ESA recently announced that the sports sponsorship sector has broken through the $20 billion barrier, representing its third successive year of growth.

When you combine sponsorship with sport – a platform that can generate extraordinary stories, and create passionate, emotive responses from its followers – then you end up with a very powerful combination.

Nike is one of the finest examples of a brand doing this to good effect through its sports partnership with Tiger Woods. It has built a synonymous relationship, whereby fans view sport and brand hand-in-hand.

One of the greatest characteristics of a sports fan is their loyalty.

Not only does alignment with a team or athlete introduce your brand to potentially millions of new people from across the world, but it also allows the opportunity to align the brand with the values and attributes of the sponsorship property.

One of the greatest characteristics of a sports fan is their loyalty – to their sport, to their team, to an athlete, to a cause. Provided it is done correctly, a brand has an opportunity to fit into this equation.

A brand logo on the shirt of your favourite team will go so far to raise perception and awareness, but to gain true loyalty the brand has the chance to activate the partnership in a way that adds to the consumers experience and builds a positive

“Sports sponsorship represents about three-quarters of revenue spent in sponsorship.”

If that has piqued your interest, why not read other entries in our Power of Sponsorship series?