Measuring the impact of your sponsorship with sponsorship effectiveness research

Nowadays, sponsorship is a strategic and serious part of many marketing plans. Whether it concerns an event, charity, media platform, cultural institution, or sports organization, as a sponsor you consciously invest in visibility, image, and brand loyalty.

When entering into a sponsorship agreement, both parties often establish clear agreements regarding the KPIs that the partnership is intended to help achieve. These might include goals such as increasing brand awareness, strengthening the brand image, or boosting brand consideration. To assess whether the sponsorship is actually contributing to these goals, Sponsorship effectiveness research is Sponsorship effectiveness research solution.

The Markteffect Sponsorship effectiveness research

Markteffect has developed its own research methodology and specific research questions to accurately map the effects of a sponsorship. The results of this research help facilitate dialogue between the parties involved (sponsor and sponsored entity). On the one hand, the results provide tools to evaluate the sponsorship's contribution to key KPIs; on the other hand, the research offers concrete insight into current strengths and areas for improvement.

When entering into a sponsorship agreement, both parties typically make specific arrangements regarding the KPIs the sponsorship is expected to contribute to. Examples include the impact on brand awareness, brand image, and brand consideration. To determine whether the sponsorship is meeting these agreements, Sponsorship effectiveness research is Sponsorship effectiveness research solution. On the one hand, it provides essential insights for the sponsor itself, allowing it to assess whether the investment is profitable. On the other hand, it also offers essential insights for the sponsored entity, as these insights enable it to better respond to the wishes and needs of sponsors and utilize sponsorships more successfully.

The research also takes into account the various target groups and stakeholders that are relevant. In the case of a professional soccer organization (BVO), it may be relevant to include season ticket holders, stadium visitors, and other Dutch soccer fans in the research. We are happy to help you formulate your research question.

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Understanding the impact of sports sponsorship on your key performance indicators 

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The areas for improvement in your sponsorship are identified

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Benchmark created to give value to your results

Assessing the potential of possible sponsorships

In addition to measuring the effects of sponsorships, our methodology can also provide insight into the potential, feasibility, and suitability of a possible sponsorship. Before expanding your marketing strategy with a sponsorship, it is important to know which sports, clubs, and athletes have the right reach, namely your target audience. After all, choosing the wrong sport based on gut feeling can mean that the right target groups are not reached and (part of) the investment is not spent correctly.

Next, it is important to provide insight into the usage andattitude of your category or brand among the selected target group. This will help you make the right choice in your sponsorship strategy.

Conversely, this research is often conducted for the sponsored entities in their search for a new sponsor. Figures on awareness, popularity, and usage can provide the final push toward a new sponsorship agreement during negotiations.

Similar cases

To give you a good idea of how market research works in practice and what it can do for you, we've put together a few cool case studies. You might recognize some of the issues, because you've probably come across them in your own organization.