It’s not easy being a brand that wants to sponsor sports or reach sports fans, because it can so quickly go wrong. In no time at all, they can find themselves being mocked, shunned, or accidentally causing mass outrage.
Inherently, they are inviting themselves to someone else’s party. A party that isn’t in their world and is filled with some of the most passionate people on the planet, who can (and will) sniff out an interloper in seconds and can (and will) vocally, and often aggressively, make life very difficult for them when they do.
No wonder brands are nervous. The stakes are exceptionally high. But, as always with a high-stakes game, played right and played well, the payoff can be immense.
From sporting prowess (Chloe Kelly’s pen), to beautiful human stories (Hannah Hampton’s eyes) to global epic meme-able moments (Donald Trump’s Club World Cup Trophy cameo – and Reese James’ reaction), sport (alongside music) is one of the only remaining drivers of global cultural moments that grab attention and bring people together.
And this is what fans love about sport. Why are they so invested in it, and why do they want to invest in it? Which brand wouldn’t want a piece of that?
But it’s because of this passion that the pitfalls are so much more substantial than classic brand messaging, and why so many brands decide to play it safe with their comms.
Which is actually a more dangerous tactic.
If a brand sticks to its own world and products, what it knows, forcing them into fans’ worlds, they appear cold, crass and opportunistic. If they try to play in the fan world, they usually end up doing what everyone else has done, leaning on safety in numbers with the view that no one is outraged by something that feels familiar and comfortable.
That is why sport, which comes across as being edgy and cool, is actually driven by convention more than any other medium.
But this creates more of a problem. Because, while fans don’t like a sponsor that gets it wrong, being bombarded by creative work that says the same thing on repeat isn’t what they want either. It negatively affects the brand and the game.
And in many sports, especially growing ones, there comes a point where these safety nets stagnate the narrative.
The women’s Euros is a clear example of this trap that often snares sponsors. It is a sensitive area, so brands can end up on the wrong side of an issue very quickly. Or because the players are paid a fraction of their male counterparts, branding done wrong can look expedient.
So brands can feel safe by reverting to the same stories and tropes. ‘Changing the game’, ‘inspiring the next generation’, ’being on your side’ and not to mention ‘realising the dreams of young girls’.
But it’s in these conventions where the opportunity lies. As the disruption agency for sport, we can help them identify the white spaces between those conventions and find a better way.
In this year’s crop of Euros ads, one such convention that permeated much of the work was what we would call the sin of prophecy—showing women’s sport as changing, improving or on a journey. A key trope of this is calling out the trailblazers who are leading that journey. But instead of celebrating those amazing people, we make them the gateway to something better, which actually diminishes their standing in their own right. And surely we’re beyond the journey element of women’s football now? You can almost hear 65,000 eyes rolling on the Mall.
Brands need to look beyond this prophetic safety net and focus on those players and their stories right now. Celebrate them as people and for who they are, not for what they mean for the future. And do it consistently, not just around tournaments.
That way, we can help them usher in the era of influence in the Women’s game and make sure that at the World Cup in 2027 and Euros in 2029, brands are already leading with the right messages and driving women’s football forward, not just blandly copying what happens in the men’s competition the year before.
From a broader sporting perspective, they need to treat sports comms as they would their overall brand comms. Creating their own stories as sponsors and finding their own place in the fans’ world so they can be invited to the party and not crash it. Build platforms that offer a point of view that feels new and distinct to them. One that isn’t exploitative, yet still evokes a genuine emotional response from supporters. And doesn’t bore them.
As trusted partners, we need to be the ones to give them the confidence and skills to do it because it’s what we do best. Great strategy, great creativity and convention-breaking disruptive thinking. That’s what will give brands the cut through they need when playing in this field.
Larissa Vince is chief executive of Dark Horses and TBWA London
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
