Regardless of the domain we’re speaking of, most human interactions are driven by emotions. These unspoken emotions often decide choices, loyalty, and preferences. Emotional energy is one of the main drives of sponsorships, especially in the domains of culture and sports.
Emotions are essential to speak of when having this conversation, as when a person has a favorite player or a team sponsored by a particular entity, they tend to develop a connection with them. Sponsorships in culture and sport are often personal and filled with joy, excitement, and pride. Thanks to these emotions, the audience is driven closer to the sponsors.
A good example of what we said is Nike’s sponsorship of Serena Williams, an ideal embodiment of their ‘Just Do It’s slogan. When you have these types of sponsorships at hand, the bond between fans and sponsors is created more easily. Another good example is online casino and sports betting outlet Stake.com, which reaches far in the world of sports by being associated with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Israel Adesanya, Everton Football Club, and Esporte Clube Juventude, among many other sports names and entities.
Furthermore, you have sponsors who put their funds and services toward music festivals and exhibitions of all sorts, looking to reach the audience through the emotions involved. The best examples, in fact, are the music festivals, where it is easy to promote unity and joy through music. Real sponsors that have long-term success in mind are not only seeking visibility but also looking to imprint themselves on the audience through emotional moments.
Brands that establish an emotional connection with their audience sell a product, gain people’s trust, and extend loyalty. This ensures that people remain tied to a brand far longer than the sponsorship lasts.
Even as a laic, every person knows that many decisions in life are shaped by emotions. When choosing brands, people rely on logic and emotions, often taking center stage. Sponsors frequently use this psychological knowledge to connect with the audience more deeply.
As many of you know, sports are all about emotions, and passion stands out among others. Culture evokes pride and nostalgia. The combination of these emotions is fertile soil for branding. A good sponsor knows how to walk from a fan’s pride and community’s connection to a sponsorship deal that will expose their brand.
Many of us know that nostalgia is a powerful weapon. Brands know this, so it is no wonder that brands like Nike and Adidas or sports betting outlets like Stake share iconic World Cup moments as part of their sponsor campaigns. Similar to nostalgia, pride works similarly in the same setting. Sponsors that tie their name to a national team or a cultural icon look to exploit collective pride. Good examples are the juice manufacturer Sinalco, associated with Serbia’s basketball national team, and Pepsi, whose name is tied to global superstars such as Shakira or Britney Spears long after their sponsorship deals have expired.
By knowing how your audience will react emotionally, a brand has a better chance of having its campaign resonate with an entire population instead of just a small group of folks.
Emotions can be seen as a currency even by risking to sound emotionless. Sports fans know their value. Just imagine a nation celebrating a WC goal or having their collective heart broken by a semi-final defeat. Cultural currency is traded through music, art, and pure inspiration. Brands can use these feelings as a currency of sorts, and there’s nothing wrong with it if done the right way.
Most major sports events are a rollercoaster of emotions, and fans wouldn’t like them any other way. The joy of a victory and the sadness of loss do not have a price. When a sponsor becomes a part of a fan’s journey, they also share highs and lows. As far as cultural events go, they focus more on the identity of participants. Sponsors that recognize a cultural value quickly build trust. To do it the right way, one needs to demonstrate inclusion and respect, which can be done by supporting Indigenous art as one of the better examples. To understand a brand that covers this field equally and with great success, look no further than Coca-Cola and its Olympic games campaigns. It is a brand that knows what a viable strategy looks like, and they’re masters in aligning with people’s emotions, unity, and celebration.
These days, emotions play a vital part in sponsorship, and their bets are represented through a quality story. By applying good storytelling, brands help the audience connect to their products. Sports stories tend to captivate viewers. An underdog story or a champion dominating once again brings joy to viewers. Sponsors elevate these stories, making them fit their narratives and push their brand to the forefront. A good example is the recently-ended League of Legends World Championship, whose story revolved around T1 and Faker reclaiming the throne, which they did in fashion. If you’re into eSports betting, you can bet that most sponsors will use Faker and T1 as a narrative to push their brand to the forefront of the next championship held in China — in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
On the cultural side of sponsorships, storytelling is equally essential. When aiming for this type of sponsorship, campaigns will often produce an origin story for an artist and highlight their journey to the top. As mentioned, brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Heineken excel in this domain. Storytelling works best when the story is original, and top brands already know this.
