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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.

A brand spends millions on an F1 sponsorship. Big announcement. Fancy press photos. And then? Silence. This is why most F1 sponsors fail. They make noise on Day 1 but by mid-season? No one remembers. It's just another logo in the background. The Forgettable Sponsor → Big splash, then disappears. → Thinks a logo & hospitality = a partnership. → No engagement with fans or business decision-makers. The Sponsors Who Get It Right ✅ McLaren Racing x Google → Google didn’t just put a Chrome logo on the car. They also provided cutting-edge AI and cloud computing tools to help McLaren process real-time race data, optimize performance, and improve pit stop efficiency. Their branding extended beyond the track, showcasing how Google’s ecosystem enhances speed and reliability—not just for F1 but also for businesses. ✅ Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology x Oracle → Oracle’s sponsorship goes beyond a logo—it’s deeply integrated into Red Bull’s race-winning strategy. Their cloud computing technology powers real-time analytics, helping Red Bull make faster strategic decisions on tyre management, pit stops, and race simulations. Oracle also created personalized fan engagement platforms using data to tailor content for different audiences, keeping them engaged beyond race weekends. ✅ Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team x WhatsApp → WhatsApp turned their F1 partnership into an inside look at team communications. They showcased real-time messages between engineers and drivers, highlighting how instant and secure communication is critical in high-pressure race environments. This wasn’t just a sponsorship—it was a storytelling strategy, giving fans exclusive access to how decisions are made within the team. 💡 The difference? Forgettable sponsors chase hype. Smart sponsors create impact. If your sponsorship disappears after the press release… what was the point? Who’s doing it right in F1? Drop your thoughts below. Video Graphic by Formula Addict (Efe Akçay)

Sports #sponsorship is shifting from exposure to two-way enterprise value. When done right, these partnerships do more than garner a check. They expand a sports property's lifetime fan value, build goodwill among fans, and make the product - live and on-screen - more compelling for viewers. In my latest #ChannelChange, I unpack several examples of leading rights holders and brands creating durable growth through sponsorship by: - Diversifying audiences (e.g., NASCAR with digital-first banks/wearables; F1 ACADEMY with beauty & wellness) - Investing in athlete pathways beyond competition (internship models piloted in the NFL, expanded in the NWSL) - Elevating the fan experience with technology (Premier League real-time analytics, AWS Next Gen Stats, ABB x Formula E) Why does this matter? Bigger TAMs, deeper LTVs, more resilient revenues. Read the full article below. #sportsbusiness #fanengagement #brandvalue

76% of marketers can't prove ROI on their sports sponsorships. The market is set to double anyway. The global sports sponsorship market is projected to grow from £97 billion in 2023 to £190 billion by 2030. And three-quarters of sponsors can't prove what they're getting from the biggest line item in their marketing budget. This is the Emperor's New Clothes of sports business. On this week's The Attention Shift Podcast, Jo Redfern made the point that we're stuck in a loop where everyone's pretending the old metrics still work. Logo appearances. Time on screen. Impressions. These tell you nothing about whether anyone actually cared, bought anything, or remembered your brand. Most sponsorship deals are still built on passive logo placement. Pay money, get visibility, job done. Except visibility doesn't equal value anymore. What actually works? Look at what Maybelline did with Olivia Mahr at the New York Marathon. Natural. Authentic. Connected to the athlete's existing brand. Or Spotify's content-led approach with FC Barcelona - creating cultural moments through artist collaborations rather than just slapping a logo on a shirt. These aren't traditional sponsorships. They're partnerships where both sides understand the audience and create something worth paying attention to. Lee Radbourne put it well: The sponsorship market won't double because the current model works. It'll double if brands stop renting eyeballs and start building actual relationships through athletes and properties that genuinely connect. Full episode with Jo Redfern and Lee Radbourne is live now https://lnkd.in/eszKhjNJ

