Scoring sports

partnerships
How on-demand insights help
you spot winning opportunities
Contents Introduction

The sports state of play 05 Sports partnerships and sponsor-

ships are a powerful marketing tool.
Choose wisely and you’ll engage fans,
Knowing your fans: drive long-term revenue and growth,
why on-demand insights matter 15 and leave competitors in the dust.

In this guide, we’ll explore how on-de-

Finding your true match 29 mand audience insights of the right
caliber help you spot the right oppor-
tunities, and how to land the sports
Landing your dream pitch 39 deals of your dreams.

4
01
The sports
state of play

6
The world of sports is shifting faster
than ever, with the rise of esports and
the metaverse changing the way fans
watch, support, and interact with the
big game.

Our GWI Sports data set Viewership There’s money

sheds some light on what’s is changing in the metaverse
going on.
Sports still appeal to the masses, but From in-game advertising, to cryp-
TikTok is becoming the go-to plat- to-funded sports teams and loyalty
form for sports content. Outside programs, fans can now pay their
China, there’s been a 70% rise in fans way to unique interactive experiences
using TikTok to follow sports. We’re with their favorite clubs and players.
also seeing a shift towards gender In Roblox’s WimbleWorld, users can
equality driven by younger viewers, hang out with Wimbledon champions,
with 32% of Gen Z and millenni- style their avatars in designer cloth-
als saying they watch women’s only ing, and compete to unlock exclusive
competitions, and 31% following a content. NFTs are also a hit with col-
female athlete or women’s team on lectors, with 12% of sports fans outside
social media. China saying they buy them.

Scoring sports partnerships 8

Interestingly, gym goers and Strava
users have greater interest in the
metaverse than console gamers.

Unique insights like these reveal hidden

marketing opportunities. That’s why
it’s so important to consider consum-
ers’ attitudinal and behavioral data
when deciding which partners and
ambassadors to work with.

Consumers interested in the

metaverse say they’d use it for:

Virtual
Workouts Investments Gaming
meetings

Cloud gamers 63 Strava users 58 Gym goers 55 NBA fans 40

Console gamers 50 Runners 46 Rugby fans 50

Boxing fans 50 Sports players 45

Tennis players 44

Scoring sports partnerships 10

Ask the expert

COPA90: the sports view

“
Simon Joyce
Chief Business Officer, COPA90

We’re embarking on a new era of

sports fandom and it’s driving IP
The importance of fandom and the
relationship with fans has never Understanding and
owners and rights holders to the
frontline of innovation in a bid to
been higher on the agenda across
all stakeholders in sport, from rights
answering fans’ motivations,
engage and involve fans. holders to broadcasters, brands, behaviors, and demands
Without fans, sport ceases to exist in
media and athletes.
should be the foundation to
the form that has seen its exponen-
tial growth and success over the last
Evoking emotion, encouraging par-
ticipation, creating exclusivity, and
the next era of growth and
few decades. leaving a lasting impression is key. transformation.

Scoring sports partnerships 12

Challenges Opportunities
The biggest challenge is figuring out behaviors of the fans that make up One of the critical reasons for choos- Brands that take a longer-term
how to stand out from the crowd and the domestic, regional, and interna- ing sponsorship is to connect your approach, show a real commitment,
be relevant to the fans of the sport, tional communities. brand with a property and build pos- and create value-adding experiences
tournament, or club you’ve partnered itive relationships and associations that demonstrate a true understand-
with. Too often the focus of sponsor- What does the data, research and with the people who one day might ing of their fandom will always win
ship is the commercials; the rights, insight really tell you? Where is there buy your product or service - the fans. the hearts and minds of sports fans.
assets, and terms take center stage. a gap that your brand can fill? And

“
Fans see through sponsors trying to how can you play a meaningful role It’s the untold stories and often over-
exploit them for quick gains. in the lives of fans at times that make looked characters and personalities
sense for them. that will act as a catalyst to scale
Challenge yourself and the rights and grow fan bases and build upon
holder you’re partnering with to really The worst thing to do is to go in blind the passionate communities that
understand the motivations and and brand-first. already exist. It’s all about democ- We’re in a fan-first
ratizing discovery and making sport era and this is why,
universally accessible.
ultimately, we’re
all operating on
their terms

Scoring sports partnerships 14

02
Knowing
your fans:
why on-demand
insights matter

16
Give the
It sounds so simple, but is often easier
said than done. If the controversy
around the European Super League
is anything to go by, listening to what
your fans want is critical to success.

fans what
With the market changing rapidly,
you need consumer insights faster
than Usain Bolt to understand what
matters to your target audiences -
and more importantly, why. This will

they want.
help you decide which partners are
the best fit.