National identity is manufactured from emotions. Sports teams, individuals, and cultural icons are more than their game or talent – they’re a source of national pride. Brands found a way to tap into this market a long time ago. Sponsoring teams and individuals for post-events that involve national teams only exemplifies a sense of pride. The best example of this is a national team’s participation in a World Cup. With sports, creating emotional sponsorships through national pride is easy. On the side of culture, it comes with a few risks. A brand must respect the culture of the nation they want to represent. These roots go deep, and tearing one rather than making it stronger is easy. National pride is a great marketing tool when used the right way. If it lacks authenticity, it can backfire.
Playing with emotions is not always a wise decision. We say this because, in many cases, emotional sponsorships do not succeed. It is not rare to have brands trying to exploit emotions, and when they’re seen through, a backslash occurs. You have probably witnessed campaigns that were tone-deaf and exploitative. These campaigns often bring criticism from both the audience and their partners. Many audiences are alienated when issues such as patriotism or grief are misused. As we already said, emotions are a strong tool, but if used incorrectly, they can backfire like a cannon straight into the sponsor’s face.
The only way to transfer emotions into successful sponsorship is through being genuine. Emotional campaigns are not straightforward to run. Careful handling of emotions and avoidance of any and all missteps are crucial for long-lasting success. Emotions can add significant value to brands through sponsorships, but only if used right and responsibly. Those brands that recognize this and stay loyal to actual values consistently achieve top outcomes.
It can no longer be denied – we live in an age of social media platforms. Facebook, X (Former Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and all other platforms can amplify emotions in a good and bad way. Through social media platforms, a brand can reach millions in no time. A shared emotional experience is a norm that holds social media platforms and their audiences together. Just look at how people are getting together these days after the terrible California wildfires. The ongoing wildfires are an example that should never be used to promote a brand or exhort emotions from the audience to elevate the brand.
What should be used for brand growth is the excitement of sports fans. Brands such as New Balance or Puma are doing a good job creating viral content with their representatives to elevate the feelings of the brand’s audience and attract new ones to the flock. Cultural sponsors do the same thing. By using influencers to spread emotional stories tied to a person or cultural event, they reach an audience and attract new people to the cause.
Viral stories and user-generated stories do wonders for sponsorships. Just like Brads, fans are also able to create experiences of their own that can add authenticity to a campaign on purpose or accidentally. Brands tend to encourage their fans or casual users of social media platforms to generate content tied to their brand because it can aid in creating an emotional bond with a wider audience without putting in too much effort or financial support that a regular campaign requires.
With how much we’re exposed to technology, it is easy to cross the path from brand fan to brand ambassador if you can generate quality content and reach enough people. It is no wonder we have influencers representing major brands left and right. The key to their success is always the emotional ties that can create and keep going with the audience.
Sports are all about passion and competitiveness, and sports sponsorships focus on those areas. Cultural sponsorships are different, and they shift their focus to emotions of pride and inspiration. Evoking either of these emotions is not easy, and that’s why we tend to single out emotional sponsorships as the hardest for brands to attain and retain.
As far as sports fans are concerned, they always stick their necks for their teams or nations through thick and thin. They expect and thrive on highs and lows, and riding these emotions is what brands need to be perfect for to appease their targeted audience. Cultural sponsorships and brands that enter this domain explore a different direction. What’s required of them is to provide meaning and connect to the audience and the artistic aspect they’re touching upon.
A brand needs to be rather diverse to be able to succeed in both directions. The same approach will not work on sports and cultural sponsorships, and brands can listen to us or learn the lesson the hard way. Only when a brand knows the difference between the two can it seek success in both directions?
Like the world around us, the domain of sponsorships has evolved too. Back in the day, sponsor deals were simple partnerships. Today, they’re tight emotional bonds. In the past, sponsorships were all about transactions. Simple math. Finances. These days, brands shift away from thoughts and lessons like these. Instead, they recognize the emotions present, tend to them, exploit them, and, in the end, make them bigger, better, and even more present. When done accordingly, emotions in sponsorships are a tool that only brings good to both the audience and the brand.
As we already stated a few times, a brand needs to be authentic for a modern audience. The audience demands authenticity; without it, there are slim to no chances of an emotional connection between the two entities. Brands that embrace these deeper emotional connections are the ones that will thrive in modern society. Brands that already know this are reaping benefits as we speak. For those who still haven’t embraced their emotions and transferred them to the audience and vice versa, this moment is as good as any. Go for it!
