Sponsoring a Championship, Team or Driver?

When planning your sports sponsorship strategy, you generally have several alternatives even within the same sport.
However, they offer different benefits and assets and require different levels of investment. In this article, we are going to explain the differences between sponsoring a championship, team or driver.

Whether you are sponsoring the championship itself, a team taking part in it or a driver racing in that series, you will speak to the same audience but you will be utilising different tools.

Sponsoring the championship means that you will be given huge branding assets and premium hospitality at races. Moreover, if you are a brand that wants to put its product and services within the "broadcast" then that's probably what you should go for. Think about how AWS integrates its insights technology to enhance the F1 fans' experience before, during and after the race.

On the other side, sponsoring a team will give you more intimate access to the sport with the opportunity to have your guests meet the drivers and be inside the garage during the race. But also, you can utilise the team HQ for corporate and experiential events.

Associating yourself with a driver is another way to go and it can be very powerful if you are looking to create unique content and utilise him/her as a brand ambassador. Moreover, a driver sponsorship can help to penetrate a particular market and to develop licensing opportunities.

Last but not least the financial aspect: sponsoring a championship is generally the most expensive option, followed by a team sponsorship (which can vary a lot based on the chosen team). Sponsoring a driver is, instead, probably the least expensive way to get into top-level motorsport.

So, how can you decide on sponsoring a championship, team or driver? How can you decide on sponsoring a championship, team or driver? Simple, rely on experts that can guide you towards the best opportunities.

This is original editorial content from Drive Sports Marketing, an agency specialising in Formula 1 sponsorship, Formula E sponsorship, MotoGP sponsorship, and WEC sponsorship.