If sport reflects performance and speed, what do art and culture sponsorships offer automotive brands? From early motorsport partnerships to global deals across football, tennis and the Olympics, the logic has always been clear: sport reflects many of the attributes car brands want to project – performance, precision, speed and innovation. 🏎️ But the role sponsorship plays for automotive brands is slightly different from most categories. ↳ Cars have long purchase cycles. ↳ The evaluation process is rational and often takes months. ↳ And the competitive set is relatively defined. Which means sponsorship is rarely about driving immediate sales. Instead, it works higher up the funnel. 📈 It builds brand perception, credibility and emotional affinity over time – the things that influence a buying decision years before someone walks into a dealership. That’s why the biggest automotive names have been consistent investors in sport. But over the last few years, we’ve also seen many new and emerging automotive brands entering sponsorship to claim their share of attention and cultural relevance. 🫡 Sponsorship allows them to: • Build brand awareness at scale • Associate with performance, innovation and prestige • Create experiential moments that bring the product closer to consumers • Embed themselves in communities that already have strong emotional engagement Historically, sport has been the natural home for these partnerships. But increasingly, brands in this space are also looking beyond sport. Arts and culture sponsorship is growing rapidly, offering access to audiences that value creativity, design, craftsmanship and cultural influence. 📝 For automotive brands, especially those positioned around design, luxury and innovation, the alignment is surprisingly strong. It’s less about mass exposure and more about cultural positioning and deeper brand storytelling. 📽️ This is exactly the kind of shift we’re seeing in the data at Luscid. When brands start looking at sponsorship through the lens of audience alignment and strategic objectives, it often opens up partnership opportunities they hadn’t previously considered. 💡 Sport will always be a major pillar for automotive brands. But arts and culture might just be one of the most interesting spaces to watch next. 📌 Mercedes-Benz AG AUDI AG BYD Tesla Renault Group Jeep Stellantis Ford Motor Company Cadillac Porsche AG Tata Motors KIA Motors #sportsmarketing #sportssponsorship #automotivebrands

NFL teams generated $2.5B in sponsorship revenue from over 2,000 brands—here are some of the things I unpacked that helped lead to this historic growth: 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏈 The Construction & Industrial sector has historically been a highly active internationally (especially the EPL) but relatively quiet in U.S. sports—until now. This year, we saw a significant jump within this sector. 🏈 Ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol brands have surged, with 1/3rd of teams with deals working with more than one brand. 🏈 The NFL’s vast fan base means some brands can’t always afford to reach everyone—so the league has been smart in designing segmented audience strategies that allow brands to optimally engage specific audiences. 2️⃣ 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 NFL Players have more endorsements than any other sport, acting as a gateway for brands entering the league. This lowers the barrier to entry, allowing brands to A/B test content, iterate quickly, and refine messaging before committing to larger team deals. The result is a thriving ecosystem where athlete partnerships fuel more sponsorship opportunities. 3️⃣ 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 With international expansion, teams now offer a broader marketing platform for brands, opening the door to entirely new deals. This year alone, we saw 68 brands activate internationally, proving the model out. 4️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 Sponsorships are no longer just about logos on a stadium wall—they’re about embedding brands into the fan experience. Teams and brands are working together to create meaningful, culturally relevant activations, including: ✔ Player arrivals as branded moments ✔ Sustainability and causes ✔ Second-chance sweepstakes and games ✔ Social content and product integrations 5️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 The entire sponsorship industry is expanding, and the NFL benefited from the influx of new marketing dollars. In 4 years, the volume of teams, events and athlete deals has more than doubled. This means more sellers in the market, more conversations with brands, and more dollars reallocated into sponsorship as a critical marketing channel—benefiting not just the NFL, but the entire industry. I’ve spoken with multiple brand partners who feel that teams are treating them as true collaborators, rather than just sponsors—taking a first-principles approach to partnership design that is redefining the space. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐅𝐋 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐚 365-𝐃𝐚𝐲, 360-𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 Over time, the NFL has evolved into a year-round, multi-dimensional commercial powerhouse, where brands engage fans across multiple platforms, markets, and moments—both in and out of the stadium.

