A major event is headed to your city. The buzz is palpable, the anticipation is building and the spotlight is about to shine brightly on your town. Whether it’s an international, national or regional sporting event, festival or convention, you have an unprecedented opportunity to increase awareness and engagement with visitors, customers, vendors and employees.
Read on to find out how to leverage this opportunity to score big with your audience with a fractional marketing partner.
What it is: An official sponsorship is a type of partnership where a company provides financial or in-kind support in exchange for promotions—such as goods or services—to an event or organization in exchange for promotional opportunities or other benefits.
Why it’s beneficial: Signing on as an official sponsor has its advantages. Usually, the promotions are turnkey, and the event organizer has done the hard work with how and when to promote, as well as copy and content you can use to promote your sponsorship. The sponsor will usually receive exclusive perks such as tickets to an event or special celebrations.
Potential downside: The financial commitment for this opportunity can be substantial, ranging from thousands to millions of dollars depending on the event’s scale. There’s always a risk that the return on investment (ROI) won’t materialize from lack of engagement from the target audience or a disconnect between the sponsor’s brand and event attendees.
If the event’s brand or audience isn’t a perfect fit for the sponsor’s brand, the association could actually dilute a meaningful brand engagement and the possibility to create brand loyalty afterwards. For example, a luxury brand sponsoring a discount-oriented event could confuse its target audience and market. There’s also the risk of negative publicity if the event itself faces controversies or if other sponsors are involved in questionable activities.
Is being an official sponsor right for your brand? Below are the steps you should consider for determining if an official sponsorship investment is worth it.
T-Mobile, which has a significant presence in the greater Kansas City area, partnered with the NFL to create unforgettable fan experience during the 2023 NFL Draft FanFest. They transformed the T-Mobile Center into a vibrant hub for employees and families, featuring a branded magenta tunnel entrance, interactive games, a DJ, food and drink specials, as well as photo opportunities with Kansas City Chiefs players and cheerleaders.
The brand also facilitated a charitable activation with Operation Breakthrough, a local nonprofit organization, packing STEM boxes for underserved communities, and highlighted their network and value through LED mobile billboards and a drone show at Kelce Jam. The nonprofit activation directly supported T-Mobile’s corporate responsibility initiatives by highlighting their commitment to the community and its brand messages.
While some brands may not be able to make the level of investment T-Mobile committed to, it’s a great example of how a brand can scale its sponsorship to reach both the local community and visitors with a memorable experience connecting a brand’s mission and values directly to an audience’s experience.
A custom brand activation offers a powerful opportunity for businesses to stand out in a crowded marketplace, building deeper connections with your target audience through unique and personalized brand experiences.
Usually a customized brand experience provides a brand with flexibility to scale an engagement differently than an official sponsorship offering greater control of how your brand will interact with audiences. A fractional marketing partner can help position your brand to be adjacent to an official event/opportunity while activating at a level that’s right sized for your needs and level of commitment. A great example of being “adjacent to an event” and delivering a unique brand engagement is the Olympics campaign and Beats by Dr. Dre.
Consider organizing events or activities at your company location tailored to your customers in partnership with a key vendor. While it requires a bit more time and management on your end, it does allow you customize and scale your activities to offer greater audience engagement, as well as employee engagement. Employees are your company’s greatest brand ambassadors and, when part of the activation, they can share their personal experiences and enthusiasm, creating a more authentic and relatable brand story that creates deeper connections with them and your target audiences.
When implementing your own brand campaign during a major event in your city there are 4 steps to make the most of your investment:
Implementing your own brand activation has its perks, and customizing a campaign or capitalizing on the event could take many paths. Below are some ways a fractional marketing partner can help you make the most of your engagement.
nbkc bank is capitalizing on Kansas City as a host city for the upcoming world soccer matches in 2026. Customizing a brand opportunity made more sense for the direct connection that nbkc wanted to make with Kansas Citians and it offers a lot more flexibility and creativity for what they can do for their customers’ and employees’ experiences as well.
The bank is partnering with Graham Zusi, a former (and local) professional soccer player, who is serving as community ambassador and as a local authority on world soccer teams and matches. Zusi played in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and had a successful professional career for more than 15 seasons with Sporting KC. nbkc will utilize Zusi in customer events, community appearances and the bank is currently planning a foosball competition to be held in 2026.
This customized opportunity allows nbkc to tap into the player-centricity and the cultural aspects of the world soccer matches and all that a host city offers, granting their customers the feeling of a “front-row seat” on what’s to come as a host city.
A global event brings more than just crowds—it brings a stage. And your brand has the chance to own a Powerful piece of that spotlight. Whether you go big with an official sponsorship or get creative with a custom campaign, a fractional marketing partner can ensure your activation reflects who you are and what your audience values.
Ready to go for gold? Reach out to our team!