3 Metrics that Will Maximize Sponsorship Value

Sponsorships are notoriously difficult to measure. While they remain a growing area of brand marketing, technology has only just begun to make advancements to help fully understand sponsorship performance and the impact of resulting TV exposure on revenue.

As the industry stands, teams and sponsors are only getting half the story when it comes to sponsorship TV performance, and incumbent technology providers Repucom and Scarborough have made a habit out of strictly (and manually) tracking in-game sponsorship performance.

The industry is aware that this leaves major gaps (and questions) in data and ROI, so a better understanding of sponsorship TV exposure is gaining serious ground.

Here are 3 things you should be measuring to maximize sponsorship value so both teams and brands get the most out of these large investments.

Out-of-game content

Admit it—you’re thinking, “Well, I want to. I just can’t.” That’s understandable, but that excuse is about to expire thanks to the growing availability of real-time TV measurement.

Your sponsorship is more than just a sign in a field tempting in-stadium fans. It’s a visible brand mention likely seen across thousands of TV screens, creating plenty of opportunities to activate at-home fans. With the right technology, you can begin analyzing any desired broadcast TV coverage, whether it’s within the game itself, or beyond.

And it takes more than tracking TV via manual visual recognition, commonly used by Repucom and Scarborough. Automated logo and brand recognition not only makes out-of-game content analysis possible, but also more immediate.

Local TV audience values

Sponsorship analysis usually tracks audiences in national and major TV markets, but it’s actually more finite local audience data that directly connects performance to fan engagement.

Sponsorship investments are a means for brands to gain more traction within a particular local market, so comprehensive data regarding at-home fans in that region is necessary to measuring TV activations.

And for sports teams, local audiences are the most loyal of fans. Their fervor for their hometown teams is undeniable, so they can be expected to watch many aired games. Achieving activations among this group of devoted fans is high priority, so tracking their TV behavior is essential.

Earned media values

Earned media still carries the most influence over consumers, so if you’re in the business of turning fans into buyers, this metric is critical to maintain and increase sponsorship success.

What if your broadcast gets picked up later down the line, like during recaps and rundowns outside the official airing of the game? Or maybe a newsworthy moment during a press conference goes viral. That’s a ton of powerful media that sponsors are earning, and those values need to be attributed to the sponsorship.

Better, faster TV measurement is helping make the sponsorship connection between brands and sports franchises more meaningful. It’s the key to unlocking and realizing the full value of sponsorship investments, helping brands get the biggest bang for their buck and teams better monetize their TV exposure when strategizing partnerships.

Interested in real-time sponsorship measurement? Visit our website or get in touch with us to learn more.

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