I love sports. And I love advertising. Yet somehow, almost every time I see or hear an ad that combines the two, I want to pull my hair out. Sports partnerships (or even sports-adjacent advertising) can be a compelling and original way for companies to connect with some of the most rabid brand loyalists in the world: sports fans.
So why do so many brands get sports advertising wrong? Probably because bad habits are so easy to adopt and the really good stuff takes some fresh thinking. Here are some tips to get it right, time and again.
Tip Number One: Sports Cliches Are The Most Tired Of All Cliches.
We’ve all heard them. The law firm TV ad that will surely “hit a home run” for your personal injury case. The insurance company that makes sure you’re always “safe at home.” The garage door installation company that sells garage doors that (somehow) help your “house score a touchdown” or some other nonsense metaphor. Yeah, I don’t get it either. So lazy, so lame.
There are plenty of times brand comparisons to a sport or team do actually make total sense (more on that in a minute), but stretching to make everything fit into a sports analogy is usually a real swing and a miss. (See? It’s bad, right?)
Tip Number Two: Analogies Aside, Sports Do Deserve Some Special Creative Attention.
Instead of using tired sports analogies, some brands go the other way and run their “everyday” creative in sports ads as though this is just a typical, everyday media channel. Sometimes that works. But sports experiences are so incredibly connective, it feels like a miss to not try and make a more deliberate connection. Take the Stella Artois “David and the Other David” pickleball ads (with Matt Damon and David Beckham). They’re a fantastic example, leaning into the sports fad of the moment in a way that is delightfully goofy-real and tennis-adjacent – a perfect fit for every ad break at this year’s French Open and Wimbledon Championships. They’re smart and original, something sports marketing can really amplify.
Tip Number Three: Lean Into Personalities and Experiences When You Can.
Some athletes were made to be pitch people (see: Peyton Manning). Others can be a little less camera friendly. That, and personalities in sports can be fickle things that can change from one season, game, or play to another. So brands need to be super selective when choosing what Big Name fits their brand. Leaning into already existing personality strengths – Manning’s casual humor, Jason Kelce’s naturally cuddly big-guy-ness – is a great way to leverage star power. On the other hand, making a clearly uncomfortable athlete awkwardly read cue cards or shill for a product they’d never actually use like (Tiger Woods promoting Buick?) is probably not a good call.
Another way to create linkage is to lean into – or even create – experiences that complement and enhance the game. Take the Home Depot’s Tool Race at the Atlanta Braves games or the Johnsonville Famous Racing Sausages in Milwaukee – they’re both fan favorites and incredible brand boosters at the same time.
Tip Number Four: Don’t Skimp on Production.
Team and athlete sponsorships can be expensive, and sometimes brands look to save a couple bucks by low-balling their production investment. When that happens, the results are less than ideal. I recently saw an attorney with a baseball team mascot (who doesn’t ever talk) in a TV spot set in the lawyer’s high rise law office. Why? Even stranger, the mascot was included in a radio spot where again, he doesn’t talk. I’m not sure how a fuzzy, 8-foot goofball helps drive home the concept of “expert legal counsel” and I’m guessing John Q. Fan doesn’t either. So don’t skimp on production, or if a sports spend leaves your brand a little light in the wallet, make sure your concept has a lot of originality shining through.
Bottom Line
Sports advertising is as American as apple pie and…sports. But getting it right takes thinking it through. You need the right team and the right game plan to make sure you don’t fumble. (See? Still bad).
For a couple examples of how our team helped Georgia Natural Gas get sports sponsorships right, check this out.
