Should You Give Your Logo Space To Charity? 28th March, 2018

Would you give your logo space to charity?

You pay a fortune to have your logo displayed, and then give your logo space to charity? This may seem like a good deed but a poor business move, but it’s actually great news for your brand.

Which brands are giving their logo space to charity?

In recent seasons, brands including Grosvenor Casinos (Fulham FC), SportsPesa (Everton), Betway (West Ham) and Virgin Media (Southampton FC) have all donated their front of shirt sponsorship to a charitable organisation. They let the charity display their logo for one match to help them raise awareness.

Why do these deals work so well?

This is great news for the charity, who secure a placement that could be worth over £100,000. A Premier League shirt sponsorship can cost anywhere from £1.5 million to over £50 million a year, depending on the club. That puts it beyond the reach of most charities.

But giving the logo space to charity is also great news for the brand doing the good deed.

Brands pay these huge amounts to be shirt sponsors in order to raise brand awareness and build fan affinity. The supporters love their club, so they’re more likely to harbour good feeling towards the brands that support it.

Giving up this valuable positioning for one game is unlikely to have any negative effect on brand awareness. In fact, the fans are more likely to notice the normal sponsor being back for the following match. They will also recognise the good deed done by the brand, helping fan affinity.

It’s great PR for the brand and fantastic exposure for the charity, so it’s no surprise that these arrangements are becoming more common.

Is this a sign of things to come?

We wouldn’t be surprised if brands continue to think of increasingly creative ways to use the logo space they have paid for. Running the same logo on the same shirt for a whole season may even cease to be the norm.

Notts County took the innovative step of selling its shirt sponsorship to nine individual brands across the 2017-2018 season, with each one securing the spot for a month. This enabled smaller brands who wouldn’t have been able to afford a season-long sponsorship to get involved. Even Nottingham-born musician Jake Bugg took a slot, paying to have his name displayed on the shirt during every game in November.

See how Slingshot can help you get the most from your sponsorship strategy
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