The Brand Fans has published new sponsorship research showing the continued strength of sport as a platform for brand visibility and recognition, while also arguing that authenticity and audience relevance are becoming increasingly important measures of sponsorship effectiveness.

The findings have been generated through SPi – Sponsorship Performance and Impact, The Brand Fans’ proprietary model for assessing sponsorship effectiveness, impact and return on investment for brands and rights holders.

According to the research, sports sponsorships achieved 69.17 per cent recall and 54.18 per cent visibility, reinforcing sport’s capacity to build brand recognition and associate sponsors with positive consumer experiences.

The research also points to the strength of music and entertainment sponsorship, particularly live events. Music festivals recorded 81.98 per cent recall, highlighting their potential as an effective environment for brands seeking to connect with younger audiences through culturally relevant experiences.

The more significant finding from a sponsorship strategy perspective, however, is the importance placed on authenticity.

The Brand Fans research suggests audiences respond most strongly when a sponsor’s involvement feels credible, relevant to the environment and naturally aligned with the experience.

It also identifies differences in how audiences respond to sponsorship. Female audiences were shown to place greater value on genuine brand connection, while male audiences were more likely to advocate for brands they regarded as authentic.

The findings add to a growing emphasis within the sponsorship industry on measuring partnerships beyond traditional exposure metrics.

Rather than focusing solely on visibility, The Brand Fans argues that brands and rights holders should assess performance across a broader range of measures including recall, emotional relevance, audience alignment and the potential to generate advocacy.

“SPi was developed to help brands understand not just whether a sponsorship was noticed, but whether it actually mattered,” said Daragh Persse of The Brand Fans.

“These latest insights show that the most effective sponsorships are not simply the most visible. They are the ones that feel authentic, connect with the right audiences, and create lasting brand impact.”

The SPi model has been developed to give brands, agencies and rights holders a more rounded assessment of partnership performance and to help identify the sponsorships most likely to strengthen awareness, relevance and overall effectiveness.

For the sports industry, the numbers provide further evidence of the inherent value of sport as a sponsorship platform, but also underline that visibility alone is no longer enough.

As sponsorship investment becomes more closely scrutinised, demonstrating genuine audience connection and proving why a particular brand belongs within a sporting environment will increasingly form part of the measurement of success.

 

 

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Image Credit: The Brand Fans

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