Scoring sports partnerships 18

If you’re relying solely on exte-
rnal bodies for insights, opportuni-
ties could be slipping through the
cracks while you wait. The beauty of
on-demand insights is having
instant access to what you need
- and more importantly, what you
didn’t know you needed. It’s a com-
petitive edge like no other.

Here’s just a taste of the kind of global

insights you can grab on demand.

Scoring sports partnerships 20

The modern sports enthusiast The modern esports enthusiast
By generation By interest
By generation By interest

Millennials 53
36% 33% Millennials 40 45% 35%
more likely to be follow sports
interested in betting on YouTube more likely to be are interested
interested in betting in business

Surpring fan facts Gen Z 36

Gen Z 47 Surprising fan facts

38% 36% Gen X 23

59% 30%
are interested in say they’ve watched
a gaming video in more likely to have used want brands to offer
cars/motoring
the last week Baby boomers 11 a paid membership site to customized products
Gen X 44 follow creators/influencers
in the last week

37% 34% 36% 1/4

Baby boomers 34 are interested in say they watch official
investments content (e.g. official more likely to be say it’s ok for brands not related
club/event channels) interested in vegan food to esports to sponsor teams
or events

Source: GWI Sport Q4 2021

Scoring sports partnerships 22

 56% of
both sports
& esports
enthusiasts
notice shirt
sponsorship

Scoring sports partnerships 24

Sports spotlight

Now let’s go one step further and

take a closer look at the behavio-
ral and attitudinal consumer data
behind 6 popular sports.

Granular data helps to explain what’s

driving fan interest and engage-
ment. Armed with knowledge, you
can identify links to new markets
and partners who are aligned to your
target audience.

Scoring sports partnerships 26

 Soccer fans Rugby fans Basketball fans Football fans Boxing fans Esports fans

Actions

Watch professional
75 75 77 74 78 70
matches on TV/online

Willing to pay
67 68 70 62 70 80
for access*

Buy official sports

merchandise/ 44 49 48 54 48 53
collectibles

Attend professional
35 52 35 49 38 40
matches

Bet on sport while

21 34 22 27 25 26
watching

tend to buy from drink alcohol while have watched a prepare a specific
47% follow the latest tech
trends and new 33% have listened to a
podcast in the last week 34% brands they see
advertised
31% watching matches
(aged 21+)
49% comedy, meme, or viral
video in the last week
36% meal/food for the event
they’re watching

Surprising stats
look up information buy tech products/
chat to friends online post on social media
36% while watching matches 32% about brands they
see advertised while 33% while watching 18% have used a meditation
tool in the last week 32% order food while
watching matches 26% services to access
the community built
watching matches matches
around them

Scoring sports partnerships *of those who watch sport, who are willing to pay for access to their favorite sports/leagues Source: GWI Sport Q4 2021 28
03
Finding your Partnerships and sponsorships are a
great way to boost brand awareness,

true match
sales, loyalty, and ROI.

That is – provided you pick the right

partner to help you grow.

Miss the mark, and you risk damag-

ing your reputation and alienating
fans. But with access to the right
insights on tap, you can understand
what your consumers really care
about to find the right fit.

30
1 2
Ask your
target
audience
Your consumers can tell you a sur-
prising amount about what you need
from a partnership deal. With audi-

Nail your ence insights on hand, it only takes a

few seconds to understand what your

objectives consumers care about on a global

and local scale.