One of my favorite partner marketing frameworks was one I learned from Shanna Wagnor: Partner marketing has 3 pillars: Marketing TO partners Marketing THROUGH partners Marketing WITH partners Marketing TO partners: This is about attracting and engaging the partner themselves as the customer. Goal: Convince a potential partner to start a new partnership OR to eengage an existing partners through enablement and value add offers. Tactics: Education campaigns, incentive programs, newsletters, or exclusive offers targeted directly at the partners. Example: An AI B2B Company running a targeted outbound email campaign to recruit AI consulting firms by showcasing the potential business model and joint value proposition of a partnership. Marketing THROUGH partners: Through enablement and experiential learning, the partner becomes self sufficient and runs marketing campaigns on your behalf: Goal: Leverage the partner’s reach, marketing capabilities and credibility to drive demand with their customer base, without needing your help. Tactics: Co-branded collateral, MDF (market development funds), joint campaigns, sales enablement tools, and plug-and-play marketing assets for the partner to use. Example: A cybersecurity SaaS company providing turnkey webinar kits to its MSPs so they can run customer-facing events under their own brand. Marketing WITH partners: This is the most collaborative approach: Joint marketing efforts to amplify the results. Goal: Create and execute campaigns and customer experiences together that benefit both brands. Tactics: Joint webinars, CxO dinner roundtables, thought leadership content featuring both parties, bundled offerings, integrated campaigns, or shared sponsorships at conferences. Example: ISV #1 partners with ISV #2 to host a webinar and features a customer that is leveraging their integration to drive business outcomes. Both ISVs work together to build the content and promote the webinar, and likely end up getting more then 2X return on their efforts in top of funnel.

Did you know? Sponsorship isn't the only way to work with businesses. Not every brand is ready to sponsor your club. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work together. So many rights holders are stuck on one idea: “Please sponsor us.” But sponsorship is just one way. There are smarter, faster, and sometimes more impactful ways to start building brand partnerships. START WITH THE BASICS, BUT DO THEM WELL: ✔️ Sell activation space at events. ✔️ Offer access to your players for content or appearances. ✔️ Sell space on your social media, newsletter, or website. Or physical branding at events and match days. ✔️ Use trade exchanges to get gear, food, or transport in return for exposure or another benefit. ✔️ Give brands the chance to access your database or contribute to community initiatives. But wait! There's more! ⭐️ Sell money-can't-buy experiences. Being part of a tunnel walk-out, halftime huddle or lunch with the coach can be valuable, even at a small club with passionate fans. That gives the right brand a chance to run competitions or create customer experiences. ⭐️ Create an “Audience Testing Lab.” Your fans are a real audience. To someone. Let brands test products, run surveys, or hand out samples. Community gets freebies. Brand gets insights. You get paid. ⭐️ Host a brand takeover. Let a brand run a week of your Instagram or TikTok. They can spotlight players, fans, or culture, or tell branded stories. ⭐️ Drop collabs. Partner with a local designer or food brand. No sponsor needed, and it can offer both hype AND cash flow. ⭐️ Co-create a content series. “Behind the Boots.” “Moms of the Team.” “5 Players, 5 Hustles.” Bring a brand in early and grow the story together. This works well for holidays and themed moments like Father’s Day, Youth Month, Christmas, Savings Week, etc. ⭐️ Offer leadership or life skills talks. Your coaches or senior players could speak to brand teams about resilience, purpose, or performance. ⭐️ Make your events lifestyle moments. Pop-up nail bars. Braai zones. Coffee corners. Food trucks. Turn matchday into market day and let small businesses pay to be part of the vibe. ⭐️ Be a brand’s “real-world test case.” Let startups trial wellness apps, sports drinks, or tech with your team in exchange for tools, insights, and visibility. ⭐️ Launch a mentorship programme. Ask a brand to mentor or upskill a player, board member or coach. This builds real relationships and gives you valuable skills. So... You don’t need to wait until you have a sponsor before you start behaving like a business partner. And puh-lease don’t just chase the same five big corporates everyone else is emailing! These entry-level partnerships let new brands test your relevance, engage your audience, and get a feel for what it’s like to work with you without a big commitment. Let me know what you think and if you’ve got fresh ideas to add! #SponsorshipStrategy #SponsorshipMarketing #SportsBusiness #Partnership #BrandActivation

