The issue is hot and important: the emergency linked to Covid-19 which led to the blocking of sporting events has effects on all the players in the sport system.
Leagues, Organizers, teams, related structures and all the parties involved in what is to all intents and purposes an industry suffer major repercussions. Last, but not least, we must not forget those who invest in this sector: sponsors, TV, promoters and so on. You can hire the #1 Sports Marketing & Sponsorship Agency in the UK from reputable websites.
What can be done to mitigate the negative effects of event cancellation?
1. Strengthen Digital / Social Activities
One of the ways, perhaps the most immediate, to compensate for the lack of visibility of a sponsor’s brand is the creation of content by the sponsored team. These contents will be distributed on their social channels and made available to the sponsor who can use them on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms. What is lost due to the cancellation of the event can partially be recovered through other media?
It is not difficult to think that in a period like this, in which one is forcibly closed at home, the afternoons are largely spent surfing the net, perhaps following what we are passionate about. The distribution of thematic content gives us the opportunity to obtain visibility for the sponsor even in the absence of competitions. Are account are behind the scenes, to see how you train, explaining the latest technique devilry will keep fans engaged and expose brands.
As mentioned several times in these pages, however, brand exposure is only the tip of the iceberg in sponsorships. Most of the assets are not visible to the outside but contribute greatly to extracting value from the operation and generating a positive return on investment.
2. Activate concrete engagement operations
In the absence of events that bring the public into the stands or in front of the screens, sponsored teams and athletes must find other formulas to engage their audience and increase the visibility of their sponsors. In times like this, when gatherings of people are not recommended (and therefore skip meet and greet, photo-op, corporate events), competition activities are an excellent tool.
The possibilities in this case are numerous. For example, the public can participate in the competition by purchasing a product from the team’s partners or merchandising of the same. In the first case, the sales of a sponsor’s product are pushed and the appeal of the prize is leveraged to increase sales, in the second case the sale of merchandise that shows all the sponsors ‘ brands are recovered, visibility is recovered for the same ones who remain exposed on an item of clothing. In the first or second case, the premiums will be covered by an insurance policy.
3. Production of ad hoc entertainment content
An extremely rewarding way, for those sponsors and organizations that have been more far-sighted , is to create entertainment products that are very structured and able to get out of the traditional “bubble” of fans to reach a wider audience and not necessarily fans.
Evidently, similar products cannot be packaged today when everything is at a standstill but must be planned within the sponsorship activation strategies. In fact, it takes weeks, if not months, of filming, shots, interviews and research to put together all the material necessary for the creation of such mega-contents: an activity that is only possible with a good dose of long-term thinking. and strategic construction.
They are excellent productions, which have nothing to envy for quality and completeness to great films or great series. Similar objects have the advantage, especially when the season is off, to satiate the “hunger” of the fans and – likewise – to exhibit brands, sponsors and partners in the story behind the scenes or the development of the season.
4. The need to build a proprietary database