What do you want this partnership

to achieve? Whether you’re looking Top tip Top tip
to sign a new kit sponsor, or launch
a promotional campaign with a Authenticity is key to success. There Get instant answers to thousands
famous athlete, establish which key should be a clear link to your brand of audience questions on all sorts of
performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll (or your client’s brand) that appeals topics in the GWI platform. Easily
focus on to measure the success of to existing fan interests, as well as the segment the data by generation to
your partnership. target audiences you hope to reach. understand the differences between
key consumer groups.

Scoring sports partnerships 32

 3
Go even
Get a true deeper
view of market Global syndicated research is exten-

potential sive, but if you still have unanswered

questions about your audiences,
there’s a simple solution. Complement
syndicated research with custom-
ized surveys to fill in any knowledge

4
Comparing audiences from differ- gaps and see the full picture of
ent markets lets you quickly identify your consumers.
crossover points in the data that align Top tip
with existing customers’ interests, your
growth goals, and those of your pro- Our dashboards let you compare up
spective partner to find the perfect to 4 audiences in a single view for Top tip
fit. This could be a brand your con- speedy trend spotting and campaign
sumers buy from, other sports they planning. Or dive into crosstabs to Use our custom research services
follow, social media channels they use, compare as many audiences and to ask any question you like to con-
or even activities they do regularly. profiling points as you like. sumers across 48 countries. We can
also run concept testing and track
campaign effectiveness to make sure
your partnerships are on point.

Scoring sports partnerships 34

 6
Align and
empower your
sales teams
Once you know where growth opportunities lie, find
ways to connect new audiences back to your brand

5
in an authentic way. Housing key insights in a dash-

Ask the
board makes it a breeze to collaborate internally,
share knowledge, and really sell your vision to pro-
spective partners.
analysts Top tip
Top tip We all need a little support some- Analyst hours are included in our
times. If you’re short on time, new to custom research services for help
Our pre-built dashboards let you jump straight the world of audience data, or simply with data pulls, ad-hoc analysis, pres-
into top-line insights and quickly get to grips with unsure of the best way to benchmark entations, reporting, and more. We’ll
specific audiences and topics. Customize them to and measure partnership perfor- assess your activations and highlight
suit your needs, share them in an instant. mance, pull in someone who can help. key strengths and opportunities.

Scoring sports partnerships 36

Things What other markets,
brands, and products
Which social media
channels do NFL fans
How many tennis
fans also listen to

you can
excite baseball fans? engage with most? podcasts?

ask with Which fantasy

leagues do consum-
Do boxing fans
have any interest in
How frequently do
consumers go to
ers take part in? beauty? the gym?

Which sporting events How do esports fans How many

are fans most inter- really feel about motorsports fans
ested in? sponsorships? buy NFTs?

Scoring sports partnerships 38

04
Landing your
dream pitch Partnerships are a two-way street, so
your pitch needs to hammer home the
value you can deliver. Boosting reve-
nue is an obvious goal, so think bigger.

What else can you offer to get the

deal over the line? Your audience
size, breadth of sponsorship oppor-
tunities, and increased reach potential
are all useful bargaining chips. Don’t
be afraid to show your prospect what
they’re missing.

40
Tot up your audience
(then shout about it)
Look at all your online and offline
customer marketing channels - from
social media followers, to website
visitors, to TV subscription streamers,
to match attendees and supporters.
A bigger fan base is more appealing
to potential partners and sponsors Share unique Tell the
looking to reach new audiences. insights right story

Innovation is sure to impress, so look Show why you’re the best fit. Find

29
for interesting or unusual stories an engaging, relatable narrative in
in your audience data. Over-index your data that unites both brands
figures indicate where consumer and audiences (and ideally, works

% behavior is higher than average

- in other words, above the norm.
on a global scale). Then blow their
assumptions out of the water with
of sports fans say if a brand With a view of emerging trends, you unique insights into the market and
or product sponsors their can expose untapped potential in future growth opportunities. If you
favorite sports league or markets your prospective partner wow them with data, they’ll see you
team, they’re likely to chat to (and their competitors) would never not only as a partner, but a trusted
family/friends about it have considered. advisor too.

