The 2023 National Hockey League (NHL) Winter Classic took place at Fenway Park in Boston yesterday. Discover Financial Services and Truly, both sponsors of the NHL, had a large presence during the broadcast as well as across the entire venue with activities and events for fans in attendance.
Check out some of the activations brands had before and during the game.
2022 Category Takeaways:
The National Football League will have its first-ever Christmas Day tripleheader this year.
Take a look at how the competing team’s social game and sponsorship portfolio compare.
As the players get ready to take the pitch for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final, we compare the two team’s brand portfolio and social game.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the concept of “Fan Fest” was replaced by the “Fan Festival” concept.
FIFA’s plan was to reintroduce the Fan Fest as a more diverse and inclusive entertainment offering encompassing a wide variety of cultures, art, music, food and football outside the stadiums. The concept will also be rolled out during the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
On December 4, the FIFA Fan Festival celebrated the 1 millionth visitor milestone across all of the Fan Festivals this year.
For this years World Cup, FIFA approved Fan Festival sites
Some of the Fan Festival activations:
Thanks to a new licensing model FIFA introduced in 2022, existing and future FIFA partners can launch local Fan Festivals in major cities outside the host countries to make the tournament experience more accessible for the global fan community.
With the end of the year quickly approaching, that means it’s College Bowl time. 41 bowl games were announced over the weekend and will kick off mid-December. Some bowl games have histories that span decades while others have stories that are just beginning.
The Capital One Orange Bowl | Tennessee (6) vs. Clemson (10)
Capital One has been the title sponsor of the Orange Bowl since 2014. 6% of Capital One’s 560+ deals are with Division 1 Bowls, Tourneys & Championship. While they are the title sponsor of the Orange Bowl, they also have sponsorships with other college bowls like The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Allstate Sugar Bowl to name a few.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl | Alabama (5) vs. Kansas State (11)
The Sugar Bowl, along with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl, are the second-oldest bowl games in the country. Allstate has been the title sponsor since 2007 and is currently the brand’s largest partnership. Close to 100 brands are buying sponsorships and media with the Sugar Bowl. No category dominates the bowl’s partnership portfolio, the top three categories- media, QSR and Auto- make up less than 30% combined.
The Rose Bowl | Utah (8) vs. Penn State (11)
“The Granddaddy of Them All” aka The Rose Bowl oldest operating college football bowl game. Capital One has been a presenting sponsor (not the title sponsor) of the previous two Rose Bowl’s. This year’s presenting sponsor will be Northwestern Mutual .
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel | Fresno State vs. Washington State
Since The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl’s inaugural season in 2021, the bowl has partnerships with 59 brands including 9 Auto brands- the largest category sponsor for the bowl- inclusive of Toyota. This bowl is 1 of Toyota’s 30 college bowl deals while it’s Stifel’s one and only college bowl partnership.
Cheez-It Bowl | Florida State (13) vs. Oklahoma
The Cheez-It Bowl, formerly known as the Camping World Bowl (2017-19), the Russell Athletic Bowl (2012-16), the Champs Sports Bowl (2004-11), has undergone several title sponsors since 1990. Cheez-It has partnered with 25 other bowl games in various capacities over the years. 25% of Cheez-It’s 110+ deals are with Division 1 Bowl games.
Web 3.0-related technology continued to develop rapidly throughout 2022. As metaverse platforms have continued to sell digital land, there has been an estimated nearly $2B investment in the acquisition of virtual real estate in the metaverse. There is a variety of available digital asset offerings currently offered such as wearables, and these types of Web 3.0 related assets will continued to expand.
Brands are getting increasingly creative in their entry to the new Web 3.0 virtual reality. Here are some of SU’s favorite partnerships from the last year:
The much anticipated USA vs England FIFA World Cup match begins in just a few hours. Take a look at some of the new and extended partnerships brands have activated across both teams.
USA
11/16, Legends Partnership Extended with USA
Less than a week before the USMT’s first World Cup game of 2022 vs. Wales, Legends announced a partnership extension with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The new multi-year agreement builds on a previous four-year partnership to keep Legends as the provider for all U.S. Soccer Store experiences both online and at events. New objectives of this agreement include future plans to implement an elevated version of the Visa Fan Studio, a mobile unit that can be stationed at U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team matches.
11/7, U.S. Soccer and Volkswagen announce partnership extension
Almost a month before the start of the FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced a multi-year partnership extension with Volkswagen. The extension follows the German manufacturers continued growth of electric vehicles, including the ID.4 SUV and upcoming ID. Buzz. New efforts for the partnership include a focus on sustainability and electrification, as U.S. Soccer and Volkswagen will team up to work towards actionable sustainability initiatives and encouraged EV adoption.
11/3, Anheuser-Busch singed a multi-year sponsorship extension with U.S. Soccer
The longest strategic partner of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Anheuser-Busch, announced a partnership renewal that builds off the pre-existing 35-year relationship. The extension includes Kickoff Parties before select World Cup matches that include live entertainment, giveaways, and guest appearances from influencers and alumni. Matt Davis, the Head of Sports Marketing of Anheuser-Busch, focused on supporting the continued growth of the U.S. soccer’s growing fanbase.
ENGLAND
5/30, Nuffled Health announced new partnership with the England FA
As part of a five-year partnership, Nuffled Health was announced as the FA’s Official Health and Wellbeing Partner. The partnership aims to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities through the mental and physical benefits brought by the game of football.
5/23, Marks & Spencer (M&S) announced new joint partnership with England FA and more
To help promote the brand’s food division, M&S tapped England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland FA as part of a joint partnership. The campaign began in July, and includes both physical inventory and content integrations featuring star players from the country’s national team rosters.
The Winnipeg Blue Bomber’s will take on the Toronto Argonauts at the Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan for the 109th Grey Cup.
Twitter is utilized the most for both teams. Not only do both sports teams have their highest social following on Twitter, but all social deals between both teams include Twitter posts. Canada Life was the most leveraged brand for the Winnipeg Blue Bomber’s on Twitter, accumulating 74 posts and 20k+ engagements within the past year. Bell Media was leveraged the most for the Toronto Argonauts on Twitter, amassing 30 posts and 2.8k+ engagements in the past year.
