Within any community, sport and business have one thing in common, a social responsibility.
Within any community, sport and business have one thing in common, a social responsibility. Not only are both members of a community with societal expectations placed upon them, but they have the ability to generate community benefits through their operation.
Businesses however, should not underestimate the power that even the smallest sporting entity has on influencing the community through passion, allegiance and identification. The dedication shown by the stakeholders of sport is something that most businesses can only dream of. There is an opportunity for businesses to harness it, by aligning themselves with those in sport who demonstrate a positive set of values within the community. The benefit being that those values are transferred and added to the sponsor’s business.
A very well-known example of this is Forest Green Rovers, who partner with businesses that are committed to creating a greener environment. This helps the club reach and maintain their goal of becoming the greenest football club in the world and by association, promotes those companies involved. Other sponsorship examples have equally tangible effects on their community such as increased participation, improved facilities, new playing strips, floodlights, or access to coaching. All of which will benefit a business by raising both the company profile and image.
No longer can a business rely on the sole promotion of their brand, logo, product or service to generate sales, there has to be a connection made with the target market. In other words, the customer has to have a reason to purchase. Using sport sponsorship as a marketing tool enables a company to positively influence by the power of emotion and senses, especially when they are seen to be generating positivity and betterment within the their community. This enables a brand to cut through the noise in a potentially cluttered marketplace.
To answer the initial question, yes, sport sponsorship can act as a vehicle for Corporate Social Responsibility for those businesses wishing to give back to their community.
Get started on your sponsorship journey with Sponsor Connect.
