Sports sponsorship: A winning strategy for businesses

In November at international promo product giant, EverythingBranded, we took over Morningside Arena for the Leicester Riders Vs London Lions game. EverythingBranded hosted the fanzone in Mattioli Courts with activities, freebies and games, plus a digital takeover and an in person VIP event – proving that we really can brand everything! 

Leicester Riders’ thriving relationship with EverythingBranded dates back to the beginning of 2022. The partnership has brought the Leicester Riders John Lewis pop-up store in the Highcross shopping centre, the reinvention of Riders’ between-quarter entertainment “chuck-a-duck” and exclusive Leicester Riders merchandise.

In today’s competitive business landscape, companies are constantly seeking innovative and effective ways to reach their target audiences. Sports sponsorship has emerged as a powerful marketing tool that can deliver a range of benefits, including increased brand awareness, enhanced brand image, and improved customer engagement. Here is why we embarked on this classic marketing partnership with a twist!

Harnessing the Power of Sports

Sports have an undeniable ability to captivate and engage audiences worldwide. They bring people together from all walks of life, fostering a shared sense of passion and excitement. By partnering with a sports team, businesses can tap into this passionate fan base and gain access to a highly targeted and receptive audience. The EB partnership with Riders has given us a heightened level of publicity. The digital boards that surround the basketball court plus the screens at either end, ensured EverythingBranded was rarely out of the eyeline of the in-person crowd but also set us centre stage when the game was shown on SkySports which saw a viewership increase of 89% in the opening three live broadcast games of 2023.

Elevating Brand Awareness

Sports sponsorships provide significant exposure for companies, placing their brands front and centre at major sporting events. Through signage, interactive activations, digital placements, and social media coverage, EB was able to ensure that our brand was seen and remembered by a vast audience. Video and images created for social media before, during and after the game hit 185K impressions on the day and the legacy of content created that day meant that EverythingBranded and the Riders were able to maintain the same level of interest over the following weeks by repurposing assets generated on the night.

Building Loyalty

Associating with a successful sports team can significantly enhance a company’s brand image. Fans often perceive sponsors as being part of the team’s success, leading to positive associations with the brand. This can translate into increased brand loyalty and customer trust. EB provided brand elevating products, including merch to make fans smile and profile raising, co-branded, quality promo for the players. We worked with the Riders team and senior stakeholders to provide bespoke products to fit all their branding needs. By association, EverythingBranded has been able to replicate some of the goodwill and sense of belonging that the Riders fans experience as part of an evening at the Morningside Arena.

Return on investment

Budget is very important when it comes to a commitment such as sports team sponsorship. The return on investment is often more difficult to measure than traditional marketing tactics like email, media or online content. Sometimes this means thinking creatively because despite the reach and infrastructure that EverythingBranded has to create a suite of physical assets, staying within budget was important to us. An innovative way to reach more people in a way that could be somewhat trackable, relied on the EverythingBranded inhouse design team to create bespoke digital assets to run before, during and after the game. This low cost, high impact, return on investment ensured that the EB branding hit over 100,000 impressions during that evening. 

The Winning Formula

Sports sponsorship, when strategically executed, can be a game-changer for businesses. It provides a powerful platform to connect with customers, build brand equity, and drive business growth. Whether it’s partnering with a local team or a global sporting event, companies can leverage the passion of sports to achieve their marketing goals.

About EverythingBranded

EverythingBranded is a global merch hub, offering high quality, tangible marketing solutions outside of the digital world. EverythingBranded provides brand elevating products that make people smile. 

The world’s most recognizable brands, like Microsoft, Netflix, Google, Walmart, CocaCola and NASA, rely on EverythingBranded’s full suite of custom branded merchandise solutions for bespoke design, supply chain fulfilment, short-term storage and more. Founded in 2010, EverythingBranded is one of the fastest growing providers of branded products, employing more than 150 people worldwide including in Las Vegas and Leicester.

For enquiries please email marketing@everythingbranded.com