Inside Sponsorship

Recently, there have been a fair few people who have gotten in touch to let us know that they've enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. One thing we have been thinking about, for some time, is creating a curated list of the host's personal favourite insights or pieces of advice from our guests. We have always envisaged it to be a bit of an anchor or touchpoint for those of you with lots of sponsorship industry experience, in the sense that you can always revisit it and be validated or inspired again. Or, for those new to the industry, a condensed show of lots of great advice from lots of smart guests to help you on your journey. As such, in this episode, our host has hand-picked 14 of his favourite pieces of sponsorship advice and insights from 109 episodes. The best of the best! EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there have been a fair few people who have gotten in touch to let us know that they've enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. We've all seen some great examples of sponsorships adjusting, doing something different, and really creative activations this year because of COVID-19. A lot of those have been driven by necessity. Probably the most talked about activation of 2020, however, has been Burger King's sponsorship of Stevenage FC, who, at the time of the sponsorship, in 2019, were last in the fourth division of English football. It left many people scratching their heads. It is, of course, the sponsorship that ultimately gave us the hugely successful Stevenage Challenge. This amazing partnerhsip wasn't driven by COVID-19 or necessity. It was driven through vision and creativity, and, as our guest phrases it later on in the show, “a leap of faith”, to pull off a truly brilliant activation. One of the reasons it was so brilliant was because the opportunity was right under so many people's noses, yet so many didn't see it. The activation is both amazing in its boldness yet so jarringly simple. Tap into the already huge, but growing, eSports market, specifically FIFA. Tap into the underdog status and fairytale storyline of them winning. Tap into the desire for people to share their gaming highlights online. Tap into the fact that everyone loves an easily accessible giveaway, especially fast food. The results have been absolutely amazing and driven directly from the 1.2 billion impressions that Burger King's shirt sponsorship, of Stevenage FC, has produced through the Stevenage Challenge on FIFA. Furthermore, those commercial outcomes and further opportunities are both online and offline. Alex Tunbridge is the Chief Executive at Stevenage FC and he joins us in this episode to take us inside Burger King's sponsorship of his club. We also hear from Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE's Commercial Director – APAC, who joins us to discuss the blog which outlines 3 Things That Will Provide Both Short and Long-term Benefits to Sponsorship Managers. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there's been a fair few people who have gotten in touch o let me know that they've enjoyed an episode from the past. So, we thought it would be a good idea to round the year out by re-running three of our most popular episodes. In a world where traditional reach and attention are diminishing, brands are looking for cut-through and engagement to drive relevance and ultimately accelerate their growth. Through sponsorship, rights holders help brands access an audience they would otherwise find it hard to access or would not be able to access as cost-effectively. However, we all know that being a sponsor and simply logo slapping is no longer enough; it hasn't been for a while. That is why creative in sponsorship is one area where brands can really activate their sponsorships to achieve cut-through & engagement to drive relevance & growth. What is, however, the process of creative in sponsorship? What part can it play in activation? How can brands and rights holders bring it to life? What are the pitfalls along the way? Joining the show, to help answer those questions is Misha Sher, Global Head of Sport, Entertainment & Culture at MediaCom, based in London. Also joining the show is Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, to talk about one of KORE's latest blogs, Building a Sustainable Sponsorship Department. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the history & tradition of combat sport & mixing martial arts can be traced back almost 3,000 years The UFC started in 1993 with a goal to answer the question, “Which martial art is truly the most effective in combat? In 2001, along came Dana White and his business partners who bought the struggling company for USD $2m. Headquartered in Las Vegas, and with a network of employees around the world, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually, featuring a massive global roster of talent from almost 80 countries, consistently selling out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories, via more than 60 global broadcast partners, to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in over 40 different languages. UFC has the highest concentration of millennials (ages 18-34) in its fan base with 54% (compared to other top sports properties). To take us inside sponsorship at UFC is Nick Smith, Vice President Global Partnerships. You can connect with Nick on LinkedIn and find out more about UBS at https://www.ufc.com/ EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global sponsorship portfolio at UBS is rooted in culture and sport including contemporary Art, with Art Basel as the flagship property, and Motorsports, currently Team Partner of Mercedes AMG-Petronas Formula One team, in addition to regional platforms.   Anneliese Mesilati oversees the UBS Arena naming rights agreement and the partnership with UBS Arena's anchor tenant—the NHL's New York Islanders.  Additional programs include the Founding Sponsorship of PlayersTV, the first ever athlete-owned media network dedicated to showcasing sports lifestyle and entertainment content, and Global Lead partnership of Art Basel - regionally Art Basel Miami Beach.  Alongside ideation, activation and management of regional sponsorship activities, Anneliese is focused on aligning initiatives with UBS's leadership in sustainable investing and commitment to “Reimagine the power of investing and connect people for a better world.”   Prior to UBS, Anneliese has acted as a brand, marketing and communications lead for several financial services firms including Citi and RBC, among others. You can connect with Anneliese on LinkedIn and find out more about UBS at www.ubs.com EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under FIA regulations. The Supercars Championship holds races right across Australia and has often held one in New Zealand as well. The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going cars, obviously with modifications though. Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest motor racing team and is one of the competing teams in the Supercars Championship, competing as the Shell V-Power Racing Team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles and the team has taken four victories in Australia's premier race, the Bathurst 1000. Nigel Calder is the team's Head of Commercial and joins us to take us inside the Shell V-Power Racing Team. You can connect with Nigel on LinkedIn and follow the Shell V-Power Racing Team at djr.com.au As a client of KORE, we have also produced a case study looking at how the Shell V-Power Racing Team Achieve Real-Time Asset Tracking & Data Transparency Across Their Organisation with KORE Software. You can download it here. EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We welcome Jessica Geymayr, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnership Marketing at Miami HEAT.  Jessica's resume includes time and success at  Roc Nation, where she worked as a coordinator, Sports Brand Activation, the Denver Broncos, as a coordinator, Partnership Activation, at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, as Manager, Marketing Brand Activation, and now the Miami HEAT where she is Senior Manager, Corporate Partnership Marketing. While we'll go inside the Miami HEAT this episode, what will become clear to you, is just how infectious and inspiring our guest is, Jessica Geymayr. Whether it is driving overnight to take an intern opportunity, to rocking up and introducing herself to powerful people in the industry at conferences, to pushing herself to take on study during COVID, Jessica is certainly someone who lives and breathes the HEAT Culture. You can connect with Jessica on LinkedIn and follow Miami HEAT at nba.com/heat EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 49ers entered professional football in 1946 as a member of the All-America Football Conference. They were founded by lumber magnate Tony Morabito, who was one of the first to realize that with the advent of air travel, truly national professional sports leagues were possible.  