Sponsor support will be repaid later

Brands that support the clubs and causes that their customers are passionate about through the coronavirus crisis will reap benefits later, says Havas Sport and Entertainment’s head of strategic partnerships and content, Niamh Conroy.

In a new opinion piece, Conroy said brands that stick by their rights holders in their “darkest hour” would be seen by fans in a more positive light than those that do not.

However, she warned that brands might be struggling financially themselves, and that rights holders would need to work with them to deliver value, be it with the deferral of rights fee payments, or renegotiation of entitlements.

Conroy said that the brands most likely to “bounce back”, were those that had the financial capacity to demonstrate true loyalty to their partners during the crisis.

“There is a real opportunity for those brands, who do have deep pockets, to come out and be part of saving Australia’s sporting future,” Conroy said.

She used an example UK company Bet365, which has its origins in her home city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Bet365 has developed a close affinity with the city and in order to keep jobs in the community, it chose to remain based in the small town of 260,000 people.

The company is the major sponsor of the local football team, Stoke City, and has promised to continue to pay all staff wages, regardless of the fact the games are no longer being played.

They had also donated $20m to the local hospital to fight COVID-19, Conroy said.

“All this despite the fact that the betting industry has suffered significant financial losses with the global sporting world on hiatus.”

Conroy concluded that brands that genuinely invested in delivering personal and collective benefits and support to their customers through this tough time would reap the benefits for years to come.