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Advantages to Sponsoring Across One Sport
Many companies prefer to build a sponsorship portfolio that includes a diverse group of properties. The common thinking is that marketers can reach multiple target audiences through different sponsorship platforms. Also, many companies just don't feel comfortable putting all of their eggs in one sponsorship basket, so they invest in everything from hockey to harness racing, the opera to open wheel motorsports. While many diverse-portfolio sponsorship strategies can be effective, some companies - especially those with fairly narrow target audiences - should consider a single platform category and "own" that category. It can be a specific sport, cause, and form of art or entertainment, but let's focus on a specific example to describe the advantages of sponsoring across one platform category:
Limited Product Line: If your company only markets one or two products, or if your product offerings all fulfill a very niche need, "owning" a single sport allows you to directly link your brand to a specific image or ideal. For example, if your products are lifestyle clothing or footwear, you may spread your sponsorships across skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and surfing. Instead, consider selecting a single sport and sponsor from the grassroots to professional levels. Within your target audience, your products will enjoy association with that sport.
Building Credibility: That lifestyle footwear company may have great intentions by attempting to sponsor and support across all action sports. But its target audience may view those diverse sponsorship activities as trying to be all things to all fans and participants in action sports. If that company chooses to only sponsor snowboarding for example, it will not only gain credibility among the snowboarding community, but fans and participants in other action sports will likely see the company as true to its consumers. The participants in other action sports will want to be part of that relationship and will actually migrate towards your brand.
Battling Competition: Certain industries are incredibly competitive and that applies to our example of lifestyle apparel and footwear. But so are the beer and automobile industries. If you've got tough competition, you likely want to differentiate your brand and products. Proper positioning is critical, but aligning with golf, endurance sports, and fishing may provide no point of differentiation. Back to our lifestyle footwear example. That company can stand out among its competition by sponsoring across a single sport. When fans and participants think snowboarding, they instantly think Company X. Your competition will have a difficult time breaking down that relationship with target audiences.