Indeed, the 49ers were the very first team in the four major North American sports to originate on the West Coast. Today, the 49ers brand is instantly recognised. The conviction, passion, and character birthed, laid the sturdy foundation that has enabled the 49ers to become one of the NFL's premier football powers. To take us inside sponsorship at the 49ers is Senior Manager, Partnership Sales at San Francisco 49ers, Cameron O'Toole. Cameron's first role in sports was as a ball boy for his beloved Phoenix Suns but, post College, he found himself in a business ops role for the Seattle Reign FC in the Women's National Soccer League. At the time, the Reign was an expansion club just as women's sport was really starting to step into the spotlight. From there, Cameron moved to the 49ers, holding multiple roles over the past 7 years, and now, as Senior Manager, Partnership Sales, he takes us inside sponsorship at San Francisco 49ers. You can connect with Cameron on LinkedIn and learn more about the 49ers at 49ers.com Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boasting an average attendance of over 20,000 per game, MLS has the third-highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S., after the NFL and MLB, and is the seventh-highest attended professional soccer league worldwide. MLS currently has 28 teams which makes it the largest first-division professional soccer league in the world. There is no doubt MLS is a powerful and attractive league. That's why it wasn't all that surprising that, in 2006, it was announced that Austrian energy drink conglomerate Red Bull had purchased the club. Of course, as part of the sponsorship that came with ownership, the team was completely re-branded, changing the name to New York Red Bulls which included new colours and a new logo. An energy drink company is not the conventional owner of a sports franchise, however, slowly but surely Red Bull has made inroads into an array of sports. In fact, Red Bull's rise in sport has been astronomical and they now have an invested interest in over 15 sports teams across 11 sports with a major focus on football/soccer and motorsports but also Ice Hockey, Sailing, Skateboarding, and Surfing. To take us into one of those teams, New York Red Bulls, is Jordan Iannuzzi, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships. Jordan is able to offer not just a great property in New York, but also access to a truly powerful global network, to brands. You can connect with Jordan on LinkedIn and follow New York Red Bulls here. EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a worldwide brand, with huge awareness, it is no surprise that Toyota leverages sponsorships as part of its marketing mix. Toyota believes that mobility goes beyond cars and wants to support people in their efforts to get across town, across a room, and through life. Toyota also believes in the power of sport, and its ability to connect people with diverse backgrounds as they compete with mutual respect towards a common goal. Through sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games bring together the entire world to celebrate the highest realization of humanity, and it is the elite Paralympic athletes who truly demonstrate that when a person is free to move, anything is possible. Toyota is helping drive towards a better world. Part of that better world is Toyota becoming a part of The Olympic Partner program in 2015. As the Worldwide Mobility Partner, Toyota is committed to mobility as a source of inspiration and as a way to improve the quality of life for all. As per that commitment, Toyota also became a Worldwide Paralympic Partner in 2015. And to take us into what that really means at Toyota, and the wider sponsorship portfolio, we welcome Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager, Sponsorship Marketing, at Toyota. Dedra has spent time at two well-known brands, Citigroup and TD Ameritrade, before joining Toyota as Group Manager, Olympic/Paralympic Marketing, and then progressing to Group Manager, Sponsorship Marketing, at Toyota. As you'll hear, Toyota doesn't see the Olympics and Paralympics as separate partnerships. Inside Toyota, if you say Olympics, you are expected to say “and Paralympics.” as well. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think of the UEFA Champions League and sponsors, you think of Heineken. When you think of Formula 1 and sponsors, you probably think of Heineken as well. Heineken could have reached those synonymous positions simply through longevity of logo slapping and the long association of sport and beer. We have all, however, seen the amazing activations Heineken executes. Heineken is a huge company, with 25 million Heinekens served each day across 192 countries. Like all great companies though, they evolve and lead. It has been fantastic to see Heineken's commitment to women's sport and the integration of their zero-alcohol beer into existing sponsorships. To take us inside sponsorship at Heineken, Thomas Mulders, Senior Global Sponsorship Manager, joins us on the show. Thomas is closing in on eight years at Heineken, having begun in marketing and social media at the Heineken Experience. These days Thomas manages UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europe Conference League sponsorships at a global level. He also manages partnerships with top-tier museums in Amsterdam. In the show, there is mention of some amazing activations Heineken has undertaken. Be sure to check out these links. Heineken - The Jonah Lomu MachineHeineken - The DilemmaHeineken - The Negotiation EnjoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are very privileged to be able welcome such amazing guests onto this show and chat to them about their work. And, despite the ongoing challenges faced by the world, 2022 gave us another round of great guests and episodes full of excellent advice, insights, and experiences. Now, as always, we've wrapped up the year and re-visited the 12 episodes of Inside Sponsorship from 2022. You might have seen on social media that, for each show, we pull out a 30-45 second snippet and turn it into a video to help whet your appetite. As such, we've gone back and pulled the full question and answer, for that snippet, and created a best of 2022 show for you. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels pretty redundant to note that there has been a lot of change in the world in recent times and, of course, those working in the sponsorship space know this only too well. Included on that front is the employment market, a popular news topic at the moment. There are fewer people moving between countries, people returning home to their countries, and talk of the great resignation, silent quitting, and employment padding. One thing that hasn't changed is that the industry still needs quality professionals to sell, manage, and activate sponsorships. That's why, in this episode, we'll take a look at the current employment market and how it relates to sponsorship professionals and sports and entertainment more broadly. To help us do that, Jonathan Harris, Managing Partner, ANZ, at SRI, joins us. SRI is an executive search and consulting firm focused on driving individual, team and organisational performance in converging and transforming industries: media, entertainment, gaming & esports, fashion, technology, sport, and sporting goods. So, whether you are looking to make a move to a new job, or you want to attract and retain the best talent, Jonathan is well-placed to provide us with an update. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn and find out more about SRI on their website. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sponsorship industry can be guilty, sometimes, of just rolling out the same old properties activated in the same old ways. We all cringe at the thought of logo slapping and chairman's choice sponsorships, yet it still happens. Innovation is what can give a sponsorship a competitive advantage. Whether that is better awareness and positioning for brands versus their competitors, access to target audiences, better ROI/ROO, or whether it is just a stronger overall relationship. In the end, innovative sponsorships become a very attractive commodity. Of course, creativity is synonymous with innovation and while many people working in sponsorship are good at their jobs, they don't often describe themselves as ‘creative'. So, if we know innovation drives better outcomes, and we need to be creative to be innovative, how do we help ensure that happens on a consistent basis in our sponsorships? It's a question for all three sides: rights holders, brands, and agencies. To help answer that question, one of Australia's most recognised innovators, Adam Ferrier, Founder and Consumer Psychologist at Thinkerbell, joins us. You can connect with Adam on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter. I highly recommend checking out his Black T-shirts Podcast, I'm a listener myself. Adam also has two books - Stop Listening to the Consumer: Try Hearing Your Brand Instead as well as The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we know, sponsorship is one of the most effective means of marketing.  