Where Will Sponsorship Activate in 2020?

Sport for Business, April 15th 2020, Rob Hartnett

Yesterday we launched the headline figures from the ONSIDE COVID-19 Sports Impact Monitor.

It became one of our most popular pieces of content of 2020 and today we dive a little deeper into the area of how the Sport for Business community is likely to communicate during and after the passing of the most stringent of restrictions.

This research was undertaken by ONSIDE at the beginning of this month with Sport for Business and our membership. We will make the full report available to all those who took part in it this Friday morning, April 17th.

If you are a Sport for Business Member and would like to be included in future waves of the Sport for Business ONSIDE Sports Impact Monitor, get in touch with us today.

Today we take a look in more detail at how sponsorship activation is likely to change in 2020.  The results of the survey present a radical shift.

38 per cent of those who responded are continuing to activate partnerships just in an alternative fashion and they, together with those who have yet to determine their next steps and those who are holding fire will definitely be moving more into the online space.

73 per cent will be focusing more energy on Social Media which will be the subject of our next Live Webinar to launch tomorrow.

59 per cent will be adding strength to their Content Marketing with eMail marketing public relations and Business to Business activity also appearing in the positive column.

Traditional advertising and hospitality will be the two areas to take a significant hit with experiential marketing also taking a hit, at least in the live environment.

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Below is an interview between John Trainor, CEO of Onside and Rob Hartnett of Sport for Business taking a look at the headline figures.

Our sense is that Ireland is ahead of the international market in terms of the likelihood of a return to action with July or August pinned as the most likely return dates here but a more distant horizon for a return to international competition.

In the interview, we touch on the degree of confidence that the industry, as represented by almost 100 organisations across sponsors, national governing bodies, agencies and other stakeholders, has in how we will bounce back, and at what the major concerns we have as a group.

It is an important piece of work which we are pleased to bring to our Members working alongside ONSIDE.