Since the economic downturn began in 2007, marketing budgets have been squeezed across the board. But despite the negativity surrounding the marketing communications industry, sports sponsorship market has appeared fairly resilient so far, demonstrating growth of 2.1% to £486 million in 2008, while above-the-line adspend declined. While to a certain extent this growth may have been as a result of pre-arranged, long-term deals, this reflects the degree of insulation that the nature of such deals has given the market. The industry remains optimistic that an increased understanding of these benefits will mean that sponsorships will still be seen by many as a cost-effective means of achieving their marketing goals going forward.

However, the potential success of the sports sponsorship sector remains tempered by ingrained cynicism amongst increasingly media-savvy consumers. With this in mind, combined with an increasing focus on value-for money, sponsorship deals must be better-activated and more innovative than ever if they are to appeal to sponsors and create genuine connections with consumers.

This report analyses recent trends in the sports sponsorship market, examining trade and consumer opinions on the subject and assessing levels of sponsorship awareness amongst consumers. It examines the hypothesis that: “although the sports sponsorship market may suffer in recession along with the rest of the advertising industry, it is well placed to maintain and possibly even increase its relative position within the marketing mix”.

Main issues

How well does sports sponsorship compete with more traditional forms of advertising as marketing budgets are being squeezed?

Is the sports sponsorship market too cluttered?

How important are corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and community projects?

In what ways are sponsorships making use of new media channels?

What types of innovative ways of activating sponsorships are being explored in the market?

What will be the impact of the London 2012 Olympics on the industry?

How aware are consumers of sponsorships? Do they care who sponsors what?