Sponsorship activation takes place when audience goals and sponsor goals come together successfully. Digital activation uses online marketing channels to present sponsorship opportunities. It can include integration across several channels from ads to video and social media to mobile marketing.

At 3e60sport, we are experts in developing all the Digital Channels inside an integrated Sponsorship Strategy. Our Digital Team is ready to support you to maximize the ROI of your sponsorship. We analyse goals and objectives, target, company positioning, philosophy and tone of voice, in order to develop the best Sponsorship Strategy or to integrate the Digital Activations accordingly to an already existing strategy. The second phase consists of the development of the Digital Activation, the promotion, call to action, gamification and loyalty programs. The Fan's Passions are already at the centre of the action together with the key companies messages and communication strategies. 

When considering how to approach improving fan engagement in any sport, it is helpful to think about the 4 areas in which a Sports Maker or Brand can focus to take an all-encompassing view of the fans’ needs.

Sports brands must consider how to engage fans at the venue on game days, at the venue on non-game days, away from the venue on game days and away from the venue on non-game days:

This gets the least attention because the focus for the venue is hosting fans on match days. The venues are then used for corporate events, but these are not usually connected with the team or even the sport. There is potentially a great opportunity then to utilise the venue, that has likely been heavily invested in, to support fan engagement efforts of the Sport Maker. Very often the Sport Maker can offer, to its Commercial Partners, the possibility to utilize the venue for the Sponsorship Activations.

This area doesn’t always get a lot of attention because the focus is so much around the live-action. With the focus on mobile devices that are so prevalent in the sports fan’s life, this needn’t be the case. Just because it’s Monday lunchtime doesn’t mean you stop being a supporter of your team. If there is something to know or do that involves the sport you are passionate about, then why not access it at any convenient moment? Your fans could be engaging with several different initiatives, according to their profile, preferences, age group, ambitions and much more.

 

Here is where most efforts are focused. It is the most obvious area to engage fans but also is important because of the changing landscape of sports content consumption. Competing with broadcast TV, OTT and other off-site match day experiences that can keep fans at home is increasingly necessary. A great sports venue that connects with the community gives fans something to be proud of and can also provide additional value over and above the game itself, to really draw fans in and present a more ‘rounded’ experience.

A great game day-experience will get the buzz going before the game and keep it going long after; leaving a lasting sense of enjoyment. Utilising the venue to the best of its potential on non-game days adds to the culture, tradition, experience, brand story-telling and immersion, as well as making their experience an all-round enjoyable one.

 

This is where it can feel like you’re trying to compete with yourself as naturally there is a buzz around the live-action, that you’re trying to augment with the efforts previously mentioned, but here you are trying to engage the fans who are not at the venue. These should be complementary elements - catering to both groups competing elements, but really they should be complementary - catering to both groups of fans equally well by fulfilling their different needs.

Engaging with fans away from the stadium is crucial. No matter the capacity of your venue, be it a few thousand or over 100,000, there are always going to be a high proportion of fans remotely following the action. Therefore these fans must not be neglected. If left to watch the game on TV networks, they are losing everything that we have talked about- the brand identity - they are presented an unbiased view from someone who doesn’t truly care about your team. Making all the action available to the fans and making it immersive, brought to them by their beloved club, is where the difference is.