With Paris approaching and luxury powerhouses such as LVMH diving into the rings, sponsorship is a huge part of The Games. 1.29 billion Euros to be exact. But how has sports sponsorship evolved over time and what does it take to execute an effective long term brand partnership?

Going way back Oxo are rumoured to be one of the very first Olympics brand sponsors before ambush marketing rule 40 existed. And certainly way, way before the impact of high-performance nutritional dieticians started appearing on the scene. At the 1908 Games, in London, warm Oxo was offered up to marathon runners to help fuel their race. Long before sponsorship deals were a thing, some astute brain spotted the opportunity to marry brand products to a moment in sport. 

Since then the IOC has evolved its sponsorship programme into one of the biggest and most effective/expensive platforms in the world. The main turning point came in 1984 in LA when TV rights and sponsorship deals turned the 84 Games into a profit-making machine – it’s worth noting that L.A. are the only city to host a Games that have actually turned a profit.

The Olympic’s marketing legacy 

Coca-Cola is the longest-term partner with their involvement stretching back to 1928. They have also committed their involvement until 2032. The magic of the games and the emotion of that feeling fit with Coke’s brand positioning. Coupled with the overall theme of the world coming together are why the soft drink manufacturer continues to invest in the global spectacle.

The best sponsorships, however, go beyond a simple badging exercise. They understand how to connect into communities and align their brand position with a shared ethos that resonates with the sports fan base. Long-term brand partnerships create lasting memory structures and allow for emotive storytelling that connects people to the human stories behind the athletes and the teams. Just as the game of football has transformed into a global entertainment spectacle so have the opportunities for brand sponsors. 

Filling the void left by gambling brands as shirt sponsors 

Shirt sponsorship in football brings an emotion attachment to the era and players. I have strong associations with Avco and the adidas shirts of 85/86 because they adorned the shirts of my team, West Ham, when I first went to see Parks, Martin, Cottee and McAvenie play at Upton Park. As a kid I had no idea what Avco did, still don’t, but they were the Hammers first sponsors and although they weren’t present on the 1980 FA Cup winning shirt I still associate that period as a golden one for the Irons. Dr Martens, a later shirt sponsor, and I instantly think DiCannio and that goal against Wimbledon. Pony and Harry Redknapp dodging dealing. Dagenham Motors more second-hand car dealing. So, some associations can indeed turn negative. Fast forward to today and we have a betting company on our shirt. You can’t question the connection of the betting brands and their products to the moments that matter in the game. But there’s the moral debate about how gambling is affecting wider society so with pressure mounting it’s no wonder the clubs have taken it upon themselves to sign up to a voluntary ban. The ban comes into play in 2026/27 which means clubs are busily on the lookout for new shirt sponsors to feel the void.

The origins of shirt sponsorship in English football is a story of entrepreneurial spirit and a battle against regulation. The first Football team to have pioneered a shirt sponsor was Kettering Town with Kettering Tyres emblazoned across their shirts. The deal was inked on the 24th January 1976 for a ‘four figure’ sum. Unsurprisingly, the FA immediately intervened and ordered the club to remove the branding. This 1972 ban took a further 5 years to overturn when Derek Dougan, the Kettering CEO along with Bolton Wanderers and Derby County, lobbied the FA to allow shirt sponsorship and in June 77 the ban was lifted. Local businesses with an affiliation to the club due to geography were and still are a staple of English clubs sponsorship whether on the shirt or the perimeter boards, particularly in the lower leagues.

The first multinational brand getting in on the action and the first shirt sponsor of a top flight English club was the Japanese electronics brand Hitachi Their 100k 2 year deal with Liverpool in 1979 paved the way for the multi-million deals of today. Like any pioneering deal it wasn’t all plain sailing as they couldn’t have the logo on the matchday shirts due to TV rights for certain games. Hitachi were buying into the success of the club after their amazing run of domestic and more importantly European success.  

The power of shared beliefs 

Strong associations are formed when a team is performing well just simply by that association. But success is a fickle beast. You have to dive deeper into the shared beliefs of the sports/team/athlete and the partner brand. You can then forge deeper connections and show that as a brand you belong in the community. But to do that you have to be cognisant of your role within it.

Our recent work with Samsung and Skateboard GB taps into a shared ethos around the parallels between the notion of trying again and again in skate and the Korean spirit of ‘Tuhon’ a relentless drive to never give up. On a product level there’s an even better fit as image capture and skate go hand in glove. Once you’ve landed the trick, the one you’ve spent a thousand attempts to land, you want to make sure you’ve captured it just as brilliantly so you can share it with the world. The skate community, however, is fiercely protective of its culture and community, you can’t just bowl in, slap your logo on a ramp and then skate off.  The words need to be followed up with action and investing in the sport and the communities is where you build authenticity. Building London’s most shareable skate park in Shoreditch, The Flip Park, is just one such example of creating a memorable experience that demonstrates the brand’s commitment. Equally, working in collaboration with Skateboard GB and funding the grass roots will help develop more Sky Browns who will go on to represent Team GB at future games.

It’s clear that the most successful partnerships are the ones where they are playing the long game and really investing in the communities. They understand the power of participation and ideas that mobilise so that the fan base understand your role and what you’re bringing to the sport they love. By aligning those perspectives, brands can build affinity and propel their business forward in line with their wider objectives. Having an evaluation methodology to measure the effectiveness of the sponsorship is key.

Paris 24 will break new ground as they take the games to the streets of the French Capital. Events such as skateboarding and breakdancing will widen the appeal to the next generation and we’re sure to see the partner brands innovate with the activity that plays out in the summer. The Marathon runners I’m sure, will not be fuelled by beef stock as they pursue the sub 2, their feet however will more than likely be clad in ground-breaking carbon technology from their sponsors. With the innovations in the format and the new events introduced this year’s Games are sure to be the most participative yet.