I was in a sponsorship meeting the other day and heard a number that jumped at me like a linebacker seeing a fumbled football.
40%…this sponsor (brand) said that 40% of their sponsorship budget was reserved for digital campaigns & initiatives.
Wow…that is...
When you break down sales it is essential you de-risking the thing you are selling.
You are trying to tell a story that helps them believe that this asset will lead to results in the goal your client has for the partnership.
This...
Digital scratch-off games in sports are becoming more popular. It's not surprising, because we are entering the participation age of sports sponsorships. Sponsors no longer want to just “Be Seen” by your fans.
The odd inventory that included stadium signs and scoreboard...
At SQWAD we run a lot of digital contests with some great teams. With running those contests we’ve learned a lot in the process. And a few recurring items have popped up with the digital contests we’ve seen success with.
We broke...
There are two graphs that unequivocally scare the SH*T out of me in sports sponsorship.
(Click the image above for the source article — eMarketer.com)
The first is the fact that 54% of all advertising dollars in 2019 will be spent on digital campaigns and...
Since I started in the sponsorship industry...we’ve always had a minimum spend. I was always told “We need a brand to commit to our value.” or “the smaller deals take too much time.”
Both are valid points...but also dangerous ones. Whenever we...
“How will I know if this advertising led to sales?”
If you are in any type of advertising, you’ve heard this question.
How you answer depends on the assets you have.
And it makes sense. If someone is going to advertise with you, you...
At SQWAD we see a lot of digital contests, whether our own or others in the field. As you could imagine, we have seen some flop and some succeed.
What we are always in pursuit of is the perfect contest. With that...
In the modern sports landscape, fan attention is the ultimate currency. We’ve seen a massive shift toward "playing along" in real-time, highlighted by major leagues leaning into predictive markets and interactive second-screen experiences. Fans don’t...
More inventory doesn’t mean more value. It usually means less.
For years, sports sponsorship has operated under a quiet assumption: if revenue is the goal, inventory is the answer.
Add more signage. Create more assets. Open more...
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what sponsorships in sports have become...and what they were always meant to be.
Not from the perspective of inventory or impressions. Not CPMs, logo counts, or “media...
There’s a temptation in business—especially in sports sponsorships—to believe that reach is everything. The bigger the audience, the bigger the impact. The more logos, the better. The wider the net, the more fish you’ll catch.
But...
“The goal is not to fit in. The goal is to resonate.”— Rick Rubin
The Misconception of Attention
Most sponsorships start from the wrong place.
We assume the audience will care.We assume the logo is enough.We assume that...
In the world of sports sponsorships, creativity is often boxed into a role: something that belongs to the agency, the graphic designer, or the "creative team."
But what if creativity wasn’t a department—it was a mindset?
What...
In sports, perfection is often the illusion.
A perfect record. A flawless play. A pristine image on the jumbotron.
But in the realm of sponsorship, where connection matters more than control, perfection can be a liability. It...
In the high-stakes world of sports sponsorships, where millions are spent on visibility, impressions, and association, a powerful truth often gets lost: fans don't show up for brands.
They show up for the love of the...
I'm always interested in the exact definitions of the words we use. Sometimes, they can be powerful in understanding the meaning behind the everyday language we use.
The definition of the word Resolution is "a firm...
