Sunny Singh. Van Hawke Sports.

Empowering FX Brands InThe World Of Sports Sponsorships

SUNNY SINGH

CEO & Founder of Van Hawke Sports

Q How can a brand leverage Van Hawke Sports to connect with a sports team or ambassador?

Van Hawke Sports was created with one clear mandate, to make sports sponsorships and ambassadors easily accessible for FX brands.

Since launching we have worked extensively to secure a global partnership network of over 300 sports rights holders and agents, which allows us to provide a sector leading consultancy service to any brand that is seeking sports marketing opportunities. Our partnerships provide easy access to sports such as Football (including English Premier League, La Liga, Bundes Liga, Serie A), Formula One, Formula E, Rugby, E-Sports, NBA, NFL, Golf, Tennis, Sailing etc in addition to an ever growing portfolio of sports personalities (both current and legends), and also more recently individuals from the creative arts such as film, TV and music.

We adopt and openly encourage a transparent approach between rights holders and brands, which enables us to source the correct sporting assets based on a firm’s objectives, whether that be geographical, audience demographic and/or budget.

The key advantage of working with us is the proven FX experience we possess from having worked within the sector for well over a decade. Having been on the front line and understanding the exact requirements for an FX marketing campaign, whether that be brand awareness, lead acquisition etc, allows brands to ultimately leverage the bridge between these two worlds to provide them with the bespoke service they are seeking from a trusted partner.

Q Having used your service, I believe there is a need to educate the people on how accessible sports sponsorships are. I think that it can be intimidating for a brand due to a lack of knowledge and a fear of getting taken advantage of.

I couldn’t agree more!

There is inherently an element of smoke and mirrors around the accessibility of sports sponsorships for brands, most of which seems to have been driven by the sports industry itself and the antiquated fashion in which business is actually conducted. Surprisingly, the process by which sports sponsorships are agreed and then implemented have barely changed in the last 20 years (ie. standardised package costs and duration of assets available), which is astonishing considering how quickly other industries have embraced and adopted change.

Actually, getting in touch with a rights holder is relatively easy, since most teams have their commercial sales contact information listed online, and there is always other means such as Linkedin which allows you to connect to anyone. However, it is the negotiating of sporting assets which can prove to be tricky due to the lack of education passed onto brands through this process. I guess like any sector there is a set amount of jargon that usually has to be sifted through, regardless though, sports sponsorships should be treated the same as any other marketing channel.

We actively encourage, and in many ways are leading the charge, to educate and empower FX brands, to set their own criteria as to which sports assets could work for them best based on their objectives. Marketing campaigns are not confined to a ‘one-shoe-fits-all’ model and neither should any sports sponsorship activity.

It is imperative for brands to treat sports sponsorships as extensions of their existing marketing plans, and as such brands should dictate what works best for them. This is especially poignant now since FX brands have naturally become more astute as to how their marketing budgets are spent and ROI metrics are increasingly embedded in all campaigns. 




Q Credibility matters in what agency you use, is there a checklist in what I should be looking for when I use this service?

It has always been the biggest of battles for brands to find an agency that can represent and put their requirements first. These ‘gold dust’ agencies are the ones which possess both experience of sector and experience of industry, and any credible agency will have a specialty focus. In our instance it is FX.

However, sector exclusivity can only take you so far, as an agency also needs to possess an extensive global partner network in order to be able to provide any brand with a list of options available based on their specific objectives. Unfortunately, we have all heard stories of ABC brand being approached (usually cold called) from an independent who claims to have a connection to XYZ team. This is usually done in the hope that the brand will agree to enquire further, at which point the independent will then contact a sports rights holder (usually cold called again) claiming to have a brand wanting to pursue a sponsorship. If talks are to then go ahead, they can be very disjointed as they are mediated by a 3rd party that does not necessarily exhibit an understanding of either parties objectives. They are unlikely to also be able to provide any support such as campaign integration and metric inclusion. Nine times out of ten

a sponsorship agreement never comes into fruition, with a lot of time, effort, resource and money being wasted. This is clearly not a conducive methodology.

You want an agency that understands your business and puts your requirements and objectives first, and surprisingly you can also find agencies that offer free services for brands. This is actually the core component of the Van Hawke Sports business model and something we have insisted on from day one. We do not charge brands for our sports consultancy service. Yes- that is correct, WE DO NOT CHARGE. Our fees our purely commission based and payable directly from rights holders, and as such when engaging with any FX brand our number one priority is to ensure that the brand knows exactly what is right for them. We consistently find that without the hassle of imposing fixed contracts and payment terms, we can actively work alongside brands and their teams to deliver the best service and support possible.

Q Metrics are everything on a campaign, do you work with your clients on how to understand and utilise them with their brand?

Sunny Singh CEO & Founder of Van Hawke Sports

Absolutely- yes. We are strong advocates for campaign metrics, especially within sports marketing. These however are brand dependent, which are usually based on the overall campaign objectives such as: AVE (advertising value equivalent), fan engagement via email and social, partner engagement programme etc.

In most instances we actively advise and work with brands to establish basic metrics prior to engaging with sports rights holders, as these can be used as tools to gauge which assets are best suited to meet the campaign objectives, and to create bespoke packages. Rights holders themselves can also assist with the sourcing of data to compile the metrics required.

The metrics can also serve to add contract agreement parameters which can be used as effective means to set break clauses by both parties. This can ultimately lead to a more transparent and efficient sponsorship package.

Q Are brands aware that they are in the driving seat when it comes to negotiating the packages?

I believe more needs to be done to encourage and empower brands when it comes to negotiating sports sponsorship packages.

As I mentioned earlier, there is currently a lack of education that limits any brand’s ability to create better packages for themselves based on their specific campaign requirements. Many forget (through no fault of their own) that when engaging with a sports rights holder they are effectively seeking FX sector exclusivity, and as such any rights holders will only ever be engaging with a handful of FX brands (if any at all). This of course means that brands are very much in the driving seat when it comes to negotiating packages. It is simply the awareness of this that needs to become more prevalent.

Q Brand associations are in my opinion seriously under used, how can a brand use them effectively?

Brand associations via ambassadors are a great and a more unique way for brands to boost awareness, and I agree they are currently under used.

A credible ambassador can serve to be an effective voice for a particular FX brand, and resonate better with specific audience subsets. They can actively influence consumer behaviour via the spreading of positive messages on social channels whilst providing the brand a boost with their endorsement.

As expected, the metrics associated with an ambassador do differ from that of sports sponsorships and are usually more engagement led. That said, ambassadors

are wonderful assets when seeking to create more client specific events, whether that is B2C or B2B focused. An ambassador will instantly add credibility simply via their association and can greatly assist in conveying a brand’s sales message. This in turn also creates a unique money-can’t-buy experience which is then associated positively with the hosting brand.

Costings for ambassadors vary greatly (depending on the personality in question), however there is usually a greater degree of flexibility where ambassador rights can be obtained on a territory or regional basis. This allows an FX brand to obtain the correct individual based on their specific requirements.

Q What do you have upcoming?

We have always strived to be a disruptor in our space and at the forefront of providing a sector leading service. Fortunately, we have built a large client base and forged close relationships with each of them which is allowing us to spread our wings and are now working on some very big and exciting new projects. Unfortunately, I can’t go into too much detail right now, but they do follow our mandate to make sports sponsorships and ambassadors ever more accessible for FX brands. All I can is STAY TUNED!