THERE'S NO DOUBT that the Paralympic Games have now succeeded in capturing the attention of sponsors worldwide thanks to the sincerity of its values and ability to surprise.
Look at the London 2012 Paralympics: 55 brands are officially involved as partners, supporters or providers (versus 35 brands in Beijing 2008) and activate their sponsorship by setting up different initiatives.
Sainsbury’s, the sole exclusive partner of the 2012 Paralympics, considers the event as a challenger brand and a commercial opportunity. They launched a special 10-day tour across the UK to offer their customers the chance to see the Paralympic Torch. Sainsbury’s supplied free sports equipment to schools to get 1 million kids to try a Paralympic sport (the ‘1 million kids challenge’ initiative).
Sainsbury’s also plans to link its 850 stores with individual Paralympic athletes from different parts of the country. Moreover, Sainsbury’s reaches 21.5 million customers each week, all of whom will be exposed to London 2012 Paralympic branding.
In a study on the effectiveness of Olympic Sponsorship, led in the UK by Havas Sponsorship Insights, Paralympics are most strongly associated with the words “World Class” (40%) and “Inspiring” (35%). The Paralympics are perceived as more “Amazing”, “Modern” and “Emotional” than the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.
Paralympic values such as courage, determination, inspiration and equality perfectly fit with the values sponsors want to promote and highlight inside and outside the company – it helps educate their employees and customers.
Return on investment remains difficult to measure: sponsored athletes’ performance, employees engagement, intangible results such as change in mentalities and behaviors, impact of corporate responsibility projects/initiatives… ROI also relies on sponsors’ exposure/visibility during the Paralympics.
They will be offered marketing opportunities that are not available during the Olympic Games: advertising space within venues, on athletes’ bibs and specific signage within the park.
This is not to mention Channel 4’s Paralympic broadcast in the UK (8.2m people have already had a look at it) and the 220 countries where the event will be broadcast. Attendance for the 2012 Paralympic Games is expected to hit over two million people.
By Lucien Boyer, president and global CEO, Havas Sports & Entertainment
Follow Lucien on Twitter: @Lucienboyer