Preston Hays
In the arena of sports marketing, sponsorships and giveaways play a vital role in enhancing brand visibility and engagement. My capstone project focuses on sports sponsorships and giveaways through Gators Sports Properties, a leading entity in collegiate sports marketing.
Gators Sports Properties is the official multimedia rights holder for the University of Florida Athletic Association (UAA). They specialize in creating tailored marketing solutions to connect brands/partners with the Florida Gators fan base. I have had the privilege to work with Gator Sports Properties in a marketing photographer role which led me to have a piqued interest in how exactly the partnerships come to fruition behind the scenes.
When talking with Gators Sports Properties Partnerships Coordinator, Taylor Rowe, she said, “No two days are alike. There’s meetings with the University Athletic Association, there’s putting together recap presentations for sponsors at the end of athletic seasons, showing the partner what their sponsorship looks like…whether that’s a ribbon, replay wipe, tent at fan fest, etc.” To develop a better relationship between partners and coordinators/managers, each employee in the office focuses on two sports. Such as baseball and volleyball or football and gymnastics. A few examples of some companies that Gators Sports Properties partners with are Alumni Hall, Wells Fargo, Florida Victorious, American Campus Communities, and more.
These sports sponsorships involve strategic partnerships between brands and sports entities to reach a common goal that benefits both parties. Gators Sports Properties facilitates sponsorships by offering many attractive opportunities such as:
• Digital signage and advertising
• Radio and in-game advertisements
• Hospitality experiences for corporate partners.
• Social media platform integration
As mentioned above, there are many opportunities that draw clients to partner with Gator Sports Properties. There are several factors as well that influence how effective these partnerships can be. First of all, certain brands and companies will be drawn to specific sports marketing entities depending on the demographics, etc. of the fan base because they want to advertise their services to a receptive audience.
According to Haley Hogan, coordinator of partnership services, “The sport in which we align our sponsors with is based on demographic and budget. For softball, you will use sponsors that are reaching an older community. If you are wanting to reach students, that will be a more basketball or volleyball approach.” Gators Sports Properties targets their sponsorships towards the most receptive audience while coming up with creative ways to do so.
The reputation and current performance record of the sports team is also important as they’d like to market themselves through a successful organization. This partnership could be viewed as match making. The partnership needs to be a match on all fronts, the client aligning with the sports team’s values, fan base, and marketing engagement success.
One of the most frequently used fan engagement strategies is sports giveaways. These giveaways are integral components of gaining the attention of fans and patrons while also advertising GSP partners. Gators Sports Properties orchestrates giveaways to drive attendance, foster brand loyalty, and generate excitement among fans. Examples of giveaways look like branded merchandise, social media contests, in-game fan interactions, and VIP experiences.
Needless to say, this company handles a lot of moving parts and needs dedicated and passionate individuals to cater to each partner and align their interests with the company’s interests. It also involves finding new and creative ways to implement partnerships. Taylor Rowe expressed, “For soccer, I implemented a game ball presentation. This is when a team representative would have the opportunity to present the game ball to the sponsor on the field. So that was something I implemented this year to just make it a little bit more exciting while also getting them involved in game days.”
One question I had when beginning to interview and research about these partnerships was how Gator Sports Properties “gets their money’s worth”, simply saying. I learned that they use metrics to measure the impact and media exposure these partnerships bring. This is important for the company to know so that they are aware of which partnerships are most beneficial and impactful. Some of the ways they measure this is through calculating direct revenue, fan/sponsor surveys, and increased sale percentages among consumers. Gauging increased social media is also taken into account through measuring engagement such as likes, comments, and shares.
These partnerships are often very monetarily beneficial for both parties involved, GSP (Gator Sports Properties) and those they partner with. Interested partners contact GSP to begin conversations and discussions about what sponsorships will look like through University of Florida Athletics. A lot of both Taylor Rowe and Haley Hogan’s job is to be a part of these conversations and begin the process of implementing their advertisements into the athletics signage, merch, etc. GSP benefits from this partnership by gaining monetary capital from each partner to begin the sponsorship. The partners pay to advertise their brand or services and they gain monetary value through exposure and key marketing by GSP to the correct audience, which then turns them into potential consumers of the advertised company.
Sales is also a key entity inside GSP as their main job is to connect fans with partners. They do this through research to find brands that align with the University of Florida culture and the value of the Gator brand. They market merchandise that incorporates the sport, the partner company, and appealing trends. An example of this would be marketing selling a similar version of a very popular black belt bag that is currently very trendy with college students. They could create a Gator version of this belt bag along with a partner’s branding to market an attractive sales item, while also advertising the partner’s company.
Another aspect of the company is photography. Each partner that chooses to advertise with GSP receives what is called “proof of performance” photos. These photos are taken by a Property Assistant in order to show proof of the partner’s advertisements that were planned to be initiated in a specific game or area of campus. My current role at GSP is as a football game day photographer/property assistant. Essentially, I am tasked with covering the pregame Fan Fest to capture images and videos for our sponsors throughout the game. This involves getting content of on field signage, advertisements displayed on the scoreboard, and branding that may even be on a coach’s shirt or headset. As a sports fan, I never knew how much goes into sports marketing. Just in football alone, I have had the opportunity to work with assets valued at $7.829 million and over $17 million throughout the fourteen University of Florida sports involved with GSP.
Concluding this research opportunity, sports sponsorships orchestrated by Gators Sports Properties offer valuable opportunities for brands to connect with the Florida Gators’ fan base. Throughout this process of research, I have increased my knowledge of how these partnerships work and how they can best be handled by a sports marketing company. By understanding the dynamics of sports marketing, leveraging strategic partnerships, and measuring ROI effectively, Gators Sports Properties continues to elevate the fan experience while delivering tangible results for their partners.
Preston Hays 