In a US$60 billion industry (and growing) where brands spend tens to hundreds of millions of dollars on sponsorship, the ‘gut feel' is still largely being used. As such, the biggest challenge marketers face is quantifying ROI. It is a challenging situation and often traces back to disparate data sources, a lack of measurement framework, or even consistent KPIs. For brands, those things have long been an issue ... and then COVID came along and brands were forced to really evaluate their sponsorship portfolio. The age-old question, for brands, "How do we properly manage, measure, and optimize our sponsorship portfolio?" became so much more important. The answer is a single source of truth and to help us unpack what that means, and why it is critical, Scott Tilton, EVP, Sponsorship Analytics at KORE Software, joins us. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is scary to think that it is only a few months until 2023 rolls around. For many, we already have an eye on 2023 and are deep in planning for a successful year. However, what should you be considering and keeping top of mind when planning? You could argue that there's a lot of ‘noise' within sport and entertainment sponsorship. It just gets busier and busier and there seem to be more and more platforms; whether they be social media platforms or new OTT services that further fragment viewing. How do you navigate the noise and help ensure sponsorship success? What role does cultural relevance play in sponsorship planning and execution? Should you even be focussing on relevance or is going 'all in' on reach your best play? How do you make the best use of your budget? How flexible and responsive do you need to be to make use of opportunities that pop up, despite a plan already in place? What about purpose? All big and important questions which are discussed in this episode as Dan Collier-Hill, Head of Strategy, Creative Systems, at MediaCom Australia, joins the show. You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn and find our more about MediaCom on their website. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, the first competition for wheelchair athletes, which was named the Stoke Mandeville Games, involved 16 injured servicemen and women who took part in archery. Fast forward from its humble beginnings, and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Japan featured 4403 athletes from 161 countries. Ryan Neiswender was one of those athletes, winning a gold medal in wheelchair basketball, for the USA, and he joins the show to discuss paralympic and disabled sports sponsorship. Ryan is a Visa sponsored athlete as Visa's connections to the Olympic and Paralympic Games extend beyond simply their sponsorship of the Games. Visa understands that the skills that make Olympians and Paralympians successful in sport extend to the workforce as well. As such, a number of elite athletes have taken the opportunity to join their global team where they are investing in their careers. Ryan is one of those elite athletes and is a Digital Partnerships, Senior Manager at Visa. As such, this chat is really insightful as Ryan can speak from both sides of the fence – rights holder and sponsor. There are 1.3 billion people in the world who are living with a disability and those 1.3 billion people have a combined disposable income of US$13 trillion. While the world is largely focussing on digital, Web3, crypto, and blockchain, as new sectors and opportunities to develop in sponsorship, maybe there's been an opportunity right under our noses the whole time. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Worldwide, Rugby Union boasts 500 million fans and 10 million players within 128 national member federations affiliated through six regional associations. The driving force behind the sport's significant growth has been World Rugby's portfolio of major events, from the flagship men's and women's Rugby World Cups and U20 Championship to the excitement of the men's and women's Rugby World Cup Sevens and HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series which are instrumental in attracting new fans. Plus, Rugby Union is now an Olympic Games when it returned to the Olympic Games program at Rio 2016 with rugby sevens and, of course, rugby sevens is also a Commonwealth Games sport. In Australia, Rugby Australia is the sport's national governing body and is a member of World Rugby, Oceania Rugby, and SANZAAR. In Australia, Rugby Australia is the sport's national governing body. It essentially arranges it's commercial program around three pillars – the classic 15-a-side teams, for both men and women, the newer sevens teams, for both men and women, and classic wallabies, a program for past players. It is an exciting time for Rugby Australia as they have a huge calendar of events coming up over the next 10 years or so with both Men's and Women's World Cups, multiple Olympics and Commonwealth Games, and a British and Irish Lions tour. Today, James Durbin, Chief Commercial Officer, takes us inside sponsorship at Rigby Australia. If you would like to connect with James, you can do so on LinkedIn and you can find out more about Rugby Australia at www.rugby.com.au Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing we have been thinking about, for some time, is creating a curated list of the host's personal favourite insights or pieces of advice from our guests. We have always envisaged it to be a bit of an anchor or touchpoint for those of you with lots of sponsorship industry experience, in the sense that you can always revisit it and be validated or inspired again. Or, for those new to the industry, a condensed show of lots of great advice from lots of smart guests to help you on your journey. As such, in this episode, our host has hand-picked 14 of his favourite pieces of sponsorship advice and insights from 109 episodes. The best of the best! Enjoy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blockchain companies investing in sports sponsorship is projected to reach US$5 billion by 2026. Cryptocurrency, blockchain and NFT sports sponsorship investment is projected to increase by a massive 778 per cent compared to 2021. The next highest increase in sports sponsorship is 44 per cent for IT software and hardware. Retail, automotive, and energy sponsorship investment is expected to rise by seven per cent, five per cent, and four per cent, respectively. Last year, the number of people in the world investing in crypto doubled to 100 million. Now, it's estimated to be more than 220 million and many analysts expect that to double again next year. It is an attractive space for rights holders as they look to shore up commercial programs to help recover from pandemic-driven losses in a category that barely existed a few years ago. Of course, while awareness of blockchain companies is growing, sponsors are also focused on converting. That needs to be a key understanding for any rights holder looking to pitch a blockchain company. However, while the space is overflowing with opportunity and possibility, rights holders do need to tread carefully. It is vitally important that they are not seduced and blinded by the money on offer at the expense of due diligence and properly vetting potential partners. Eddie Fitzgibbon, Principal Consultant at Sports Rights Tech joins us to help understand and navigate the space. SRT is a specialist advisory business focusing on the intersection of technology, intellectual property and rights in sport and entertainment. SRT have a unique understanding of the Web 3 and NFT space for sports and entertainment. Through their Web 3 and NFT Advisory Services, SRT are able to support rights holders and brands through a number of potential projects & use cases in this ever-evolving commercial opportunity. You can connect with Eddie on LinkedIn and you can learn more about SRT at www.sportsrightstech.com Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hear so much about the importance of Data. That's because it is important. It is often no longer acceptable to make gut decisions or use your intuition when comes to making business decisions and sponsorship is no different. Whether