Scoring sports partnerships 42

Ask the expert

Advanced “
Audiences are the guiding principle for all
sponsorship investments, as the purpose of
Sponsorship Insights sponsorship is to connect, in an emotional way,
with the target brand personas.

The right story to tell is always one of alignment

and incrementality that enhances the brand
positioning and strategy.
Paulo Pinto
CEO Which gaps does it cover?
Which opportunities will it unveil?

Scoring sports partnerships 44

Case study: The problem The solution

Fnatic While the global esports industry is

seeing exponential growth, not all busi-
Using GWI, Fnatic built a robust
cross-market pitching strategy,
nesses are aware of the opportunities embedding unique audience insights
it offers them. This was a challenge at every stage. They hooked pros-
the Fnatic team faced when looking pects in by making their pitch highly
to scale their business. relevant to their interests, before edu-
cating them on the commercial value
To land the right partnerships, they of highly engaged esports audiences.
needed a narrative that would stand
out against the competition and prove Using behavioral and attitudinal audi-
why esports is worth the investment. ence data, Fnatic told an original,
compelling narrative that seamlessly
wove both brands together. All backed
by credible, reliable data.

Scoring sports partnerships 46

The result

This insights-led approach helped Landing and expanding

Fnatic successfully tap into new a partnership deal with
markets, scoring business deals with a global CPG brand
multiple high-profile brands.
Securing a bespoke
The biggest wins included: package for an influencer
activation

Exceeding targets
by up to 180%

Improving their
pitching process with
deeper insight

Scoring sports partnerships 48

04
Key takeaways Align with audiences

Tap into what your target audiences

Be authentic

Work with partners who have your

Wondering if the partner or spon- care about and why to create more audiences’ best interests at heart. If
sor you’re eyeing up is the right engaging campaigns and build pos- things feel fake or forced, fans won’t
fit? Bringing audience research itive brand sentiment. buy it.
in-house is the fastest way to find out.

Use on-demand insights to tick these

four boxes, and you’ll leap ahead of Get granular Add value
the competition and drive scalable
growth and ROI, with the right part- Drill down into insights at sport, league, Sports fans crave interactive, inclu-
ners to help you tell your story. and even brand level to understand sive experiences that bring them
where fans’ interests truly lie - even closer to the big game and the wider
across markets. sports community.

Scoring sports partnerships 50

A world of sports GWI Core
Dig into the world’s biggest

knowledge in one
digital consumer study

platform
GWI Sports
Bring your fans into focus
with deeper sports insights

GWI Custom
Go bespoke to fill any gaps and
see the full picture of consumers

Scoring sports partnerships

Methodology

This guide uses our GWI Sports data fans. Within this cohort, there are This guide also looks at various 2022 GWI Zeitgeist research, with
set, with a sample of 38,781 sports 2,380 Gen Z, 5,787 millennials, 6,465 sports fans. Within this there are a sample of 12,803 consumers in
fans aged 16-64 in Q4 2021. Within Gen X, and 1,727 baby boomers. 20,920 soccer fans, 4,248 rugby Brazil, China, France, Germany, India,
this cohort there were 5,234 Gen Z, fans, 12,740 basketball fans, 7,325 Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.
11,712 millennials, 16,451 Gen X, and Esports enthusiasts are respond- football fans, and 8,562 boxing fans.
5,384 baby boomers. ents who say they are: very/extremely Esports fans include those who watch
interested in esports, and view it at We’ve also used our May 2022 GWI an esports tournament monthly,
Sports enthusiasts are fans who say least once a week, with a sample of Zeitgeist research, with a sample of rather than those who just say they
they are: very/extremely interested 7,941. Within this cohort, there are 12,845 consumers in Brazil, China, watch/follow the sport.
in sport, and view it at least once a 1,680 Gen Z, 3,878 millennials, 2,179 France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan,
week, with a sample of 16,359 sports Gen X, and 204 baby boomers. the UK, and the US, and our April
Find your perfect 48 2.7Bn+
countries consumers represented
partner with GWI
10,000+ 200,000+
We’re home to the largest survey on the brands profiling points
digital consumer. Find everything you
could possibly want to know about your
audience, in one super-simple platform.
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 © GWI 2022

Scoring sports partnerships