4
OUR THOUGHTS ON
The Ryder Cup sponsorship battle: Team Europe vs. Team USA
The US team were undoubtedly worthy
Ryder Cup champions after their
unstoppable performance this weekend.
However, while the on-course action was
taking place, Leo Burnett’s sponsorship
team were closely following an intriguing
sub-plot between two sets of sponsors.
Using our sponsorship research tool
Sponsor DNA, we analysed which sponsors
gained points for their continent, and the
implications of brands taking part in this
unique sponsorship setup.
The Ryder Cup’s commercial structure is
split into two; Team Europe’s top
sponsors are BMW & Rolex whilst Team
USA’s are Omega, Mercedes & Samsung.
As hosts, Team USA’s sponsors enjoyed
superior rights with on-course branding
alongside Worldwide Partner, Standard
Life. Thanks to this title, the wealth
management firm are exempt from
competing in the USA vs. Europe
sponsorship battle.
Not only are there two teams of sponsors,
there are also some direct competitors
between the US and Europe teams.
Firstly, we saw the War of the Watches
between Rolex (Europe) and Omega
(USA). The complication of having t wo
sponsors in the same product category is
enhanced when you consider the 24
golfers all have their own watch
endorsements. This caused quite a stir
when the European Team were asked to
cover their wrists during the official team
photo. We can imagine the two primary
watch sponsors were a little ticked off!
Rolex well and truly won the war with
the highest sponsorship awareness of
all tracked brands; an impressive 51 %
of people recognised them as a
sponsor of the event. In addition,
with 61% of respondents voting Rolex
as a very/good fit, they had the best
perceived fit at The Ryder Cup.
Another industry-titan clash saw
BMW (Europe) and Mercedes Benz
(USA) go head-to-head in the
automotive category. With 43% of
respondents recognising them as an
event sponsor (second only to Rolex),
BMW took the chequered flag in this
race. However, research tells us
Mercedes were voted a better
‘quality’ brand, and thus clawed one
back on their rivals. Impressively,
97% of respondents said Mercedes
are a ‘high quality brand’.
As we look ahead to the 2018 Ryder
Cup in Versailles, we are left to
reflect on the 2016 sponsorship
structure and whether the commercial
team have made the right decision to
have a split portfolio.
Are Ryder Cup sponsors really going
to obtain a return on their objectives,
when they are battling it out with
some of their fiercest competitors?
We think one of the smartest moves is
definitely Standard Life securing the
only worldwide status, and thus
avoiding this direct competitor
confrontation seen at this year’s
event.