you are on the rights holder side, brand side, or you work for an agency, data now plays an important role in reducing any risks and unknowns around sponsorships; whether that is using data to identify well-aligned partners, presenting sponsorship proposals, evaluating proposals, or tracking and ensuring partnerships that are in place. There are, however, lots of organisations and platforms collating data and trying to bring it to life and make it useful. Sometimes, organisations even have silos of data which can present problems. Data, at times, can feel big, unwieldy, and hard to make sense of and work for you. There are some that are doing it well and, as such, joining us for this episode is Christian Fizia, Sponsorship Insight and Operations Manager at Kindred Group. During the last 25 years, Kindred has established significant market share in key regulated markets across the globe. Today, Kindred is one of the world's leading online gambling operators with business across Europe, US, and Australia; servicing over 30 million customers across nine brands. They are over 1,600 people strong, representing 62 nationalities, located across offices in 12 locations. As an innovative company that builds on trust, Kindred has led the development into areas such as tech, mobile solutions, new product launches, and sustainable gambling. As part of their journey, in 2020, they became the first global online gambling company to commit to zero revenue from harmful gambling by 2023. Clearly, as a digital-only company, data plays an important role in Kindred's sponsorship evaluation and measurement. You can learn more about Kindred Group at kindredgroup.com and you can connect with Christian on LinkedIn. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world of sponsorship was already experiencing a lot of change, before COVID, but, as we are now fairly and squarely in the middle of living with COVID, the industry continues to change. 2022 has a real sense of optimism as we see people flocking to live sports events including the rise and rise of women's sport where we recently saw a record set for the biggest crowd at a women's football match when Barcelona hosted Real Madrid and 91,553 people attended. No game had more people in it all season – and that includes the men's clásico. Brands are also taking stock and, in some cases, pivoting or re-jogging their sponsorship approaches and portfolios, looking for new ideas and opportunities. That's why I thought it would be good to look at some of the trends that are happening in the sponsorship industry right now. Paula Beadle is the Founder and CEO at Caravel Marketing. Paula is a sponsorship industry leader who has mastered the art and science of sponsorship over 30 years of experience in sponsorship, media, sports, major events, and entertainment. Paula is also the founder of Sponsorship Mastery – an organization dedicated to improving individual and organizational sponsorship performance. Paula also serves on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross, Seattle Sports Commission, Washington Fairs and Events Association (WFEA), and as a Mentor for Women in Sports and Entertainment (WISE).  Paula presents to conferences on Navigating the Future of Sponsorship Marketing and she frames her presentation around research conducted.  Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Esports is no longer a sector that we can look at and say, “Let's just wait and see how it plays out”. Reports from Newzoo and Juniper Research last year show that the global Esports audience grew to 474 million in 2021, with revenues from competitive gaming just shy of US$1.1 billion. The growth of Esport's audience represents year-on-year growth of 8.7 percent. To be classed as part of the 474 million Esports audience, you had to watch competitive gaming more than once a month. The audience is expected to continue to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 7.7 percent which will see it rise 577.2 million people in 2024.  The US$1.1 billion in revenue is a 14.5 percent increase on the US$947.1 million from 2020. Of the 2021 US$1.1 billion revenue figure, US$833.6 million will come from media rights and sponsorship. That's 76% of total revenue. Significant seems the common thread here. Significant audience growth. Significant revenue growth. Media rights and sponsorship contributing a significant percentage to total revenue. Brands are noticing and teams and players have realised their position or power. Patrick Collins joins the show and takes us inside Esports sponsorship. Patrick has a long history in sport having worked on the agency and rights holders side and, most recently, as Head of Partnerships at Excel Esports. Patrick has recently launched his own Esports agency; Leapfox. You can also connect with Patrick on LinkedIn Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is born from KORE Software's 2019 free whitepaper, Storytelling in Sponsorship: The importance of storytelling in selling, reporting, and activating partnerships in sports and entertainment. Storytelling drives our lives. A myriad of new OTT broadcasters, the rise in popularity of Instagram and Facebook Stories, TikTok and YouTube's increasingly influential stars, and a multitude of news sources where the dilemma of credibility and authority are changing the ways information is shared, all impacting our everyday. Stories are at the heart of this new world of information sharing. For what is the foreseeable future, they will continue to shape relationships, understanding, and behaviors. In this episode, we want to shine a light on how both brands and rights holders can utilize storytelling to their advantage, across the whole lifecycle of their partnerships. In a world of instantaneous conversation and differentiation, expectations of audiences as well as clients have changed. In this episode, we look at the three most important aspects of the partner relationship; selling, activating, and reporting. To help us explain best practice in storytelling, we've pulled together insights from around the world of sponsorship, with help from some of the biggest and most influential national and international brands and rights holders, including HSBC, the Golden State Warriors, and the British Olympic Association. We explore how brands and rights holders can survive and thrive in this new, evolving world of storytelling. Today, it's vital to understand how both can find that mutual area of understanding and value creation; what are the key differentiators of the relationship, where can value be added and importantly, how can storytelling help them to achieve this. Whilst branded content and sponsorship have always allowed brands to become a more intrinsic part of fan and audience engagement, as audiences become tech-savvy ad blockers, and the advertising and media landscape continues to shift, sponsorship will become an even more important vehicle in the years to come. You can download a copy of the whitepaper here. We also welcome Leo Baudino, Product Marketing & Communications Manager at KORE Software who joins us to discuss her latest blog, 4 Essential Steps to Selecting the Right Partnerships. Enjoy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It goes without saying that 2021 was a challenge but, as we know, the show must go on and that includes sponsorship. As such, despite the challenges of 2021, it was still a great year filled with lots of amazing chats with sponsorship professionals from all over the world. Now, as always, we've wrapped up the year and re-visited the 11 episodes of Inside Sponsorship from 2021. You might have seen on social media that, for each show, we pull out a 30-45 second snippet and turn it into a video to help whet your appetite. As such, we've gone back and pulled the full question and answer, for that snippet, and created a best of 2021 show for you. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josep Borrell, Head of Commercial Strategy takes us inside Valencia CF's commercial program. Josep made the move to Valencia CF from the agency side where he spent two and a half years at Nielsen, in London, including roles as a Football Account Manager and a Commercial Insights Manager. Playing in Spain's La Liga, Valencia have a great footballing history and celebrated their centenary year in 2019 by winning the Copa del Rey, Spain's annual knockout football competition. Not only does Valencia  CF have a great footballing history, They also have a real and deliberate connection with the Valencia region and that absolutely translates positively to Valencia's commercial program. Those efforts include the Valencia Innovation Hub and a business club they established during their centenary year that has seen other football clubs reaching out and connecting. You can connect with Josep on LinkedIn and learn more about Valencia CF at valenciacf.com Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, also joins us to discuss his latest blog which examines Quick Service Restaurant Partnerships in Sports. