Social media is the channel most used by sponsors to activate their sponsorships (98 percent), making it the most popular activation channel for the third year in a row, according to ESP/IEG.
The relatively low cost and high engagement rates make social media an attractive channels to amplify and activate sponsorships.
The key findings of this report are:
• 85 percent of respondents are using social media to support sponsorship activations, either before, during, or after a sponsorship.
• 44 percent use advanced technologies of any type to support a brand’s sponsorship activations.
• The specific social media platforms most used to support a brand’s sponsorship activations were Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• The most commonly used advanced technologies were 360-degree photography, beacons, virtual reality, and RFID.
There are multiple reasons for using social media to activate sponsorships to support a brand’s activations. The top five are:
1. Generate awareness
2. Connect with customers during the event
3. Improve brand perception
4. Connect with consumers before the event
5. Distribute content
To measure the effectiveness of social media’s amplification of a sponsorship, the top choice by far (86 percent) was the amount of social media exposure generated, followed by increased brand awareness (44 percent) and increased awareness of the brand’s sponsorship (41 percent).
“Sponsors and their property partners (i.e., sellers of sponsorships) should ensure that sponsor content is not merely advertising or promotional but adds value to the social media conversation and enhances the experience the user has in that channel,” the report said.
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