Sport Sponsorship in a Hybrid World
Joanna Olszowski, VP of Client Partnerships, gave us her take on how brands navigated sports sponsorship with a hybrid approach this summer.
BY DEVIN FINNERAN | COPYWRITER
With all eyes on how major sporting tournaments would adjust to a new landscape this year, we wanted to take a look at how key sponsors showed up, and what magic shone through. We spoke with our VP of Client Partnerships, Joanna Olszowski, to get her take on how brands excelled and navigated sports sponsorship with a hybrid approach this summer.
We were keen to hear Jo’s insider opinion, as throughout her 20 years’ experience in sports marketing, sponsorship and event management, she has worked across multiple Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the UEFA Euros. “It was a joy to see a whole summer of sport come to life after such a long time off, and what a summer it was,” she remarks. “We were spoiled to have such iconic events, the likes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wimbledon, and Euro 2020 all happening in the space of three months’’.
Although the turnstiles reopened for spectators, numbers were limited, and many fans were resigned to watch from home. For the first time, brands were obligated to execute their sponsorship activations in a hybrid world. “Due to the problems that have come to light as a result of the pandemic, brands had to be clever with how they used their sponsorships”, noted Joanna.
“We were spoiled to have such iconic events, the likes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wimbledon, and Euro 2020 all happening in the space of three months”
All over the globe, brands pushed through explorations of data and technology, and since play first resumed, their campaigns have increasingly become more imaginative and innovative in the hope of strategically connecting with audiences, especially when they’re tuning in from home. In pre-pandemic times, the majority of sporting activations relied on being physically present in spectator hubs, or at stadiums. But now we see brands using these large sporting platforms to engage consumers through meaningful content, heartfelt campaigns, and the latest developments in AI and AR. They’ve been able to reach audiences - where they are, on their own terms, and often in more sustainable, earth-friendly ways.
The need to engage at-home audiences, deliver state of the art technology, and provide the services required to combat Covid concerns were pushed into overdrive as Tokyo prepared to ignite the famous flame earlier this summer for the postponed 2020 Olympic Games.
After working so closely on previous iterations, Joanna was watching on as the structure of the Games transformed to suit this new landscape. “From the moment that the first postponement in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics was confirmed, Tokyo 2020 organizers, sponsors and athletes knew they faced a whole new set of logistical challenges. As a result, a majority of the sponsors cancelled their global hospitality programs and pivoted to local on site activations - and they worked hard to keep viewers at home involved in the action too.”
A Modern twist on the Ancient Games
This year marked the 29th Games for official Olympics timekeeper OMEGA, so we were eager to see how they’d show up, and they definitely delivered, bringing the audience closer to the action than ever before. They have consistently redefined their offering of timekeeping and scoring through the ages, and this year was no exception. They developed motion sensors and athlete positioning systems to capture additional insights, such as how high a volleyball player jumps to smash a ball, where a horse takes off for a jump, and what a sprinter’s form looks like upon reaching the finish line.
OMEGA have been the official Olympics Games timekeepers since 1932
While OMEGA assisted with the regulation of competition, Samsung helped the competitors to stay connected with family, friends, and fans while they were in the Olympic village. They gifted every athlete with a Samsung S21 5G, and each of these new releases was pre-loaded with contact tracing apps, as well as Athlete365, bursting with resources and support for their stay in Tokyo. The device’s pro-grade, 8k video-capable camera allowed athletes to capture and share their experiences with the world, in exceptional quality.
E-commerce giant and cloud services partner of the IOC, Alibaba, have committed to providing best-in-class technologies to enhance the Olympic experience for organisers, fans, athletes and broadcasters. They are committed to transforming the Games for the digital era, and this year they made some solid progress.
One of the most exciting additions for the 2020 Games was inspired by the age-old practice of pin trading. Alibaba produced their first wearable Cloud Pin to commemorate the work of the press in bringing the event to the world, enabling the media to engage with each other while still adhering to social distance protocol. It’s sure to be highly sought after in years to come.