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the third of three industry roundtables focusing on the future of sponsorship. In each of the roundtables, we hear from multiple guests, from rights holders, brands, and agencies, about how they think the future of sponsorship is shaping up. Each guest will share their views and opinions across the same six questions and, joining us in this episode, are: Stuart Ramsay, Head Of Brand Partnerships at the British Olympic Association Katherine Butterworth, Mastercard's, Marketing Director, Consumer, Partnership & Sponsorship Marketing Australasia Michael Israel, Senior Account Director, Client Consulting + Services at GMR Marketing Mark Thompson, co-Founder at Sports Rights Tech Jordan Rutner, Research Manager at KORE Software Enjoy.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the second of three industry roundtables focusing on the future of sponsorship. In each of the roundtables, we hear from multiple guests, from rights holders, brands, and agencies, about how they think the future of sponsorship is shaping up. Each guest will share their views and opinions across the same six questions and, joining us in this episode, are: Misha Sher, Global Head of Sport, Entertainment & Culture at MediaCom Rajesh Menon, VP | Head & Director on the Board of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd Alice Larkworthy, Senior Partner Services Manager at Arsenal F.C. Scott Tilton, CEO at Hookit Gareth McCarthy, Sponsorships Manager at HCF Australia Enjoy.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the first of three industry roundtables focusing on the future of sponsorship. In each of the roundtables, we hear from six guests, from rights holders, brands, and agencies, about how they think the future of sponsorship is shaping up. Each guest will share their views and opinions across the same six questions and, joining us in this episode, are: Joel Seymour-Hyde, Octagon Managing Director, UK;  Sophie Morris, who is not only the Strategic Marketing & Sponsorship Director of Millharbour Marketing, but also Board Director of the European Sponsorship Association and Advisory Board Member for the Institute of Sport Business at Loughborough University; Sven Gloor, Global Manager - Rugby Partnerships at HSBC; Josh Kritzler, Co-Founder at 4FRONT; Andrew Mikhail, Chief Commercial Officer at the Parramatta Eels National Rugby League Club; and Brendan Moynihan, Executive Vice President, Consulting and Sponsorship Activation at SPORTFIVE Enjoy.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on total website traffic, social media behemoths, YouTube and Facebook are the second and third most visited sites, respectively, behind only Google, with Twitter in 4th and Instagram 5th. To be clear,4 of the top 5 most visited websites are social media websites. All of those people, all over the world, spending all that time on social media, every day, sharing, questioning, arguing, promoting, and engaging, it is a truly magnetic place to be. Understanding audiences has always been a key plank in sponsorship. That's why, social listening can be a very powerful tool to be able to help sell, find, align, activate, and report on sponsorships, regardless of whether you are a rights holder, brand, or agency. As such, joining us on the show to discuss how social listening can be used in sponsorship is Benjamin Foster, Talkwalker Oceania Enterprise Partner. Talkwalker is an AI-powered analysis tool that provides real-time insights into what's happening on all social channels and online media, across 187 languages. You can connect with Ben on LinkedIn and find out more about Talkwalker on their website. Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, also joins us to talk about his latest blog, Tokyo 2020 In 2021: Broadcast And Sponsorship Breakdown.  Enjoy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No longer can audience understanding be superficial i.e. females in New York who are between 25 and 40 years old. Consumers are complex people and a rights holder's and brand's understanding must go deeper. But what happens when a rights holder can't provide a potential sponsor with a fully formed, deep, and complex view of their fans? What happens when the brand has a deep view of their target audience and is looking for the right fit but won't simply just accept the stock standard, demographic driven, fan profile so often presented by rights holders? Well, the obvious answer is that the rights holder is a good chance of missing out on that sponsor. In today's sponsorship environment, that's a risk less and less rights holders are willing to take. That is where Nielsen's Fanlinks is an amazingly powerful data source that fuses consumers' detailed lifestyle, attitudinal, and purchasing behaviour with their sporting interests & passions. Joining us on the show to discuss best-practice fan data and use, and a little peek inside Fanlinks, is Nielsen Sports' Director, Commercial & Consulting, Steve Whately. You can connect with Steve on LinkedIn and he is happy to share more information about Fanlinks if you get in contact with him through the Nielsen website here. Also joining the show is Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, who joins us to talk about his latest blog, Deal Scoring - Comparing Investments Across Markets. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world where traditional reach and attention are diminishing, brands are looking for cut-through and engagement to drive relevance and ultimately accelerate their growth. Through sponsorship, rights holders help brands access an audience they would otherwise find it hard to access or would not be able to access as cost-effectively. However, we all know that being a sponsor and simply logo slapping is no longer enough; it hasn't been for a while. That is why creative in sponsorship is one area where brands can really activate their sponsorships to achieve cut-through & engagement to drive relevance & growth. What is, however, the process of creative in sponsorship? What part can it play in activation? How can brands and rights holders bring it to life? What are the pitfalls along the way? Joining the show, to help answer those questions is Misha Sher, Global Head of Sport, Entertainment & Culture at MediaCom, based in London. Also joining the show is Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, to talk about one of KORE's latest blogs, Building a Sustainable Sponsorship Department. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big sponsorship announcements are not commonplace right now; as we still aim to get back to whatever normal is going to look like post-pandemic. That is why it was great news to hear that Football Australia recently announced that the Commonwealth Bank will become the official naming rights partner and bank of the Australian national women’s team, known as the Matildas, as well as the Junior Matildas and Young Matildas, from August 2021. The initial four-year partnership will inject millions of dollars into elite women’s football and grassroots initiatives around the country, and it’s just the start of what is set to be an exciting new partnership. It is great news for Football Australia as it comes as they move into a huge cycle of Olympics 2021 and 2024, the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cups 2022 and 2023, and, of course, FIFA World Cups 2022 for men but also the Women’s FIFA World Cup 2023 which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Further, and another feather in football’s cap, is the latest Sport Australia Ausplay study which reaffirms football’s position as the number one team sport in Australia for both men and women. The platform is certainly set to accelerate football’s long-term growth and the Commonwealth Bank and Football Australia’s other commercial partners will play a huge role in that growth. In this episode, Tom Rischbieth, Head of Commercial and Events at Football Australia, takes us inside the exciting Commonwealth Bank partnership as well as Football Australia’s wider commercial program. You can connect with Tom on LinkedIn or learn more about Football Australia here. Eva Rieder, Sr. Marketing Manager at KORE Software, also joins us to discuss her latest blog, How to Modernize Your Sponsorship Strategy. Enjoy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout the world we have seen tobacco sponsorship and alcohol sponsorship banned or curbed in most markets and, right now, the sponsorship industry is watching the UK after a House