2016 trends in a nutshell - openfieldopenfield.co.za/.../04/sponsorship-trends_2016.pdf ·...

Openfield l Sponsorship Trends 2016

2016 TRENDS IN A NUTSHELL .

“This year we’ll see more people simply

tuning out the noise and tuning in to what

matters: their needs served up their way.

It’s not just entertainment they’re after but

rather relevance, value, intrigue,

intellectual challenge and some good old

fashioned fun.”

Jerome de Chaunac, Group Chief Operating Officer, HAVAS Sport & Entertainment


SECTION 1: GENERAL


BRAND OWNED CONTENT

Digitally-led activations are commonplace and sponsors are

looking to branded content as a key means of engagement.

(72% believe it’s more effective than advertising or PR). We

should see an increase in sponsor paid programming in 2016,

blending entertainment and advertising to engage consumers.

It’s all about providing value (engaging content) rather than

just content for the sake of content. e.g. Guinness short films

on Ashwin Willemse and Gareth Thomas during the RWC

2015; Oude Meester Tour featuring Idris Elba.

Also relevant here is how to re-work and re-publish content

across different devices so that you are part of your

audience’s personalised browsing journey.


VIRTUAL REALITY TO BRING FANS CLOSER TO THE ACTION

Digital first activations are now the norm and not the exception, but the big movement in this area in 2016 will be the use of virtual

reality to bring fans closer to the action and allow them to experience things from an athlete’s perspective. Many sponsors led the

way in 2015 activating via leading-edge VR experiences e.g. AIG enabled fans to experience the Haka as if they were on the field

facing the All Blacks.


FROM BRAND AMBASSADOR TO DESIGNER

More and more celebrities are transitioning from the face of a

brand to a partner with considerable influence on products and

campaigns.

Stars are playing a role, not only in the design of the sports

equipment they use, but also in other areas, most significantly

fashion and technology.

Integrating sports stars into sponsorship campaigns and using

stars to front sponsorship programmes is expected to grow in

2016.

BUT: Beware the misconception of “influence” and the

consumer’s response to influencer posts on social media.


FEMALE SPORTS AND FEMALE SPORTS STARS

With female sports growing in popularity and becoming increasingly

better organised, more brands are developing meaningful partnerships

with women’s events and female sports organisations e.g. Investec &

Women’s Hockey; Spar and Netball etc.


ENHANCED FAN AND PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCES

Participants and spectators at events want activities to do and

sights to see that will create lasting memories.

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVATIONS

Rights holders are taking a more proactive role in activation

and are starting to develop custom-made activation

campaigns for sponsors and collaborating with them to co-

market the activations. Likewise co-sponsors are creating

combined activations that deliver on-brand messaging for both

brands and connect with consumers in more engaging ways.


SECTION 2: RIGHTS HOLDERS / EVENT PROMOTERS / HOST CITIES


BIDDING FEES

Host cities are becoming less willing to pay bidding fees and are

instead looking a for financial partnership with event rights

holders. The shared risk-reward model and an equity stake in

events are becoming more prevalent every day.

LEGACY PROJECTS

Legacy leave-behinds are becoming more important for host venues

and rights holders. People are demanding to see a noticeable

benefit from events hosted within their community and are

pressurising rights holders to create opportunities to broaden the

supporter and/or participant base.

A NEW GENERATION OF COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

2016 will see more digital media and marketing partnerships,

particularly as social media and messaging platforms try to tie up

content agreements with sports properties. Also watch out for

increased activity in sponsorship from wearables and fantasy sports

brands.


LESS FOCUS ON TRADITIONAL COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES

Tiered sponsorship models (i.e. Gold, Silver, Bronze etc.) are

outdated. Sponsorship levels that give sponsors a meaningful

choice of ways to achieve their goals will fare much better. The

more rights holders help sponsors to interact with their intended

audience, the greater will be the sponsorship’s appeal.

CUSTOMISED SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES

Corporate sponsors are less accepting of generic sponsorship

packages and are demanding that rights holders understand their

objectives and mould the sponsorship opportunity to deliver against

these. A standard set of benefits can still serve as a foundation

from which to work but there must be room to customise the rights

on offer.


USE OF VOLUNTEERS

There is a pending lawsuit in the US filed by a volunteer demanding payment

for her work at a sports event. A federal judge has ruled to allow the suit to

continue. (The suit is against the owners of a major running series.) The

outcome of this case could have a knock-on effect in other markets regarding

event owners and their volunteer programmes.


SOCIAL MEDIA EVOLVES

Social media is no longer just for marketing an event in

advance. It is an asset for ongoing real time updates.

Phones are a fan’s immediate information source and apps

have taken over as the printed event guide.

Rights holders are also researching what information its fans

find engaging and seeing how best to collaborate with

sponsors to improve this experience.

Crucial questions will arise as to who owns the content, where

it’s used and how it is monetised.

Also worth noting, although 80% of consumers globally use

mobile apps, only 25% are used frequently. Think twice before

creating an App around your event unless you can make it

compelling.


SECTION 3: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY


2016 TRENDS IN A NUTSHELL .

2015 proved that responsibility,

transparency and purpose are all

expectations for the modern

company.

In 2016, expect brands to grow even

more creative, collaborative and

inclusive as their corporate

responsibility initiatives come of

age.


COLLABORATION CONTINUES TO BE KEY

Most companies understand that a collaborate approach across

departments, and even outside of the corporation, is necessary

for success. e.g. in the USA, Unilever, Nike, Ikea and GM all

joined together against climate change under the

WeMeanBusiness coalition.

LONG TERM THINKING

Expect a shift from short-term, disjointed strategies to more

comprehensive efforts like “Corporate Signature Programs”. That

require a significant, sustained commitment to a certain cause or

issue.


Stories have always been

an important part of CSI and

companies are being

increasingly creative with

content and platforms to

deliver compelling

storytelling with great

characters, smart design

and interactive components

that educate and engage

consumers and employees

who help their companies

drive CSR initiatives

forward.


LARGER FOCUS ON SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

With accountability becoming more of a driving force behind

consumer behaviour, corporate compliance is expanding to

responsibility expectations to 3rd party suppliers. Companies are

increasingly choosing to source products and services from

suppliers that practice sustainability and responsibility.

DATA

Data will play a big role in philanthropy going forward. Real-time

benchmarking information will be used to monitor giving and to

plan for further success.


MILLENIALS EMBRACING SOCIAL CAUSES

As millennials enter the workforce they are set on putting social good at the core of the for-profit companies at which they

are working which is dismantling the boundaries between business, government and NGO’s and bringing together business

and social impact. Millennials are united in wanting to do more than acquire material riches and measure success by their

ability to transform the lives of others.


A RISE IN SMALL DONORS

More and more consumers are giving small donations directly to

causes they care about via crowdfunding online, bypassing big

charities and changing the culture of giving. It’s been termed a

“democratisation of giving.”

Facebook recently unveiled a new fundraiser feature that allows

users viewing non-profit pages to add these campaigns to their

own timelines and promote the causes they care the most about.


With ever higher consumer expectations,

how can sponsors continue to raise the bar?

How far can sponsors and rights holders

afford to go to create bespoke opportunities

for fans?

The real influence of influencers?

When does technology become too

invasive?

When do fans and consumers have access

to too much data – at what point is it

information overload?

THINGS TO PONDER …

THANK YOU

2016 trends in a nutshell - openfieldopenfield.co.za/.../04/sponsorship-trends_2016.pdf ·...

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