Samsung S21 5G devices
Many brands turned their attention to the old-world prestige of Wimbledon Tennis Championships this summer. With the gap in play in 2020, and fewer spectators set to attend than usual, brands knew it was time for them to step up their game. The use of AI and AR technology was prevalent this year, both on and off the courts, and sponsors that brought these elements into their campaigns captured the imagination, and the attention of spectators tuning in from home.
“With the gap in play in 2020, and fewer spectators set to attend than usual, brands knew it was time for them to step up their game.”
IBM iX partnered with Wimbledon to produce an AI-powered analysis of player performances, which were highlighted as a leaderboard of real-time personalised insights via the official event app. This innovative ranking system boasted daily updates, which were easily accessible and shareable, creating talking points amongst spectators across the world.
Meanwhile, American Express produced an AR version of their popular in-person activation, that was previously available exclusively to AMEX customers present at Wimbledon. This augmented reality game gave users at home a chance to gain coaching tips and insight from two-time champion Andy Murray in centre court. These digital activations brought the audience closer to the sport, the action, and each other - even when they couldn’t make it there in person. Social sharing prompts were dotted throughout, because let’s face it, when you’re unable to take that annual Pimm’s pic on the grass, what else are you going to share on your socials?
AI-powered analysis of player performances for at-home viewers
New Brands on the Block
Sponsorship partnerships have truly evolved from the traditional sense. Recently, a new wave of companies have come to the forefront, diving in and capturing audiences' imaginations at these major sporting events. TikTok definitely made some noise with their human-centric digital activations this year.
TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world, and with their mission “to inspire creativity and bring joy”, they enable expression and encourage everyone to create. It’s understandable that this entertainment platform exploded in the first quarter of 2020, and with user generated content quickly becoming one of the most used promotional tactics, they truly conquered the summer of sport with their ‘fan focus’.
From their unrivalled access to monumental moments at The Euros, to the #EqualGame effect championing equality, from showing the ‘real people’ behind the ‘Olympians’ at Tokyo 2020, and to the stir of #itsawimbledonthing based on this video, TikTok cut a new path through the summer of sport. The aforementioned hashtag alone garnered over 4 million views in just one week, bringing communities closer, and levelling the playing field between sporting stars and punters. TikTok enabled millions of consumers and businesses to generate meaningful content over the course of the summer, creating pinnacle moments of engagement and inclusivity, and we’ll be watching closely to see what they do next.
“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games has the opportunity to be the most connected Olympic Games ever and with the support of global partners, enhanced digital experiences will be key to engaging with fans before, during and after the Games.”
The Future of Sports Experience is Here
Now with eyes forward, there are endless possibilities in an increasingly hybrid world. “The Paris 2024 Olympic Games has the opportunity to be the most connected Olympic Games ever and with the support of global partners, enhanced digital experiences will be key to engaging with fans before, during and after the Games,” Joanna concludes. “At the end of the day, the purpose of the Olympic Games is to bring more sport into people’s lives whilst captivating audiences around the world.
With three years for brands to plan their activations, we’ve compiled some key trends from those that have really shone.
Human first, technology second: No matter what way we look at it, sport continues to bring all walks of life together, and it’s the lifeblood of many communities. Even when fans were far apart, keeping up to date on their phones or on the couch - brand partnerships enabled them to rekindle that sense of humanity through both celebration, and devastation. At Cogs & Marvel, we take a human-centric approach when designing experiences, and this summer, the brands that kept humanity at the core were the brands that won hearts.
Empathetic in approach to experience design: Brands must make sponsorship decisions with the needs of their audience in mind. An empathetic understanding of your audience is paramount, it will allow you to pre-empt their needs, and build an experience centred around them.
Maintain brand integrity: OMEGA never swayed from it’s age-old responsibility of scoring and timing, TikTok stayed true to its mission, and Alibaba, true to their ethos, made it easier to do business. Knowing your place and purpose as a brand in any partnership is key to success.
The world we live in has evolved in ways we never thought possible, but humans are nothing if not adaptable, and it’s this versatile nature that lends to our ability to overcome challenges. This is especially true when we think of how brands have connected with spectators during the tentpole sporting moments of the summer.
We may have thought that the pandemic would stifle the creative spirit, but instead, we have entered a renaissance period, and for us, that energy tunnels through to experiential activations. Technology can break down barriers that we often don’t even consider, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
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