of Lords Select Committee on gambling recommended that not only should gambling shirt sponsorship be banned by 2023, but “there should also be no gambling advertising in or near any sports grounds or sports venues”. The review is driven by concern at the number of problem gamblers, which is estimated at 430,000 in Britain, and which has seen the losses of punters rocket to £14.4 billion per year in 2019; that’s almost US$20 billion. Of course, the pervasiveness of betting in sport, and football in particular, is there for all to see and certainly a driving factor. It seems surprising that gambling has avoided the spotlight for so long. It may, in some part, be due to the rapid rise of online gambling which has developed at a breakneck speed. Interestingly, however, the opposite is happening in the US with betting sponsorships being signed with regularity. Somebody, right in the middle of it in England, is Joel Seymour-Hyde, MD of Octagon UK, who not only boats Paddy Power as a client, but who has also served as a director on the European Sponsorship Association Board. As such, in this episode, we welcome Shannan Quinn, Managing Director at PRISM. Also joining the show is Jordan Rutner, Research Marketing Manager at KORE Software, who has written a fascinating blog recently on Visualizing Sponsorship Assets Across Collegiate Programs. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe on your favourite podcasting platform! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been a whole year since the world shut down because of the pandemic. The plights of rights holders and brands is well documented. Often forgotten in the sponsorship conversation, however, is the third side, the agencies; the ones working between rights holders and brands to activate the biggest sponsorship deals in the world. There are some amazing minds in the agency world who are not always bound by the hierarchy and bureaucracy often found in rights holders and brands. Agencies can start with a blank whiteboard and work on ideas and solutions; some of which find their way into sponsorship deals, and the industry is better for it. That’s why, in this episode, we wanted to check in with one of the world’s great agencies, PRISM, and find out how they’ve pushed through COVID, their learnings, their successes, and how they are moving forward a year after it all started. As such, in this episode, we welcome Shannan Quinn, Managing Director at PRISM. Also joining the show is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who discusses his latest blog, The Shift in Assets. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe on your favourite podcasting platform! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an ever-present Premier League team, Arsenal are a global brand and, while current results are not favourable, they are one of the big six English football clubs, boasting a sponsorship portfolio with some of the world’s most recognisable brands including Adidas, Cadbury, Intel, and Lavazza. Arsenal is just like every other team around the world as they responded to the pandemic, welcomed football back, welcomed some fans back, and then the ever-changing environment and the rules and regulations that come with it. Right in the middle of Arsenal’s great sponsorship team is Alice Larkworthy, Senior Partner Services Manager. Alice joins us to take us inside Arsenal FC’s corporate partner's program. Also joing the show is Noelle Fanella, Product Manager at KORE Software, who discusses her blog, Brand Sponsors, Take Full Advantage Of Your Hospitality Perks.  Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the challenges of 2020, it was still a great year filled with lots of amazing chats with sponsorship professionals from all over the world. As always, we've wrapped up the year and re-visited the 13 episodes of Inside Sponsorship in 2020. You might have seen on social media that, for each show, we pull out a 30-45 second snippet and turn it into a video to help whet your appetite. As such, we’ve gone back and pulled the full question and answer, for that snippet, and created a best of 2020 show for you. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Passions drive us. Passions define us. Passions connect us. Yet, passions are changing and with the explosion of digital, the democratisation of media, and a plethora of publishing tools available, expression can come in any form and inspiration can come from anywhere. Research from M&C Saatchi Intelligence identified that interest areas that were traditionally considered hobbies, including fashion, food, beauty, health, and wellbeing, have exploded into passion areas and have identified this trend as hyper-passions. It sounds an obvious and simple enough opportunity for brands. However, it also sounds fraught with danger. How do big brands, with big budgets, weave themselves through the hyper-passions and sub-cultures of the world which have long been guarded by the passionate members themselves?  These hyper-passions are highly nuanced, a point that should not be lost on brands, agencies and rights holders. How would, and how will, those with hyper-passions, respond to corporate involvement?  That remains to be seen but what is undeniable is the opportunity in front of brands to connect with their target markets through their hyper-passions.  While it can be lucrative, all involved are looking to help enable and enhance hyper-passions as opposed to simply hijacking them for corporate outcomes. It is an intriguing scenario to say the least and joining the show to discuss M&C Saatchi's work around hyper-passions, is Luke Haynes, Group Account Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - Australia. Also joining the show is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who discusses his latest blog, What Type of Report Will Have the Most Impact on Sponsorship Strategy in 2021. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data, measurement, and most importantly, the insights and what we do with them, is something that is driving the sponsorship industry. In a world where we are so connected, 24/7, globally, and with so many data capture points, the power that can be unlocked is immense. Interestingly though, what brands ultimately want to achieve through sponsorship, and increasingly data-driven sponsorships, hasn’t changed – they want more sales. That is always the end game. Social media has long been a big player, but this year, with people suddenly restricted in movement, and less sports content to consume, social and other digital platforms suddenly accelerated. Scott Tilton, CEO at Hookit, joins the show to discuss sponsorship data and takes us inside their whitepaper, Chasing Sponsorship Value - An Inside Look At The Top Brands In Sports, How They Got There, And What They Could Do Even Better. Be sure to visit hookit.com to find out more about their work, download the whitepaper here, and connect with Scott on LinkedIn. Also joining the show is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who discusses his latest blog, Unlocking Sponsorship Data And Beginning To Use It More.  Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all seen some great examples of sponsorships adjusting, doing something different, and really creative activations this year because of COVID-19. A lot of those have been driven by necessity. Probably the most talked about activation of 2020, however, has been Burger King’s sponsorship of Stevenage FC, who, at the time of the sponsorship, in 2019, were last in the fourth division of English football. It left many people scratching their heads. It is, of course, the sponsorship that ultimately gave us the hugely successful Stevenage Challenge. This amazing partnerhsip wasn’t driven by COVID-19 or necessity. It was driven through vision and creativity, and, as our guest phrases it later on in the show, “a leap of faith”, to pull off a truly brilliant activation. One of the reasons it was so brilliant was because the opportunity was right under so many people’s noses, yet so many didn’t see it. The activation is both amazing in its boldness yet so jarringly simple. Tap into the already huge, but growing, eSports market, specifically FIFA. Tap into the underdog status and fairytale storyline of them winning. Tap into the desire for people to share their gaming highlights online. Tap into the fact that everyone loves an easily accessible giveaway, especially fast food. The results have been absolutely amazing and driven directly from the 1.2 billion impressions that Burger King’s shirt sponsorship, of Stevenage FC, has produced through the Stevenage Challenge on FIFA. Furthermore, those commercial outcomes and further opportunities are both online and offline. Alex Tunbridge is the Chief Executive at Stevenage FC and he joins us in this episode to take us inside Burger King’s sponsorship of his club. We also hear from Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who joins us to discuss the blog which outlines 3 Things That Will Provide Both Short and Long-term Benefits to Sponsorship Managers. