Sports Marketing; It’s That Time of Year!

In the pros, of course, we have the Super Bowl, with several games leading up to the most watched sport finale in the country. In the college ranks, we now have a four team playoff system for the national championship, as well as more bowl games than the televisions in your home can handle.

All of these games are programming opportunities for the networks, local radio and TV stations, and their sponsors. This is major league money that only happens once a year. The reach of the advertising message is huge, and more important, your name is attached as a sponsor to one of the teams, or possibly a league. The mileage you get is well beyond a simple media schedule.

Major corporations go into the planning cycle with sports on their mind. It wasn’t always that way. If your company is not a major company, you can still get involved on a regional or local level, at a much lower level of investment, all the way down to sponsoring the local Little League team in your neighborhood.

The benefits of such a sponsorship carry way beyond the actual message included in the sponsorship. You are attached to the team or league for that year or the length of your contract. You are put on a pedestal above others in your product category, and you are given the first right of refusal to continue your sports marketing sponsorship in the following year.

Football, of course, is just one of many sports opportunities throughout the year. Perhaps hockey, basketball or baseball are more important to your target market. Check them all out; you can’t go wrong.

What are your challenges when it comes to sports marketing? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time...