THERE is a new global trend in sports, which many corporate organisations with foresight are exploiting quietly and are smiling broadly to the bank. It is called sports branding. Sports branding, which has become a multi-billion dollar business all over the world, offers high returns on investment (ROI), for companies that cannot really be quantified in monetary terms. That is why more companies are getting involved in sports branding. Apart from increasing top-of-mind-awareness (Toma) for the brand, which translates into stronger brand loyalty, sports branding also puts the brand in good standing in the society.
Apparently mindful of these benefits, Peak, a foremost brand from the stable of Friesland Campina Wamco Plc, which has used football as a strategy for expanding its brand equity, over the years, recently entered into a sponsorship agreement with HotSports Productions, a Lagos-based sports properties management and media marketing enterprise. The partnership would bring exciting football moments to Nigerian homes, especially as the count down to the World Cup begins.
As part of the deal, HotSports is expected to produce a 30-minute world-class football-oriented programme and expose same on 10 television stations in Nigeria for a full quarter in the first instance. Some of the target stations include NTA Network, AIT Network and Silverbird Television.
“Through this partnership, Peak is recognising the competence and capacity of HotSports Productions to deliver on the objectives of this multimillion naira sponsorship, which are to produce a gripping, must-watch 30 minute television programme; further enlarge the equity of Peak in the Nigerian market; enrich television content and programming across Nigeria, as well as deliver value extra to Peak consumers, through a most entertaining and well packaged television programme of unimpeachable world-class standards,” said the CEO of the organisation and veteran sports presenter, Mr. Tayo Ige, while unveiling the partnership to the media in Lagos last week.
Ige, who said HotSports has installed state-of-the-art facilities to enable it to deliver on its brief, added that the programme, which commenced last month, would periscope cutting-edge developments in the game. Explaining the mutual benefits to both organisations, he said sports and branding have a symbiotic relationship.
“Sports evoke a passionate response and followership as well as supplies the health, entertainment and lifestyle needs of man,” he observed. “Brands-especially successful brands-on the other hand, are major resource centers which are able to provide sports with the funding and sundry support it needs for developmental purposes. By supporting sponsoring and associating with sports, therefore, brands acquire larger following/markets, expand their equity and evoke the same passionate commitment for which sports fraternities are reputed”.      
Apart from Peak’s branding of football, he noted with that, there are several examples of classic partnerships between other brands and sporting events. According to Ige, some of them include Mobil and athletics; Coca Cola and Football and Globacom and the Nigerian Premier League. He said the international scene is even more replete with such enduring partnerships, citing Rolex’s identification with sailing and Marlboro and horse racing, as few examples.