Sports sponsorship is a long time mainstay of the auto industry, both for the direct impact it has on sports fans and the secondary exposure it drives through media coverage.
Long gone are the days where sponsorship efforts are solely concentrated in the Autosport arena – it’s not just petrol heads that buy cars. Also gone are the days of simply filling venues with branding. A more innovative approach is needed.
The current trend is towards the ‘official automotive supplier’ relationship, which though not a new format has come into its own in recent years. 2012 has provided a variety of high level opportunities for brands to align themselves with events. The largest opportunity (and it’s assumed the largest deal) was snapped up by BMW who become “Official Automotive Partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games”. Gorkana’s June Automotive report reviews the media impact of this campaign.
With a fleet of over 3,200 vehicles, many in Olympic liveries ferrying dignitaries through London; leading the torch relay; and even a radio controlled BMW mini to transport javelin; shot and discuss around the Olympic stadium; BMW is front and centre on the global stage.
In June on the lead up to Olympics Gorkana’s Automotive barometer saw sponsorship become the number one topic of discussion in UK mainstream and social media content for the auto industry, overtaking motorsport and environmental discussion.
The Olympic deal ensured BMW generated more social media content than any other car brand and was 4th in terms of mentions in mainstream media. Similarly for Chevrolet, a partnership with Manchester united provided upward movement in our media ranking of brands showing the power of well timed event partnerships.
For more information on social and mainstream media trends and topics for over 50 brands and more than 450 models on sale in the UK market, check out Gorkana’s Automotive Barometer.
Photo credit: bobchin141 (creative commons)