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing that sponsorship professional’s fear, mostly those at rights holders, is a crisis; a situation that may see sponsors walking away from the organisation. Let’s be clear, when we say “crisis” we mean an athlete or staff member brings the organisation into disrepute. For those that are high profile rights holders, it almost feels like it is only a matter of time before a crisis will impact their commercial portfolio. How long can a sponsor put up with, or how bad does, a crisis need to be before a sponsor seriously considers whether their values are still aligned? In a commercial world, particularly one where a rights holder may still be providing great ROI on the sponsorship, it can be a cloudy question. It almost feels like it is only a matter of time before today’s, or this week’s, bad news story directly affects you and your sponsorships. That’s why, knowing how to communicate with sponsors during a crisis, and being prepared for the inevitable crisis, is where the focus should be in quiet times. In sports, two of the industry leaders, when it comes to crisis communications, are Jim Rocco and Isaac Benjamin, from PRCG | Sports. PRCG | Sports provides strategic marketing, public relations, and crisis communications services to owners, managers, athletes, and brands.  Jim and Isaac join the show to take us inside crisis communications in sponsorship. We also hear from Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who has delivered part three, and his final part, of his part blog series which focuses on hacking sponsorship and he joins us to discuss the blog which looks at Perceived Value and Audience Segmentation.  Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no doubt that the pandemic whacked us all and there was a period where we were so reactive to what was going on, and how it played out in different markets, that it felt like we just couldn’t catch our breath. These days, however, we have mostly started moving forward, some markets differently to others. And in that, we’ve seen some really innovative work. One section of the sponsorship industry that has been a source of great wisdom, guidance, leadership, and innovation, to both rights holders and brands, has been agencies. Of course, brands and rights holders are full of really smart people, lots of our listeners, but, interestingly, the smart people at agencies, combined with their unique views from working with a wide array of rights holders and brands, gives us a much more holistic view of the industry right now and where it is going, especially considering that so many agencies work across multiple geographic regions. In this episode, we continue hearing from inside an agency by welcoming Stephen Hutchison, Managing Director at Fuse, in London, who discusses the industry right now and where it is going. Fuse, who are powered by Omnicom Media Group, provides marketing and commercial services for brands and rights holders specialising in partnerships and experiences across sport, entertainment, causes, and culture. Stephen has experience in leading projects across many of the world's leading platforms including; UEFA Champions League, Olympics, World Cup, F1, and the America's Cup for brands including Nissan, HTC, McDonald's, Vodafone, and Visa. We also hear from Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who has delivered part two of his three-part blog series which focuses on hacking sponsorship. Daniel joins us to discuss the blog which looks at 'After the Chaos' and specifically hacking asset management and hacking creative.  Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

At Octagon, their purpose is, “to create work that earns attention. Through smart partnerships and generous ideas -- always built around the stuff your audience really loves -- we help you compete for, capture, and ultimately earn the attention of those who matter most to you.” In these current times, it could be argued that that is more important than ever and it aligns very nicely with what we so often talk about on this show, that sponsorship is about brands accessing an audience that they would otherwise not be able to or as easily be able to access. Octagon understands that we live in a world where time is our most precious commodity and that audiences’ patience has never been shorter. As an industry, sponsorship has never had to work harder to gain the attention of the people we are trying to reach. The way Octagon see it, “ … there’s two ways to go about it. Attention is either bought. Or it’s earned”. We all know which one sponsorship truly seeks to achieve! Joining us on the show, to give us a current agency perspective of sponsorship, is Andrew Clarke, Agency Director at Octagon Australia. Andrew is an integrated marketing specialist with 17 fun-filled years of creativity and problem solving under his belt. He’s seen life from both client and agency sides and he always like to present a balanced picture to lead projects and the Octagon Australia team. He believes people’s passions will change the world we live in, and helping brands find a unique role in this equation, whether through sport, entertainment, culture, or causes is what motivates him. Also joining us is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who has kicked of a three-part blog series which focuses on hacking sponsorship and he joins us to discuss part 1, Planning for the Return. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Born in 2008, the Indian Premier League, the IPL, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India contested during March or April and May of every year by eight teams representing eight different cities in India. The IPL is the most-attended cricket league in the world and is ranked as the 6th most attended sport in the world, beating out leagues like the MLB, NBA, NHL, and La Liga and, in 2010, the IPL became the first sporting event in the world to be broadcast live on YouTube. The Rajasthan Royals are one of the eight teams in the IPL and, from a sponsorship perspective, they have fairly unique story in that they were the first team Red Bull have sponsored without actually owning the team. The Royals, sometimes considered as the "moneyball" team of the IPL, because they have a reputation of unearthing obscure, high potential talent, have a real focus on evolving into a global brand, leveraging technology in their sponsorships, and building partnerships through education and academies. Joining us on the show, to take us inside the Rajasthan Royals’ commercial program, is their COO, Jake Lush McCrum. You can learn more about the Rajasthan Royals at rajasthanroyals.com as well as connect with Jake on LinkedIn. Also joining us, to discuss KORE’s latest sponsorship focused blog, which looks at some of the global sponsorship trends happening right now, is a team effort of Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, Derek Stanek, KORE Software's VP, Sales, and also Alex Hay, KORE Software's VP Commercial & Strategy. Enjoy.

ONE Championship is a celebration of Asia’s greatest cultural treasure and its deep-rooted Asian values of integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. Their mission is to unleash real-life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, dreams, inspiration, and strength. It has been an impressive rise, to say the least, for the Singapore-based ONE, having launched in 2011 and reaching their 100th event inside eight years. It has seen them grow to be Asia’s largest global sports media property in history with a global broadcast reach of 2.7 billion potential viewers across 150+ countries. As the world’s largest martial arts organisation, ONE has achieved some of the highest TV ratings and social media engagement metrics across Asia. With a focus on both martial arts and esports, ONE Championship is Asia’s largest global producer of live sports content for youth and millennials.  And that success, on a commercial front, attracts a coveted client roster of blue-chip Fortune 500 sponsors and advertisers, including the likes of Disney, Marvel, LG, Sony, Facebook, Haier, Kawasaki, L’Oreal, Casio, Bayer, Shiseido, Grab, Singtel, and more.  Joining this episode, to take us inside ONE Championship’s Commercial program, is their Group Chief Commercial Officer, Hari Vijayarajan. Also joining the show is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, to discuss his latest blog What To Consider When Returning To Sell Sponsorship.

