Since 2000, an average of 60% of Americans describe themselves as sports fans. It’s easy to understand why – the energy and excitement, the hope of victory, the beer and hotdogs (and heartburn to follow). Whether you’re a MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB, collegiate or minor league fan, sporting events are one of the few places where a variety of people come together for a unique and common goal… to support their team!

Becoming a corporate sponsor or partner of a sports organization is beneficial for both B2B and B2C companies. For B2C businesses, partnerships provide easy solutions to all three of the top marketing woes – generating traffic and leads, proving the ROI of marketing activities, and targeting content for the specific audience and demographic. As a B2B business, partnerships provide different but equally advantageous benefits. From our experience in sponsorships with NFL and MLS teams, we’ve learned that they can be a great way to enter a new market or territory, show interest/involvement in the community, and develop business with other corporate partners.

To further the point, here are our top three reasons to consider a sports partnership for your organization:

1. Captivated Target Audience: Sports are one of the few ways to target men, women, and children of all ages and demographics at one time. More importantly, advertising at a sporting event provides an opportunity to engage your target audience while they’re excited, relaxed, and more open to messaging.
2. Increased Brand Awareness: Aligning your company with a recognizable and popular brand like a sports team allows for creative and unique advertising opportunities. Most partnerships come with a variety of perks and benefits including naming rights, rights to co-branded marks, rights to player appearances, etc. Utilizing all of these tools and incorporating them into your company’s marketing campaigns easily lends itself to a fun and more casual form of advertising.
3. Fan Association: Marketers today note that many businesses become corporate partners in hopes that the fans’ love and passion for the game will transfer into positive emotions about their brand or product. For example, I’m a Texas Rangers fan and because Southwest Airlines is a prominent and proud sponsor, I am more likely to follow them on social media and use their services because their brand is associated with the team.

Ultimately, sports are one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the US, so corporate sponsorship is a home run! Here are a few articles about how sports sponsorships are being used in specific industries: Banks & Financial Institutions, Healthcare Companies, and Non-Profit Organizations.