My proven 4-step playbook to turn one corporate sponsorship into a recurring annual partnership: Most nonprofits celebrate when they land a corporate sponsor. However there can be a harsh truth behind that success. One-off sponsorships are expensive to chase, hard to renew, and leave money on the table. Here’s how you turn that first sponsorship into a long-term, recurring partnership: Step 1: Start with shared metrics, not logos Most nonprofits focus on brand exposure (“your logo on our flyer”). Corporates care about ROI. A 2023 Edelman study found 81% of companies want measurable social impact outcomes from their giving. Instead of offering visibility, co-design metrics that align with their business goals (employee retention, customer trust, local engagement). Action: In your first meeting, ask: “Which KPIs matter most to your CSR/marketing team right now?” Then build your sponsorship around those. Step 2: Build the partnership inside the company, not just with one champion The #1 reason partnerships die? Your internal contact leaves. That’s why you must multi-thread relationships. Engage their HR, marketing, DEI, and CSR teams. Research by CECP shows companies with cross-department buy-in are 2.7x more likely to renew nonprofit partnerships. Action: Request an intro to at least 3 other stakeholders before the contract is signed. Your survival depends on it. Step 3: Report like an agency, not a nonprofit Too many nonprofits send an annual PDF report that no one reads. Corporates expect agency-level reporting: Clear visuals, outcomes tied to business goals, stories employees can share internally. According to B2B Institute data, 85% of decision makers renew vendors who provide clear ROI reports. Same applies here. Action: Send quarterly impact snapshots. Show how their $50K investment translated into X employees engaged, Y media impressions, Z lives impacted. Step 4: Secure the next year before this one ends Renewals don’t happen in December, they’re budgeted in Q3. McKinsey’s 2022 corporate philanthropy study found budgets are locked 6–9 months before year-end. If you wait until the gala’s over, you’re too late. Action: In month 6, host a “mid-year impact call.” Show results to date, pitch a bigger idea for year 2, and ask: “Should we earmark budget now for next year?” Bottom line: One sponsorship is a transaction. A recurring partnership is a revenue engine. If you align on metrics, build internal champions, report like an agency, and get ahead of their budget cycle, you stop chasing checks and start building a funding flywheel. With purpose and impact, Mario

There is a massive difference between sponsors and Partners. When I arrived at PGA of America WNY three years ago, I discovered that the prevailing mindset was the organization worked with, “sponsors.” I pushed to change that mindset toward building real partnerships. Because sponsors buy assets. Partners invest in relationships, trust, communication, and long-term alignment. One of my earliest observations was this: Revenue growth will always be capped when partnerships are sold, but not systematically managed after the contract is signed. There was little structure around onboarding, communication (general and around partnership derived value), retention, accountability, and long-term partner growth. Because partners do not just buy logos, signage, or hospitality. They buy responsiveness. Trust. Care. Execution. Communication. Follow-through. The contract is not the finish line. It is the starting point. So I rebuilt the approach with stronger communication, better follow-up, more feedback loops, and greater focus on retention over transactions. “How’s the experience going?” “What can we improve?” “What are we missing?” Those questions mattered more than most sales conversations. And when mistakes happened - because they always do in business - my expectation was simple: My approach was always accountability and ownership, over defensiveness. Every time. Own the miss. Fix it. Learn from it. Ask follow-up questions. Improve the system. That operational shift ultimately helped drive 275%+ partnership growth, stronger retention, more multi-year agreements, and major regional + national brands entering the ecosystem. Relationships rarely fail from one massive mistake. They fail from small unresolved frustrations, poor communication, avoidable silence, and lack of ownership over time. ⚡️ 📢 Robert Powalski, CFP® - what say you to the above ruminations in your experience as a now former 5-year title sponsor that we built together?