Like any crisis, throughout COVID-19, many of you have had to deal with managing events and making decisions on canceling, postponing, or pivoting those events. Further, some of you have events on the horizon where a decision will need to be made soon. Chris Baylis is President and CEO of The Sponsorship Collective but also a founder of the Partnership Conference, held annually in Canada, and which was meant to be held what ended up being right in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. However, early on, like so many of you, Chris and his business partner for the conference, had to decide whether to cancel, postpone, or pivot. Ultimately, the decision to postpone was made and Chris joins the show to talk, in great detail, about how they came to that decision, worked through all of the elements, and have now gone above and beyond in what they have and will continue to deliver for the partners. Also, joining the show is Daniel Collier-Hill, KORE’s Commercial Director – APAC, who discusses his latest blog, COVID-19: Sponsorship - What's Now And What's Next? Enjoy.

We have contracts for a reason. They set out the rules and expectations for us all to operate in a sponsorship for the good of all and they are set out with all the right intentions – to do good work but also to protect ourselves. What happens, however, when we get blindsided and things change so quickly, through no fault of any of the contracted parties? Sure, we know that the contracts all have force majeure clauses but how does that reconcile with our often-spruiked approach that sponsorships should be a true relationship? Also, how does that reconcile with sponsors, as a collective group, who would want the sport and entertainment industry to return to normal as quickly as possible so that they can activate sponsorships and reach their target audiences? Surely there is a vested interest in working things through? Yet, how does that happen when so many businesses are directly threatened and are dealing with an ever-changing landscape and one where there is no certainty about what the other side looks like? Will in-progress seasons be completed or abandoned? Will one-off events be shifted or simply cancelled? Who knows? Some see it is an amazing opportunity for rights holders and brands to collaborate on innovation (but that innovation still has to be executed within the contract). To help work through all of the big issues, James Earl, Partner and Head of Sport Business Group at Fladgate LLP, in London, joins us on the show to answer lots of questions about how we should all be navigating through this legal space right now. James is regarded as one of the leading experts in the international sports sector because, with over a decade of experience, he has truly unique expertise working with a broad range of national and international governing bodies, funders, teams, clubs, and investors in sport. James is exceptionally well-connected and his pragmatic guidance is consistently sought by senior stakeholders across the international sports industry. James’ deep level of experience in sport comes from working with Manchester City Football Club, the London 2012 Olympics,  2015 Rugby World Cup and also acting as sole legal adviser to the delivery vehicles for the London 2017 World Athletics and ParaAthletic Championships. Also joining us on the show is Mark Thompson, KORE Software’s former Head of International Business, who discusses his latest blog about how, in this very tough time for our industry, it is important for us all to be supporting each other in sponsorship to navigate these unknown times. Enjoy.

Part of the complexity around the conscious consumer is their expectation that brands stand for something, that they believe in something, and that they will actually do something about it. As such, if brands don’t stand, believe in, and do something, around social causes, then, these days, they are at a massive disadvantage. The nagging question is, however, can brands and rights holders truly achieve great, commercially beneficial sponsorships where a cause is positively impacted? One man who thinks they can is John Balkam who has written a great book called, 3-Win Sponsorship, The Next Generation Of Sports & Entertainment Marketing. John joins us to discuss how to create and execute sponsorships that achieve commercial goals for brands and rights holders while not just treating the cause element as an afterthought and, instead, truly integrating it. During the chat, John mentions some great examples including: Hellmann’s® Feeds a Stadium Food Waste – Real Food Rescue. More Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Says Company Destroyed $5 Million Worth of Assault Rifles to Take Them 'Off the Street'. More Lebron James’ I PROMISE School, an Akron Public School dedicated to those students who are already falling behind and in danger of falling through the cracks. More If you would like to connect with John, visit his website or connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter. Of course, if you'd like to pick up a copy of his book, 3-Win Sponsorship, The Next Generation Of Sports & Entertainment Marketing, you can do that here. Also joining us on the show is KORE’S Sam Irvine, Director - Customer Strategy & Success, Australasia, to discuss his latest blog, which asks, and answers, the question, Governing Body vs Pro-Team - Which Has A Greater Commercial Advantage?  Enjoy

Data has become such an essential part of the world and doing business that if you aren’t actively collecting your own first-party data, and then utilising third-party data, you really are at a massive disadvantage; especially considering that your competitors and partners are making very good use of it. As such, for those in working in rights holders, where it is often hard to differentiate your sponsorship offering and positioning, in a crowded market, not only is data powerful and essential, it may just be your biggest differentiator. Clearly, big brands and their agencies are using data, first and third-party, and you really aren’t keeping up with best practice if it isn’t an essential part of your proposals, execution and reporting. Joining us on the show, to talk all things data, digital, and analytics, is Eddie Fitzgibbon, VP, Global Solutions at 4FRONT, the global sports agency. You can connect with Eddie on LinkedIn or visit team4front.com. Daniel Collier-Hill also joins us to discuss his latest blog, which tees up our chat with Eddie very nicely, and that blog looks at Quantity vs. Quality – The Fan Segmentation Debate in Sponsorship. Enjoy.

Player appearances can be immensely powerful as part of a sponsorship. And it seems simple enough - put a huge star on stage, in front of a room of people you are trying to impress, or in a marquee as part of an activation, and you’ll engage your audience and there will probably be lots of digital to help spread it all. However, not everyone can afford the superstars and, even if you can, it isn’t always the best play when it comes to appearances. Like all sponsorship assets, it depends so much on what you are wanting to achieve. Add to that that so many sponsorship deals get ‘topped up’ with player appearances, as a bit of an add-on and a feel-good gesture, and a lot of brands, and rights holders for that matter, can miss out on the huge benefits available through appearances. This is an especially important point when you consider that many athletes are on the lookout for more paid opportunities and the chance to broaden their experiences and engage with the community. One man who knows the space well is James Begley. Not only is James the Founder, and CEO, of Pickstar, the most trusted platform for facilitating paid engagements, large and small, but he’s also been on the other side, as an athlete, when he played 61 games of Australian Rules Football with St. Kilda and Adelaide. He was one of those athletes on the lookout for more paid opportunities and the chance to broaden his own experiences and engage with his community. James joins us in this episode to discuss how rights holders and brands can maximise the use of appearances in their sponsorships. You can connect with James on LinkedIn and find out more about Pickstar on the website. Along with James, also joining us on the show is KORE’s Head of International Business, Mark Thompson, who discusses his latest blog which looks at The Changing Face of Broadcast and What This Means For Broadcast Partnerships. Enjoy.