Many brands either invest into advertising or sponsorship to increase their brand awareness. But advertising and sponsorship can go hand in hand, and this powerful combination will propel brands to the next level. Why?
Advertising is great for general brand awareness as it can provide high frequency and repetition, meaning consumers will see the product/service multiple times. Advertising campaigns can be built to specifically reach target markets via demographics (age, gender, income) and psychographic (personality, values, attitude) allowing you to hone in on the target customers.
And this strategy is great and it works, otherwise brands like McDonalds or Commonwealth Bank wouldn’t continually invest tens of millions into advertising annually.
But consumers are very loyal, especially when you consider that Australia is a country heavily invested into sports and events. We have public holidays dedicated to sporting events including the Melbourne Cup and AFL Grand Final which demonstrates how hooked on sport this nation is.
Brands align with a sporting team to capitalise on the rich and loyal history of Australian consumers. They create an emotional connection between their brand and these consumers, making them more likely to choose their product or service over a competitor.
This sponsorship exposure which is achieved through on-field apparel, retail products, in-stadium signage, TV exposure, digital assets and promotions, brings brands to the forefront. And most importantly, your message can’t be switched off, unlike traditional advertising. Consumers won’t miss seeing your brand when they watch their favourite team play. And this is priceless.
When you sponsor a sporting team, you will receive a media value report at the end of the year which equates exposure received into an advertising investment equivalent.
Any good sponsorship will achieve far greater advertising value compared to their sponsorship investment cost.
So if you are doing a comparison on cost per reach, sponsorships become a very attractive proposition. But developing an integrated advertising and sponsorship campaign will guarantee an increase in brand awareness, reach, loyalty and most importantly, sales.
Cheers
