Over the years the landscape of digital assets in sports sponsorship has undergone a significant transformation. In the early days, digital inventory was limited to a simple logo on a box appearing on a website. This static approach marked both the beginning and the end of digital inventory. However, with technology constantly evolving in every area, it has ushered in a new era of content creation and social media, which can be considered the two most valuable tools outside of intellectual property (IP) that sponsors have to offer. 

 

Evolution of Digital Assets 

In the early 2000s, the digital landscape began to shift from a traditional desktop website to mobile versions, providing new opportunities presented by the internet. Websites started to feature more dynamic content we see now, including video content and rotating banner ads. This period marked the start of a more interactive and engaging digital experience for fans and sponsors alike. 

“ I don’t know if anything is running at a faster pace than our digital technology and its evolution and it feels like it is continually and daily evolving, which is creating more and more opportunities for our brand partners,” Brandon Parks, Associate General Manager at Vol Network, stated emphasizing the need for sponsors to find the best ways to plug into the digital space.  

 

Despite the changes, there still remains a place for websites in sports sponsorship. Success boils down to creativity. The era of slapping a logo on a homepage is over. Websites, once crucial for just driving traffic and impressions, have evolved to activate within brand play, leading to lead generation, click-through rates, and trafficking within the brand. You must be creative in banner ads and how intriguing it is in comparison to what else is on the page. Specific assets on the athletics homepages are valuable just based on the sheer volume of fans visiting them, creating more opportunities when navigating to other sports page extensions, such as a popular one, or the football schedule page, to reach a more segmented audience. The focus is drilling down further for sponsors to capture their ROI, which comes down to the click and how creatively they can utilize the website. 

 

Utilizing E-blasts for Best ROI 

Another asset to take into consideration when discussing digital assets is E-blasts. Early on, E-blasts were highly commercial and had high open rates due to the lack of spam filters people have now. Today, it is important to utilize IP in an E-blast. 

Paul Sickmon, CEO and Founder of Knox Sports Marketing explains, “ Your end result is about getting the data, not about the brand association to get you to that page, and specifically on an E-blast. The more fan-friendly that E-blast looks to the consumer and screams about the school, the better for you.” 

 

When used effectively, E-blasts can be just as successful as social media. Although they must provide fan value and avoid hard selling. Schools aim to ensure that content in E-blasts motivates fans rather than deters them from unsubscribing. Fan enhancement is what provides success in an E-blast because it allows for brand association with the use of IP and giving away experience. It may be more beneficial to allow the school to take control of the E-blasts so that they provide fan value and complement the other information they already send out. For instance, the University of Tennessee typically avoids partners who attempt to send an E-blast composed entirely of their own content, as it can come across as a hard sell. Instead, they seek partners who aim to create experiences that incorporate their assets and enhance overall engagement.

Furthermore, sports sponsorship is highly specific, making it extremely important to fully dive into and marry experiences within a sport’s framework from a sponsor’s perspective. This approach can lead to significant success, elevating the sport’s visibility and fan engagement. Schools must embrace and approve the strategies, ensuring thoughtful integration beyond just logo placement. Listening to the school and where they have had success and failure is important to find the correct place where a promotion can fit and with what sport. Honest communication about goals and objectives is also crucial. When schools align with the sponsor’s vision of success, digital assets offer unlimited opportunities to enhance the partnership. 

Digital assets are the conduit that connects all sports, games, and events to fans, operating 24/7, 365 days a year. They form a cornerstone of the marketing strategy, building frequency and daily interaction with fans that complement in-game experiences. 

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