The Important PR Lesson About Sports Sponsorships Is That Things Change

Soon, on June 11 and continuing through July 19, a sporting event that provides valuable lessons for sports marketers and their public relations staffs will commence. It is the FIFA World Cup competition, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The lesson: Things change.

When I was a young sports writer on New York City dailies, before transitioning to the public relations business when the papers failed, there were five sports that were covered daily: baseball, football, basketball, thoroughbred racing and prize fighting. That has changed.

Today, prize fighting and thoroughbred racing are covered only sporadically, when major events take place. And football has leaped over baseball as the number one sport. In addition, major newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times no longer cover baseball, football and basketball on a daily basis. Instead, they have budgeted more space to so-called minor sports and the cultural aspects of sports.

Also, what has changed is how two sports that used to receive sporadic coverage have grown into major international ones that attract multimillion-dollar sponsorships. Those sporting events are soccer and the Olympic Games.

My first job in the public relations business was with Earle Associates, a boutique shop that handled important political assignments, including local, statewide and presidential campaigns. I worked on all three, in addition to editing the weekly newspaper the firm published, which was the reason I was originally hired before being transitioned into the political side of the firm.

After a few election cycles, Arthur Cantor/Advance Public Relations, a well-known national entertainment agency, won the right to publicize a live sports television series, The Schaefer Circle of Sports, and needed someone to run the account who knew both public relations and sports. A newspaper pal of mine, who knew the owner of the agency, recommended me and, because the job came with a significant salary increase, I joined the firm.

During my 10 years at Arthur Cantor, my reputation for creating unique approaches to publicize the sports series caught the attention of Burson-Marsteller (B-M), during the days it was the number one international agency. I joined the firm and was put in charge of promoting clients’ sports tie-ins.

It was during my early days at B-M that sports sponsorships took off, eventually leading to where they are today, a business valued at more than $114 billion annually, with no signs of slowing growth.

There are two specific happenings that changed my way of thinking, although, to be honest, it took a few years, about sports sponsorships:

The first concerned the Olympic Games, when a representative of the U.S. Olympic Committee asked me if I would recommend a tie-in with a client. I told him I wouldn’t, because the client produced a commodity product and sports events that were covered every day were a better fit. The rep then said, “We’re willing to compromise on the price it takes to become an official sponsor.” Today, such a scenario is unlikely to happen. And I still believe that for certain clients, a more targeted program is preferable.

The second was when a representative of a soccer league told me that soccer is an emerging sport and brands that financially support it as sponsors could get a good deal.

I took the proposal to my client, who turned it down, saying, “I don’t want to provide seed money. If the sport grows, I’d rather buy in when it has mass appeal, even if the cost would be much higher.” Was the client wrong? Not necessarily. It took decades before soccer in the U.S. received significant attention.

But the above examples show that things change, which is why I would support sponsorships of emerging and minor sports like pickleball, padel, flag football, water polo, beach volleyball and especially all women’s sports, with a caveat: Because it could take decades for some of these sports to gain non-niche attention, brands providing seed money would have to be guaranteed long-term sponsorships with the rights to continue those sponsorships when the initial contracts expire.

As a consultant, I no longer control budget allocations. But if I did, I would certainly make sure that part of my sports marketing budget would target some of the sports in the above paragraph.

Why?

Because things change.