Corporate Sponsorship Tactics

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is not just a football tournament. It is a global commercial battlefield. When I studied the sponsor landscape, one thing became very clear: the brands backing FIFA 2026 are not random. They represent the industries that want direct access to global attention, mass travel, consumer spending, digital payments, and national pride. At the top level, FIFA Partners include global giants such as Adidas, Aramco, Coca-Cola, Hyundai–Kia, Lenovo, Qatar Airways, and Visa. Their industries tell the story: Sportswear. Energy. Beverages. Mobility. Technology. Airline. Payments. These are not just sponsors placing logos around a stadium. They are buying association with one of the most powerful emotional platforms in the world. The second tier is equally interesting. Brands such as Bank of America, Hisense, McDonald’s, AB InBev, Lay’s, Mengniu Dairy, Unilever, and Verizon show how the World Cup connects directly to daily consumer behaviour: food, banking, electronics, telecom, personal care, beverages, and fast-moving consumer goods. Then comes the third tier: Airbnb, American Airlines, DoorDash, Diageo, Globant, Salesforce, Kraken, Valvoline, PIF, Betano, Inter Rapidísimo and others. This tier shows the operational side of the tournament: travel, accommodation, logistics, delivery, cloud software, digital services, crypto, investment, and fan experience. The real business lesson? A mega event like FIFA World Cup 2026 does not only sell sports exposure. It sells access to movement, money, emotion, identity, and data. Every sponsor is buying a different form of strategic advantage: Adidas wants product dominance. Visa wants transaction control. Qatar Airways wants travel visibility. Lenovo wants technology credibility. Coca-Cola wants emotional consumer connection. Hyundai–Kia wants mobility relevance. Aramco wants global brand positioning. This is why sponsorship is not just “marketing expense”. At the highest level, sponsorship becomes market positioning. And for FIFA 2026, with 48 teams, three host countries, and massive global attention, the sponsor list gives us a very clear picture of which industries are fighting hardest for global visibility. My takeaway: Football may be the game on the pitch. But outside the stadium, the real match is between the world’s most powerful brands. #FIFAWorldCup2026 #BusinessStrategy #Sponsorship

Ever seen a rightsholder publicly show what their sponsorship achieved? Neither had I until I landed on Fnatic’s website. A week ago, while building my esports post, I came across their site and instead of the usual sponsor logos or partner links, they show case studies. Take BMW’s “United in Rivalry” campaign, for example: a 39% lift in awareness, 84% boost in brand perception, and it even became the No.1 reason fans chose BMW as their preferred car. 🚙 Now that’s refreshing transparency. It struck me because you don’t usually see football clubs, golf tournaments, or racing teams doing this, yet an esports team has been doing it for years. Those ROI numbers usually live deep inside sales decks or post-campaign PDFs that never see the light of day. 🧑🏻💻 That thought came back to me last week while I was sitting at Sid Lee Sport’s office, listening to the Unofficial Partner Podcast recording with GSIQ – as Charlie Dundas, Rory Natkiel, and Rebecca Martin discussed the need for an effectiveness revolution in sponsorship. The panel didn’t mince words: sponsorship has an evidence problem. 📌 Compared to advertising, there’s still a lack of rigorous proof, shared benchmarks, or consistent ROI models. But that’s starting to change. They spoke about Barclays’ model on how they don’t just look at “brand love,” but also measure commercial uplift, customer profitability, and community impact. 🏦 They discussed econometric modeling – a fancy term, yes, but one that’s helping brands finally quantify sponsorship’s role alongside TV, digital, and retail media. Hearing that conversation in person felt like a full-circle moment because what Fnatic is doing – showing tangible, public-facing results – is exactly where the industry should be headed. 🎮 This new era of sponsorship will be defined by transparency, where rightsholders don’t just sell space, they sell proof. At Luscid, that’s something we strongly believe in too, as every day we're helping brands see what potential reach and engagement could look like before they invest, giving them the data to make informed, confident decisions. Because the more trust brands have in the numbers, the more they’ll invest and the more they invest, the smarter and more sustainable this industry becomes. #sportsmarketing #sportssponsorship #sportsbiz

The partnership between The The Walt Disney Company and Formula 1 is expanding into something bigger than a typical sponsorship. Through the “Fuel the Magic” collaboration, Disney is integrating Mickey Mouse and friends across the entire 2026 race season. The activation spans digital storytelling, merchandise, and race-weekend experiences tied to multiple Grands Prix. Some of the key pieces: • A racing-themed WEBTOON comic series launching during the Formula One Australian Grand Prix with episodes released alongside race weekends • Race-specific merchandise drops and pop-up retail experiences at select Grand Prix events • Fashion collaborations with brands like Gentle Monster and Uniqlo • Fan activations, character appearances, and immersive entertainment at races around the world My take: This is a clear signal that Formula 1 is continuing to position itself as a cultural platform, not just a sport. The league already unlocked global storytelling through series like Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Now it is pushing even further into entertainment IP, fashion, and youth-driven content formats like webcomics. For younger audiences, fandom increasingly starts inside entertainment ecosystems, then flows into the sport itself. Disney understands storytelling. Formula 1 understands spectacle. Together they are building a season-long narrative layer around the racing calendar, designed to keep fans engaged between race weekends and expand the sport far beyond traditional motorsport audiences. #SportsBusiness #Formula1 #SportsMedia #FanEngagement #SportsInnovation

