caytoo’s analyst team reveals their Top 5 sponsorship deals in May in terms of the ideas they provide for other rights holders

Our Top 5, in no particular order, aren’t necessarily the biggest or most high-profile. Each one has been selected as it represents best practice or an important lesson for other rights holders and their potential sponsors.

Addressing a business challenge
Airbnb x Tour de France

Five months after “anti-Airbnb” legislation was approved in France, Airbnb sponsored the de Tour France in a three-year deal partly to promote the wider benefit it brings. Airbnb were keen to highlight how the deal aims to encourage tourists to discover French communities and culture along the route and how it will help bring the benefits of race tourism to more communities across France.

Lesson: in full article

Adding an influencer for authenticity
Jaecoo x IRONMAN

Chery’s SUV brand Jaecoo sponsored triathlon’s IRONMAN Oceania series. However, to give the deal added authenticity, Jaecoo also partnered with actor and athlete Daniel MacPherson as the inaugural ‘Mr JAECOO’. This is because MacPherson is a veteran of multiple IRONMAN triathlon so he brings personal relevance and connection through his real-world experience as a competitor.

Lesson: in full article

Showcase product and brand positioning
Marks & Spencer x National Gallery

After two years of closure, May saw the re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing of UK art institution, the National Gallery. As part of the promotional activity, the National teamed up with sponsor Marks and Spencer to offer a money-can’t-buy experience. For the very first time, it invited an art lover to sleep under its roof in a bed on the ‘bridge’ that connects the newly refurbished wing with the rest of the gallery.

The bed was decked out with a special bed linen collection designed for the gallery by Marks & Spencer. It’s a great way to embed (pardon the pun) a partner brand into the literal fabric of a rights holder to promote its products and brand position.

It’s another example of the rise of ‘sleepover’ activations we illustrated last year around sports tourism. That is accommodation brands partnering with rights holders to offer new and exciting experiential activations to get fans even closer to the event such as at American Football’s annual Super Bowl contest. These drive value for all three key stakeholders – the rights holder, their sponsors and their fans.

Lesson: in full article

Targeting a specific audience
Disney X Formula 1

While few partnerships can match the sheer scope and profile of that between Formula 1 and Disney, it’s a lesson in using data to arrive at a deal and targeting a specific audience. In this case, its Gen Z. F1 has seen a huge surge in growth with younger fans, for example, more than four million children aged 8-12 actively follow the sport across the EU and US; 54% of followers on TikTok and 40% on Instagram are now under 25 years old. This is clearly a match with Disney’s core audience. In fact, one could argue it’s more about F1 helping reach Disney’s audience rather than the other way round.

Lesson: in full article

Targeting a rising ‘new’ category
The La Planta x Cerro Largo FC

The final one of our five sponsorship deals in May involves top tier Uruguayan soccer team Cerro Largo FC who secured a front of shirt deal with dance music band The La Planta (reportedly, Spotify’s most-streamed Uruguayan band). While it’s the first such deal in Uruguay, it’s the latest in a growing trend of music stars sponsoring sports including Ed Sheeran (with UK soccer’s Ipswich Town), Creed (Felix Rosenqvist’s Indianapolis 500 car) and The Libertines (UK non-league soccer’s Margate FC).

This also relates to Spotify using their sponsorship of FC Barcelona to promote bands such as Drake, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Rosalía, and Travis Scott.

Lesson: in full article

Summary

All these sponsorship deals in May provide an example of the great utility sponsorship provides which all rights holders and brands can look to emulate to benefit both parties. This is particularly the case for rights holders who can come up with their own version to spark a conversation with potential sponsors.