Interview

Handball

German supermarket chain Lidl is transforming its image as a hard discount retailer in its key European markets and using sponsorship of national sport properties to help drive home the message in France and Italy.

Motorsport

Oil and gas company Shell is sticking with motorsports to connect with key demographics and authenticate its products.

Football

Forex company Plus500 is focused on its newly-signed Atlético Madrid shirt deal for the foreseeable future but is interested in football as a sponsorship platform.

McDonald’s corporate director of sports marketing in Latin America, David Grinberg, talks about his journey from a sports journalist to the head of sponsorship activation for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Football

US car rental company Enterprise-Rent-a-Car want to use its Uefa Europa League sponsorship to aid with expanding the business’ European awareness and achieve greater interaction with its customers.

Football

Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz uses its sponsorships in football to increase global brand consideration and perception but uses its other agreements to directly target potential customers.

British energy company SSE wants to raise the profile of women’s football in the UK and wants to benefit from positive brand association after a title sponsorship deal with the Women’s FA Cup.

Football

Online casino and sportsbook operator BetVictor is targeting international markets with its multi-year deal as the Global Betting and Gaming Partner of English Premier League champions Chelsea.

Golf

Danish shoe manufacturer Ecco is looking to golf for additional retail opportunities, Jesper Thuen, global marketing manager at Ecco, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Sailing

UK luxury watch brand Bremont will use its Timing Partner deal with sailing’s America’s Cup and defending champions Oracle Team USA to help drive the company’s expansion into the US.

Football

Courier company FedEx’s investment in the Uefa Europa League will support the brand’s targeted expansion in Europe and, in particular, the developing economies of Eastern Europe.

Football

Social trading platform and forex broker eToro will consider sponsorship opportunities in new markets in Russia and Asia following its official social trading partner deal with English Premier League club West Ham United.

Cycling

German caffeine shampoo brand Alpecin measures the success of its cycling and football-based sponsorship portfolio solely in terms of unit sales.

Motorsport

Swiss watch-maker Wryst struck its first sports sponsorship deal of any kind in April when it signed as a partner of this year's Isle of Man TT festival.

 

American Football

Apparel company New Era is using its sponsorship of Euroleague Basketball to help its goal of becoming the number one headwear brand in the world.

Hockey

Online gambling operator Unibet has added title sponsorship of the 2015 EuroHockey Championships for men’s and women’s national teams to deals in cricket and darts in a bid to boost acquisition rates in the UK. The  tournament will be staged this August in London at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, site of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Football

London Stock Exchange-listed Standard Chartered Bank this month signed a three-year extension, from 2016-17 to 2018-19, to its main sponsor agreement with English Premier League club Liverpool. The deal was signed with more than one year still to run on the previous two year extension, from 2014-15 to 2015-16.

Basketball

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism for Turkey is increasingly looking for sponsorship properties with opportunities to produce and showcase video content as its target demographic continues to broaden.