Featured Articles

Technology and The Future Of Stadium Advertising

Technology is the pinnacle of the advancement and growth of sports. From the first patents of a football to the invention of instant replay, we’ve seen technology catapult sports to be a frenzy of fan entertainment. While most people focus on the...

Dealing with game postponements in sports sponsorship

As we sit here in the early stages of 2022, most of us are probably feeling a bit of bad deja vu. Just as we thought we were out of the impacts of COVID to our industry, cases are spiking across...

The Audience Isn’t the Target in Sponsorships—It’s the Compass

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 game. Yet for sponsors, that passion is...

The Biggest Competitor to Sports & Event Sponsorship is Paid Social Ads. Here’s Why.

I’m sitting in a sponsorship meeting just 8 months ago with a client of ours. It’s the usual Agency, Partner, & Team three sections of the table divided (At SQWAD we get brought into sponsor meetings to help answer questions so...

Understanding the levels to sports sponsorship and how you can close deals with it.

In sports (and really most other) advertising & sponsorship the more interaction you can build with a consumer, the more valuable our assets can be to brands. In sponsorship, there are levels of value that a single asset will hit. Almost like...

Setting up sponsorship assets that bring value for gaming sponsorships.

We’re going through a very interesting time in sports in the U.S….we’re seeing sports betting open up for the first time for many states. This shift has changed the entire trajectory of how sports are consumed, watched, and analyzed. It also will...

3 Questions to Ask Every Sponsor BEFORE the Partnership Begins

Every sponsorship should have a goal. Our partners are spending dollars with us to reach a business outcome. They are buying a result. But a lot of times, we fall short of understanding exactly what those expectations are. Why? Well, sometimes we take...

5 Opportunities In Sports Sponsorship Going Into 2021

2020 was a hell-of-a year for the sports industry. One that we’d like to forget. But as we look back at it, there are some shifts that will help shape the future of the industry. We were exposed in many ways. But...

Latest Articles

Corona Virus, The Effects On Sports Sponsorship, & How To Prepare.

I held off on writing this because I really didn’t want to incite panic on what might happen and drive clicks if it wouldn’t actually bring value and was all based on the scare. I also...

Close More Deals By Selling Benefits, Not Features In Sports Sponsorship

“People want a 1/4 inch hole, not a quarter-inch drill.” This quote (paraphrased) sits in the office of Rich Franklin as a reminder that our customers want solutions toward their goals…not the features that get them...

How to build a winning culture in your organization with Mike Johnston

Every time I hear Mike Johnston dive into building culture…I’m blown away. For those of you who don’t know who Mike Johnston is, he is the Vice President, General Manager, and Head Coach of the Portland...

The Great Pivot In Sports…What It Looks Like On The Other Side

There is a great quote from a 19th-century banker Nathan Rothschild that I love and keep coming back to. “Great fortunes are made when the cannonballs are falling in the harbor, not when the violins play...

How you should adjust your assets for sponsors when games get started

Ok, we are past citing that it will be a new world when we come out of this. Obviously, things won’t be normal for a long time…especially in sports. It’s time to take action, adjust, and...

Being The People’s Champ For Your Sponsors Is The Most Important Thing Right Now

In the infamous words of acclaimed Chicago Poet Chance the Rapper: “The people’s champ must be everything the people can’t be.” These words have always rung out to me whenever hearing them when the song would come...

The 90 Day Plan For Sports Sponsorship.

The first stage was a bit of a shock for most of us when games ended. It seemed like overnight we were game-less, plans in the trash, and now scrambling to still bring value to...

How to populate content on 7 different digital platforms with one video in sports.

I had a friend say she was starting a video show to post onto Instagram TV. It was long-form and meant to help build her brand up through helpful content. I asked, “Why just Instagram TV?” She...

The sponsorship economics behind the last recession & how we can learn from it.

As I’ve written about before, I was in college during the 08 recession. I wasn’t yet in the professional world & not yet selling sponsorship. By the time I got into the game, the economy was...