SPORTS MARKETING
Sports personalities , sponsorship and brand association : Can corporate brands do better ?
By Richard Wanjohi
Kenya at the Olympics
In the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics , there was a palpable sigh of relief after the Games kicked off , having been put off for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic . A number of countries decided to send smaller contingents or skip the Games altogether . Team Kenya was one of the few that sent a strong contingent , well represented in individual sports such as athletics and team sports in beach volleyball , indoor volleyball and rugby 7s .
This provided a great opportunity for local and global brands to engage with our sports personalities and teams in sponsoring and endorsing their respective disciplines . It provided an avenue for reaching different demographics and appealing to new ones altogether .
It was a good avenue for the National Olympics Committee-Kenya and Brand Kenya to promote our sports heritage across the world . Our performance in Tokyo was a mixed bag with good success on the tracks for athletics and another regular outing for the team sports .
Sterling performances from middle distance runners in Faith Kipyegon winning the women ’ s 1500m and Emmanuel Korir in the men ’ s 800m as well as the crowning moment of Eliud Kipchoge retaining his gold medal in the men ’ s marathon . These performances may have eclipsed the poor performances especially losing the coveted 3000m steeplechase for the first time in an Olympics in over 40 years .
Sponsoring Brands
Over the following few weeks , it was interesting to see corporate brands that had sponsored Team Kenya laud and sent different messages relating either to the Games or performances therein . Of importance was how almost all major sponsoring brands pushed the image of Eliud Kipchoge .
Don ’ t get me wrong , I have nothing against Kipchoge and his achievements . He ’ s truly a legend in the marathon , not just with his sub 2 hours run and winning 2 Gold medals at the Olympics as some of his accolades .
What struck me , is the hawkish behavior of major corporate brands or perceived laziness of the brand custodians .
Sponsorship and by extension brand association of an individual or team is usually determined by many factors , among them ; performance ( s ) on and off the field or track ; recognition and universality ; and lasting power to mention but a few . When a company links a brand and what it represents with the image of a sport and what it transmits , it falls within the boundaries of sponsorship . This may be through a sports event , as well as a club or team and an athlete or team players .
Eliud Kipchoge does tick off on all these factors , but so would it be for at least one other athlete in Faith Kipyegon . It would be worth noting that hers was a second gold medal over the same distance with an Olympic record to boot . So why don ’ t major brands seek her signature ? With a charm and easygoing character , she does defy these when running against top talent in her speciality . Come on ! Even the skincare and cosmetic brands couldn ’ t think of something ?
Omanyala missed the 100m finals race by a whisker and has been blazing the tracks in Europe as he pushes the envelope for sprinters from this part of the world . Coming from a ban by the local athletics body and appeal after being denied initial qualifying opportunities , he continues to defy the rule book . He was second at the Kip Keino Classic at the Kasarani stadium . Or maybe it ’ s this daring streak that brand custodians would not touch him with a 6-foot pole .
Sports and Youth - Inspiring the Next Generation
The Olympic Games have long been associated with the emerging talent and even for the professional athletes who participate such as the NBA stars in basketball , it still has the allure of inspiring and winning at the stage is one of every sports person ’ s bucket list .
With the cancellation of the Games in 2020 , many athletes had been disappointed that they were not able to show their prowess in front of a global audience . A few had to call it quits since the retirement alarm clock had already rung . Others were still waiting it out for another year or so to see what would be in 2021 .
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