Key Metrics for Sponsorship Success

December 5, 2023
SponsorPulse Staff

When measuring sponsorship success, it's important to look beyond impression data. We deep dive into two critical metrics you need to understand a partnership's potential return.

In the realm of sponsorships, understanding consumer behavior stands as a critical linchpin for success. SponsorPulse provides key metrics to fuel sponsorship decision making, helping marketers develop a comprehensive understanding of how consumers engage with certain properties. Our metrics, however, don’t exist in isolation. In order to develop a picture of your target audience, it’s imperative to process all of our available data.

Two powerful, yet often overlooked metrics to leverage? Purchase consideration and favorability. Read on as we dive into the significance of these crucial metrics, shedding light on their pivotal role in guiding impactful sponsorship strategies.

Leveraging SponsorPulse metrics to create lasting impact

Engagement vs. Consideration & Favorability

It’s no secret that our society lives and breathes sports and entertainment. Our platform echoes this sentiment, with consumer engagement often garnering the highest percentages of impact across all of our measured metrics. Let’s take a look at the most popular properties by engagement.

As you can see, 61% of US consumers engaged with the NFL in the past year, while 60% did so with Disney, and 58% did so with the 4th of July Fireworks. While Americans are undoubtedly patriotic about football and fireworks, on their own, these engagement rates don’t necessarily translate to sponsorship success for brands looking to partner with these properties. Let’s now consider the most popular properties by purchase consideration

Looking at the data below, it’s clear that there’s a profound influence on consumers when brands partner with cause-based properties. Reflected in this chart, a pattern emerges, with 26% of consumers considering actually purchasing from brands that sponsor St. Jude’s Research Hospital, 25% from those that sponsor Animal Welfare causes, and 23% primed to support those that sponsor Black Lives Matter.

Even further, beyond purchase consideration lies favorability—a metric embodying positive sentiments and perceptions towards a brand. It transcends mere recognition, reflecting emotional connection and trust. On closer inspection of the data, favorability numbers are even higher for cause-based properties.

So where does that leave us? While percentiles are lower, the ultimate goal of sponsorship campaigns is to convert. Not every person who engages with football, whether that be through following the NFL on Instagram, or tailgating every Sunday, is going to buy Gatorade.

The synergy between engagement metrics and deeper metrics like purchase consideration and favorability unlocks a panoramic view of consumer behavior. This comprehensive understanding empowers brands to make informed decisions that drive results.

Strategic Implications for Brands: A Case Study

So how do you, as a brand, leverage SponsorPulse metrics to craft an airtight sponsorship strategy?

Let’s use Apple Music as our example. The streaming wars extend beyond the television and film industry, and brands like Apple Music have a lot to gain from converting competitors' listenership to their platform.

Consider Apple Music's quest to attract subscribers, specifically targeting Spotify users. Through a quick refined search, cross-referencing the purchase consideration of consumers with digital behaviors that include Spotify usage, our data reveals that Spotify listeners have a soft spot for cause-based marketing efforts too.

In fact, 30% of Spotify listeners would consider purchasing from a brand that supports St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or Black Lives Matter. Conversely, Apple Music listeners exhibit a varied purchase consideration spectrum. 25% of Apple Music listeners report they would consider purchasing from brands that sponsor children's hospitals, but also ones that sponsor Disney and the NFL.

The data suggests a strategic shift for Apple Music: redirecting marketing efforts towards cause-based initiatives. This approach aligns with the evident affinity of Spotify users towards cause-based sponsorships, presenting an opportunity for Apple Music to attract potential switchers and seize the lion's share of the streaming world's listenership.