When I took on my role as Chief Corporate Citizenship Officer at PMI, I set a handful of parameters for myself and my team: 1. Don’t fall into the trap of arm’s-length checkbook philanthropy: One-off cash infusions can help nonprofits in the immediate term, but they don’t get at the issue of sustainable growth. 2. Focus, focus, focus: Diffusion is the enemy of progress. There are an endless number of worthy causes and charitable organizations, but our greatest impact will come from identifying a small number of causes that are intrinsically tied to our values and vision and making those causes priorities. (In our case, this is U.S. military veterans, women’s equity and empowerment, and hyperlocal activations.) 3. Empower—and learn from—those already in the trenches: We’re not going to dictate what happens at the community level. We’re here to listen and learn and find ways to support and expand the good works already underway. 4. Give a “hand up” instead of a handout: Band-Aid solutions may make us feel good in the short term, but they don’t get to the root problem. The cash infusions we give our community-based partners are meaningful, but their value grows exponentially when paired with our business expertise and insights. 5. Offer employees a chance to contribute to change: We polled PMI’s U.S. workforce earlier this year about our plans to support military veterans. An astonishing 97 percent of employees raised their hands to get involved. There’s a hunger out there for making a positive difference in local communities and the broader world. Find ways to connect your people to the issues that matter most to them. It turns out that this is the way the next generation of philanthropists is thinking about their impact as well. A recent article (I’ll share the link in comments) shares interesting insights into how our younger generations—millennials and Gen Z—are embracing a more comprehensive approach to philanthropy focused on measurable impact and deeper connections. They’re also showing a greater tolerance for the “long game,” willing to take risks in the short term to lay the groundwork for greater gains down the road. As the next generation of philanthropists takes the reins and starts investing more than money in the causes they care about, let’s make sure our organizations are prepared to do the same.

I often think about the difference between being a funder and being a true partner. Through Cisco Social Impact Investments and the Cisco Foundation, we provide funding to organizations working at the forefront of social innovation. That support is critical, and we’re intentional about honoring its role. At the same time, we try to ask ourselves a broader question: how can we show up in ways that go beyond funding itself? Every nonprofit needs capital. But many also need access to technology, strategic guidance, specialized expertise, and networks that can help them scale and strengthen their work. We think about this as 1 + 1 = 3. Where it makes sense, we pair funding with technology. If the right infrastructure or stronger cybersecurity can accelerate impact, we lean in. We offer advisory support when it’s helpful, whether that’s thinking through growth, measurement, or long-term sustainability. If a partner needs highly specialized expertise, such as a cybersecurity assessment or a refined fundraising strategy, we tap into our ecosystem to connect them with the right people. Sometimes the value we can add is simple but meaningful. Hosting a partner at our offices so they can convene without additional expense. Presenting together at conferences to amplify their voice. Making introductions that create new opportunities. I believe this is where corporate philanthropy becomes most effective. Every company has assets beyond funding: talent, technology, relationships, credibility. The question is not just how much we give. It’s how intentionally we bring the full enterprise to the table. Because funding matters. But the multiplier often comes from everything around it.

94% of major U.S. corporations say they’ll maintain or increase philanthropy in 2025. But here’s the catch: Most nonprofits will still miss out. Why? Because they’re fishing in the wrong waters. They pitch donations when companies are really looking for partnerships. Here’s what no one tells you: 1. Companies don’t care about your gala. They care about aligning philanthropy with brand visibility, employee engagement, and ESG metrics. Show them how you help them measure impact, not just feel it. 2. Your pitch deck is upside down. Most nonprofits start with “Here’s who we are.” Flip it. Start with: “Here’s the business risk you’re already facing, and how partnering with us helps solve it.” 3. Employee participation is your hidden superpower. Companies want employees involved, not just checks written. Invite their teams to volunteer, co-create campaigns, or tell impact stories on LinkedIn. That’s internal buy-in = budget unlocked. 4. Philanthropy budgets are shrinking relative to ESG/CSR budgets. Translation: Stop chasing “charity dollars.” Go after strategy dollars. You’ll instantly play in a bigger league. Corporations are raising the bar. If you want their funding, you need to stop acting like a charity and start showing up like a business partner. What’s one thing you’ve done differently in a corporate pitch that actually worked? (I’ll share the best answers in a follow-up post.) With purpose and impact, Mario

