnered with Liverpool as their official mobile phone sponsor. The campaign was already rolling, but Salah’s selfie turned it into an authentic, viral, emotionally resonant endorsement seen by millions. It put Pixel not just in the spotlight, but right in the heart of Liverpool’s win.
In summary
Sport is fuelled by passion and emotion – and that’s why it works. If you’re a brand trying to launch something new, whether it’s a tech product, food or drink, or a fashion line, sport gives brands more than just exposure. It gives you credibility, emotion, connection and storytelling.
The key is not to just sponsor for the sake of it, but to think strategically: what team, sport, or moment aligns with your product? How can you make your launch feel like a natural part of that story? Because when your product feels like it belongs on the pitch, track, or court, that’s when the magic happens.
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