Sponsorship goes beyond a logo
A logo on a shirt, a brand on the screens of a stadium, an ad during a major competition. Thousands, even millions of people exposed to the same brand. But how many of them remember anything beyond its presence?
Sports sponsorship has always been a powerful tool for gaining visibility and tapping into the passion that sport stirs up. And it still is. Yet in an environment where brands are constantly competing for our attention, showing up no longer guarantees connecting.
The real challenge is no longer just getting a brand seen, but giving it a meaningful role in the fan experience.
From occupying space to creating a connection
For years, much of the value of sponsorship was tied to brand exposure. Today, sponsorship rights also open the door to creating content, driving participation and building closer relationships with fans.
According to the study Decoding 360 (2024), around 27.5% of fans are receptive to sponsors' messages, while another 17.5% tend to ignore them. But the interesting part is everyone in between: 55% are selective fans, who recognise the value of sponsors but don't always engage with them. How do you turn an indifferent spectator into someone who wants to take part? That is where strategy and creativity can make all the difference.
But that connection doesn't come from simply doing more activations or producing more content. It comes from understanding who we are speaking to, what moves them and how a brand can become part of that passion in an authentic way.
It is no longer just about finding where to place a logo, but about understanding what a brand can bring to a community. And this shift changes the role of creativity, because there is a difference between seeing a brand during a match and feeling that brand has let you live something special.
One example is Motorola x EuroLeague, an activation that turned a giveaway of courtside tickets for the Final Four into an entertainment campaign starring players from the competition.
Through short, humorous videos, the players set out two ways to reach the Final Four: spend years perfecting your moves to become a professional basketball player, or enter the Motorola giveaway. In this way, a promotion became engaging content that connected with fans' passion and invited them to take part.
This doesn't mean visibility has lost its importance. It remains a fundamental part of sponsorship. But the value of a partnership shouldn't be measured only by how many people have seen a logo, but also by the connection it has built with them.
Because the best sponsorship isn't necessarily the one that is seen the most, but the one whose presence makes sense.