Why sports sponsorship is the smartest ROI play in a changing marketing world
In a marketing landscape shaped by ad fatigue, privacy shifts, and growing distrust in digital marketing, football sponsorship – especially in the Premier League – is emerging not just as a brand-building tool, but a serious performance driver.
Our Digital Marketing Director, Sophie Howell, explores a new era of brand performance, Brandformance.
We’re seeing smart marketers are merging long-term brand equity with short-term conversion. And in this new era, sports sponsorships are punching above their weight.
The ROI reality check
Let’s be honest, digital advertising isn’t what it used to be.
- Ad fatigue is real, we’re bombarded by digital ads that we increasingly ignore.
- Word-of-mouth influence is shifting. What used to be genuine recommendations are now marked with #sponsored or #gifted.
- And now, cookie deprecation is killing precision targeting, limiting our ability to track and retarget users effectively.
Costs are rising, engagement rates are dropping, and algorithms are increasingly unpredictable. So, where do you go when performance matters more than ever-but your tools aren’t performing?
Sports sponsorship, where passion meets performance
Smart brands are turning to sports sponsorship, not just for the reach, but for the emotional connection. Unlike traditional digital ads that interrupt a consumer’s experience, sports sponsorship seamlessly integrates into a passion point – gaining attention, loyalty, and most importantly, trust. Sport offers more than massive reach (the Premier League alone has annual cumulative audience of 3 billion+ global TV audience, while Formula 1 totals 75 million per Grand Prix). Its unique ability to foster deep emotional connection is a currency no algorithm can buy.
And it works:
- 233% more likely: sports fans engage with brands on second (or sometimes even third) screens during matches.
- 81% of fans trust sponsors –second only to personal recommendations.
- 11% uplift in purchase intent for brands sponsoring the sport.
(source: Nielsen Sports)
A new marketing sweet spot
Sports sponsorship is a perfect example of brand and performance marketing working together. It offers premium, high-impact brand exposure while also enabling data-driven performance activations. From QR codes on LED boards to exclusive fan offers through club apps, the lines between branding and direct response are blurring.
We have seen results from the Premier League working with partners to use digital ads, CRM emails, and in-stadium activations driving millions of digital impressions, tens of thousands of competition sign-ups and increased conversions by 100% after high profile matches.
A cookie-less conversion engine
Sport gives brands first-party data through club partnerships-CRM lists, app push notifications, and geo-targeted match day engagement.
That’s a powerful answer to the death of third-party cookies. For example, by aligning with a Premier league club fans love, brands tap into the halo effect – earning trust, increasing appeal, and standing out in a noisy market.
And there is undoubtedly loyalty towards sponsors with many club fan surveys revealing that fans are often more than 50% more likely to choose a sponsor’s products over a rival brand.
The rise of athlete content creator
There’s no question that players are influencers. But the new wave of sport-focused influencer marketing goes beyond aesthetics.
With athletes commanding massive followings and credibility, sponsors can combine storytelling with trackable action-swipe-ups, discount codes, exclusive drops. It’s not “word-of-mouth” – its performance media wrapped in passion.
Nielsen found that campaigns using influencer partnerships and creator content generated $2.63 in return per $1 spent, and were underinvested by 75%, leaving serious growth potential on the table.
Brands are increasingly adopting a dual-pronged strategy
Using sports partnerships to build brand equity while running conversion-driving activations in tandem.
This is the sweet spot:
- Emotional storytelling = top-of-funnel brand affinity
- Targeted digital + influencer activations = bottom-of-funnel conversion
In today’s world, where most marketers say long-term ROI is their top KPI, but 70% still prioritise short-term performance marketing, sponsorship delivers both.
Sponsorship is not just branding anymore
The days of sponsorship being a “soft” branding play are over.
Today, it’s a smart ROI generator, delivering measurable results, building long-term equity, and providing a cookie-proof way to track and engage high-value audiences.
In a world of growing media fragmentation, sport is one of the last great unifiers. And that makes it the smartest play in your marketing mix.
To explore how you can incorporate sponsorship into your marketing strategy, get in touch with the team.
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