Author: Sean Connell

How challenger brands can use sponsorship to step up

How challenger brands can use sponsorship to step up

Sep 24, 2026 |

The marketing tactics that build a challenger brand aren't necessarily the ones that will turn it into a serious category competitor. Early growth is often built by winning over a relatively small group of customers. Challengers find an audience underserved by established competitors, give them a compelling reason to switch and, if they get it right, turn some of those...
BMO’s soccer sponsorship shows authenticity is earned, not activated

BMO’s soccer sponsorship shows authenticity is earned, not activated

Sep 15, 2026 |

Every sponsor wants to be authentic. They want fans to believe they understand their passion, share their values and have a genuine reason for being there. The problem is that authenticity isn't something a brand can simply claim. Fans are increasingly savvy. They can tell the difference between a sponsor that has invested in something they care about and one that has...
Why venues, not stadiums, may offer greater returns for sponsors

Why venues, not stadiums, may offer greater returns for sponsors

Sep 10, 2026

For decades, stadiums have been the natural home of naming rights. From the US, where naming rights are among the most valuable assets in sport, to a growing European market, brands have paid significant sums to put their names on buildings visited by millions of people every year. But stadiums aren't the only buildings with large audiences, cultural significance and an...
Stuart Wareman on what sponsors wish rights holders understood

Stuart Wareman on what sponsors wish rights holders understood

Sep 4, 2026 |

There has long been a disconnect between the people selling sponsorship and the brands buying it. For Stuart Wareman, who has spent much of his career on the brand side managing major global partnerships, including most recently for the hotel group Accor, closing that gap requires more than better proposals or more sophisticated sales techniques. It requires rights holders to...
Data driven sposnsorship