The FIFA World Cup is a reminder that great sponsorships don’t just buy attention, they can create measurable commercial momentum. The latest YouGov BrandIndex data shows that "sponsor-linked brands" are winning on the metrics that matter most for demand generation: awareness, buzz and more importantly, consideration(2x), as those brands were ranked using an Ad Impact Score (AIS)*. The Coca-Cola Company, Doritos, Cheetos (PepsiCo), Pringles (Mars Snacking, Mars) and Gap Kids (Gap, Gap Inc.) are all seeing meaningful uplift among U.S. World Cup fans, proving that when a brand shows up in the right cultural moment, it can move beyond visibility and into real consumer intent. What stands out to me is not just the media reach, but the commercial opportunity behind it. For consumer brands, the question is no longer: “Did people see it?” It’s: “Did it change behavior?” That’s where Integrated Commerce becomes imperative. The most effective media strategies today are the ones that connect the full journey, from fandom and consideration, to foot traffic, retailer demand, and store sales. Whether through geo-targeted activation, commerce-linked audience planning, or store-level measurement, the goal is the same: turn media investment into measurable business outcomes. In categories like snacking and beverages, this is especially powerful. A winning sports moment should translate into: - more store visits - stronger shelf demand - higher sales lift - clearer ROI on media spend The brands that win in moments like this are the ones that don’t stop at buzz. They build systems that convert excitement into commercial growth. That’s the future of media: less about impressions, more about impact. *Brands were ranked using an Ad Impact Score, calculated as: Ad Awareness change + Buzz change + (Consideration change x 2) Data source: YouGov #IntegratedCommerce #CommerceMarketing #RetailMedia #MediaMeasurement #FIFAWorldCup #ConsumerBrands #Footfall #StoreSales

Barcelona just set the blueprint for modern sponsorship. €460M. 12 years. And a stadium that doesn't exist yet. Here's why the Spotify x Barcelona renewal is a masterclass in sports monetization: The Numbers That Demand Attention: €75M per year for shirt rights (front + training kit) €20M annually for stadium naming rights through 2034 64% increase from their original €280M deal Total potential value: €460M by 2034 But the numbers only tell half the story. What Makes This Different: Most shirt sponsors slap a logo on and call it a day. Spotify turned Barcelona's jersey into a rotating billboard for culture. ✅ Drake. Rosalía. Coldplay. Ed Sheeran. Artists featured on match-day kits, connecting music fans with football fans globally. ✅ Travis Scott exclusive concert in Barcelona. ✅ Limited-edition merchandise collections that sell out in hours. This isn't sponsorship. It's a cultural platform with 500M+ reach. Spotify bought the naming rights to a stadium Barcelona couldn't even play in for most of the partnership. Camp Nou has been under renovation since 2023. Capacity will hit 105,000 when complete. Yet Spotify extended anyway. ❗ They're not betting on a building. They're betting on a brand. The Lessons: 1️⃣ Activation > Exposure Static logos are dead. Dynamic content wins. 2️⃣ Think Beyond the Stadium Spotify leveraged Barcelona's global reach to promote artists across 190+ countries. 3️⃣ Long-Term Commitment Builds Value 12-year deals allow for deeper integration and ROI that compounds. 4️⃣ First-Mover Advantage Pays Spotify's first major sports move positioned them as innovators, not followers. 5️⃣ Content Is the New Currency Every match becomes a marketing moment when you control the creative. The Bottom Line: Barcelona secured €994M revenue last season with record commercial income of €259M. This deal locks in their premium assets through 2034. Shirt sponsor. Kit supplier (Nike: €1.7B). Sleeve sponsor (Midea: €12M/year). All secured within 12 months. That's not luck. That's strategy. ❓ If a club can turn their shirt into a cultural movement, what's stopping your brand from thinking bigger about sponsorship? #SportsSponsorship #SportsMarketing #SportsBusiness #DigitalSports P.S. The real genius? Spotify Camp Nou won't be fully operational until late 2025, but they've already extracted 3+ years of global brand value. That's how you play the long game.

Over 70% of motorsport fans engage with content online every week. Yet, most sponsorships still rely on old-school tactics—logos, banners, and press releases. No surprise that many deals fail to deliver long-term value. The problem? Most sponsors focus on impressions instead of conversations. This means they miss out on: ❌ Real fan engagement ❌ Brand loyalty ❌ Long-term partnerships The result? Brands spend millions on sponsorships but fail to create a real impact. Fans forget them, deals don’t renew, and ROI stays low. How do we fix this? Make sponsorships interactive. The best activations create a two-way conversation. Here’s how: 🔹 Turn branding into fan experiences. Host meet-and-greets, digital contests, or interactive content to keep fans involved. 🔹 Tell stories, not just sign deals. Show why the sponsorship matters and how it impacts the sport. 🔹 Stay active after race day. Use social media to keep fans engaged with behind-the-scenes content, fan interactions, and exclusive access. 🔹 Get sponsorship execs involved. Thought leadership builds credibility and sparks conversations, and sponsorships should do more than just provide exposure. Bonus: Go Direct with Digital Engagement 📩 Email conversations: Instead of generic updates, involve fans and stakeholders in the conversation to create real engagement. Take 30 days to rethink your sponsorship strategy. You’ll see: ✅ Higher engagement ✅ Stronger fan loyalty ✅ More long-term partnerships Sponsorship is about being part of the culture and conversation. What’s one motorsport sponsorship activation that truly engaged you?