Is there a place for brand sponsorship in a digital-obsessed landscape?

Brand sponsorship has been living through an existential crisis for the best part of a decade.

While there has never been a question of the impact partnering with a sport or entertainment rights holder can have on brand awareness for sponsors, proving return beyond general awareness metrics has remained elusive.

The rise of digital advertising has made the prospects for sponsorship murkier. In a time where marketers are having to justify their budgets and show real return on that spend, digital is the platform to reach audiences and show true value to a brand’s bottom line.

However, going into 2023, digital is also facing new challenges. Major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are seeing a decrease in ad spend, while there are significant changes already affecting the digital advertising landscape including Apple limiting ad targeting on iOS devices and Google ending the use of third-party cookies in Chrome. 

So, where does this leave these two marketing platforms? Are they destined to suffer at the hands of the changing environment or is this an opportunity for both? Is there a way that sponsorship and digital can complement each other to still provide value for brands?

Mscsports believes there is.

One way that brands have looked to mitigate the effects of digital platforms not having the same tracking capabilities is to build their own audiences and create direct digital connections with their customers. Instead of relying on the audiences on Facebook and Google, brands want to build their own relationships, so they aren’t as reliant on these tech giants. 

So, if brands are looking to build new connections with their customers, what better place to do it than the place where audiences are engaging with their passion points? This is where rights holders have an advantage.

As the gateway to sports and entertainment, sponsorships offer brands the chance to engage with fans on things they love and to leverage this feeling into new connections. Digital is the perfect compliment for this. The platform gives sponsors the chance to connect with fans across the globe at scale and to lean on the power of digital by tracking performance and building more connections with audiences. 

While change is always daunting, it is an opportunity — one that could see audiences connecting with their passion point with sponsorships at the forefront.

This article was paid for by Mscsports.