Well-known and successful – these are attributes that most companies consider when selecting athletes for sponsorships. Far too often, the influencer is used purely as a tool for maximum reach, instead of focusing on inner values. The popularity drives the cost of the marketing kampagne – but are they even successful? An influencer can bring the company much more than just reach.

An increasing number of companies are starting to recognize that sponsoring just “anyone” does not bring the best results anymore. The factor “brand fit ” is gaining importance and has been recognized as a driver of sponsorship performance. But what exactly is “brand fit”? 

Brand fit can be described as the perceived match between two parties, in our case the athlete or sports club and the brand. In addition to logical proximity, multiple aspects of “fit” should be considered before a sponsorship deal is made. 

The first factor that comes to mind is the target audience of the athlete that should be considered. What are their interests? Which age groups and demographics are predominantly represented? The audience of the athlete should align with the brands target group.

Another factor: Image. After working hard on building up your brand’s image, a sponsorship should positively push or compliment the values you have created. The chosen athlete or sports team should represent those values too. 

Other important factors for a collaboration with the right brand fit are content quality, visual style and tonality. It is critical to get to know your potential partner beforehand and listen to what he or she stands for.

After the match you should build a relationship with the other party, because the better you know your counterpart, the better you can respond to him/her and convey your values and messages. There are also fewer risks in the implementation, because trust plays a big role.

However, it is equally important to clarify mutual expectations in advance. Ideally, the most important things such as the goal, messages, framework conditions, deadlines are defined in briefings.

Overall: The athlete or sports club and your brand should be a good fit for eachother like any other couple considering a serious relationship. 

At Sponsoo we connect companies and athletes through a data-based system. Based on our variety of data points, we select the exact sponsorships that best fit your particular marketing objectives and brand values. While searching for potential athletes in our database, filter-options can help you find the match that best fits your company. 

Check our Portfolio to find your perfect match: https://www.sponsoo.com/sponsor or contact us: +49 (0)40 228 63 293 / sales@sponsoo.com

Not interested in a long term relationship? Keep an eye on our short term offers: https://www.sponsoo.com/de/last-minute-sponsorings