The Sponsorship Effect

The Sponsorship Effectiveness Forum's landmark first publication. An analysis of 92 sponsorship case studies from around the world, coded to IPA-style standards, revealing how sponsorship drives business growth and what separates the strongest work from the rest.

What the data shows

The Sponsorship Effect introduces a multi-criteria effectiveness index covering breadth of effects, presence of commercial outcomes, rigour of measurement and creative and activation integration.

Cases scoring highest across these dimensions are classified as Tier 1, just under 30% of the dataset. Tier 1 cases are not defined by budget. They are simply the most credibly effective in the sample.

The report reveals patterns across the full dataset that challenge common assumptions about how sponsorship creates value. Among the key themes:

  • why objectives matter more than most organisations realise
  • why channel integration is key to delivering business results
  • how brands can better design sponsorships to achieve specific brand, sales or behavioural objectives
  • how rights holders and agencies can shift their proposition from inventory activators to effectiveness leaders
Cover of The Sponsorship Effect: How sponsorship builds brands, shapes behaviour, and drives business growth

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About the author

The Sponsorship Effect was authored by SEF Chair Rory Natkiel, with contributions from SEF co-founders Charlie Dundas (GSIQ), Sarah Kendall (The FA) and Rebecca Martin (Sport by Global).

Rory is the founder of Box Count, a sponsorship effectiveness consultancy, and a recognised voice on sponsorship strategy and measurement. He publishes weekly on Substack and has 15+ years in senior strategy roles at Iris and Sid Lee Sport, with work for brands including adidas, Lidl, Tommy Hilfiger and OPPO.