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Team Sponsorship May Not Be as Effective as Thought

This morning's post on team branding got me thinking more about marketing. Over lunch something I was reading caught my eye and I went back and read the Turnkey Sports poll for March, 2009. This poll was difference than most Turnkey polls as it polled both industry members and the general public and was therefore able to compare the results of the two. It was the disconnect between the two that I found most interesting and most instructive.

On several subjects, the two constituencies were mostly in sync - television viewing and general views on the economy. However, on the impact of sponsorships, the views were dramatically different and not in a good way for teams or sponsors. The clear picture emerging from the data is that the sponsors' messages are not getting through to the public and seem to be getting lost in the crowd. In addition, there is no brand loyalty among North American sports fans.

The survey only covered the four "major" leagues of MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL. One important point to keep in mind while evaluating the results is that no team in any of those four leagues in allowed to have a jersey sponsor. In the rest of the world, where brand loyalty to sponsors, as well as sponsor recognition, is considerably higher than here, much of that loyalty and recognition is given to the jersey sponsor the fan is wearing on his or her chest. The fact that the sponsor is hanging in the fan's closet is a powerful tool that the four North American leagues are way behind in adopting. Perhaps this survey and similar studies may move the owners closer to permitting that in some small way. MLS has adopted it and the sky didn't fall in over the soccer stadiums in the US. It's not he end of the universe as we know it. It just might be the beginning of a substantial new revenue stream, just when the leagues need it the most.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on May 11, 2009 (boomark / email).