Up close and personal: Sleeve partnerships in football as a success factor
Published on
by Mara Kottke
With almost 24 million people interested in football, Germany offers a huge target group that can be reached through sleeve partnerships.
Sleeve partnerships offer much more than just a logo - they are the key to visibility, popularity and brand loyalty. Partnering with a football club can open up new sales opportunities in the medium and long term, increasing your market value by associating your brand with the emotional appeal of sport, both nationally and internationally.
In this Insight:
When you think of premium partnerships in football, the sponsor on the front of the shirt probably comes to mind first. However, since the 2017/18 Bundesliga season, companies have had an attractive alternative to secure a place on the shirt - sleeve sponsorship. Having their logo on the left sleeve of the jersey gives sponsors exclusive placement and provides clubs with importand additional revenue, while representing an ideal entry into professional sport for medium-sized companies. Sponsors become an integral part of the kit, featuring in almost every camera and on social media.
What makes a sleeve partnership particularly valuable?
Simply placing a brand logo on the sleeve of a jersey does much more than provide advertising space. It signals closeness and identification with the fans, as well as a special status. The logo is visible in every match-related picture and video, ensuring high brand exposure in both traditional and digital media.
A sleeve partnership becomes even more effective when supplemented by other sponsorship assets, such as perimeter advertising, social media features, or youth development programmes. The result is a continuous brand presence and lasting brand recognition among fans.
Best Case: Popp Feinkost x HSV
The partnership between Popp Feinkost and Hamburger SV is a prime example of how successful a sleeve sponsorship can be. From the 2017/18 Bundesliga season until the 2023/24 season, the food manufacturer was featured on the club's jersey sleeves - even after the club was relegated to the second division.
The result? Despite a sporting setback, brand awareness and sales continued to rise. For instance, 67% of HSV fans are familiar with Popp Feinkost, compared to 41% of football fans in general, and 43% of HSV fans purchase the company's products. This partnership has firmly established the company in the region, making it a 'fan favourite' on delicatessen shelves.
Best Case: Hyundai x Hertha BSC
Another successful example is Hyundai, which has been featured on the sleeves of Hertha BSC's jerseys since 2018. The South Korean car manufacturer aimed to increase its reach and brand awareness in Europe by leveraging the emotional appeal of sports. This was supplemented by LED boards, cam carpets and activations in the surrounding area of the Olympiastadion in Berlin, and it paid off. After four seasons, brand awareness and popularity among the general football audience had increased significantly.
Best Case: HELM AG x HSV and Plan International
Since the 2024/25 season, HELM AG has used its sleeve sponsorship with HSV to promote social responsibility. The company has granted this space to the children's rights organisation Plan International, thereby raising awareness of important issues such as equal opportunities and children's rights.
This unique collaboration demonstrates how sports sponsorship, sleeve partnerships and social responsibility can come together to make a powerful statement about the values and attitudes in professional sport.
Low entry barriers, high impact
Sleeve partnerships are aimed not only at international corporations, but also at medium-sized companies. Compared to the ‘big’ sponsorship on the chest of the jersey, they are easier to obtain and provide effective and authentic access to the world of football. Successes are quick to follow, making these partnerships the perfect choice for companies looking to enter the world of sponsorship!
Sponsorship is the financial support for a sporting event, organisation or athlete by an outside body, for the mutual benefit of both parties. At the professional level this tends to be by companies, to raise the profile of their brand by associating it with the athlete.
The company aims to generate brand awareness and customer recognition, whilst the event, organisation or athlete receives a boost in funding.
A popular example is a brand logo printed on a team shirt. Visibility is guaranteed, even more so in the modern world with social media and online highlights.
In the land of media and marketing rights today, there is no cookie-cut solution for brands, and a simple logo placement will not provide the sufficient return on investment (ROI) for sponsorship, nor does it give their target audience the “why?” - the reason to spend their money and engage with the product.
Companies investing in sports sponsorship need to look at the bigger picture to engage with fans and not rely on just one piece of inventory.
Partnership marketing is an important part of the sports industry. It involves collaboration between a sports team, league, or event and a brand or company. This collaboration can take many forms, such as sponsorship, product placement, or joint promotions. The goal of partnership marketing is to benefit both parties by increasing exposure, revenue, and brand recognition.
By partnering with a sports team or league, a brand can reach a large audience of fans who are passionate about their sport. This can lead to increased brand recognition and customer loyalty, as well as increased sales of particular products. Additionally, by offering special promotions or experiences, teams and brands can create a more memorable and enjoyable experience for fans.
When selecting the right type of partnership, teams and brands should consider factors such as brand values, fan demographics, and the overall image of the sport, to ensure it remains authentic whilst still connecting with the target audience.
Sports athlete sponsorships are those where individual athletes are sponsored by a brand. They may wear branded apparel whilst competing or during commercial appearances and press conferences, or they might appear in advertisements or other promotional materials for the brand. The brand will either offer a set fee to them, or pay for their kit, equipment or travel in return.
Sports organisation sponsorships involve entities like a team or league being sponsored by a brand. Like with individual athletes, they will either receive a fee from the brand, or payment for things like kits, equipment or ground maintenance.
In return, a team may display the company’s logos around its stadium, for example, while a league might include the sponsor in its name.
Sports event sponsorships are where sports events — like an international or regional tournament — are sponsored by a brand. This type of partnership can involve things like the event either changing its title to incorporate the brand’s name, or using the brand’s logo on official products. The event organisers will either receive a set fee or have expenditures like venue hire, hospitality, catering, publicity, programmes and officials’ costs covered.
Sports sponsorship lets brands create emotional content and become an integral part of fans’ daily lives. Every year, over 58 billion euros* are invested in sports sponsorship around the world as a way of reaching and acquiring customers through fan engagement.
€58bn* global volume in sports sponsorship in 2018
Image objectives
Brands that are active in sports sponsorship are more likeable, more relevant and better trusted among fans. We call this the “emotional uplift”. Not only were we able to demonstrate this effect in a qualitative market research study, but we have also quantified it.
Awareness objectives
Whether among top target groups or the population at large, boosting brand awareness is a traditional strength of sponsorship. In an age of fragmented media consumption, it is becoming an increasingly frequent unique selling point in sport.
B2C customer retention
Sports sponsorship shortens distances and turns customers into lasting brand fans through promotions like money-can’t-buy experiences, loyalty incentives, exclusive benefits, prize draws, bonus programmes or sensation marketing.
Maintaining B2B contact
Professional infrastructure, special occasions and memorable experiences: the fervour surrounding sport makes for the perfect hosting platform for forging new business relationships and strengthening existing ones.
Tapping new target groups
Sponsorship can overcome dialogue obstacles and enables organisations to reach their target groups before and even after purchases are made, provided the platform has maximum target group overlap.
6. Sales and revenue objectives
Sponsorship affects revenue, be it via direct sales, branding at the point of sale, the expansion of sales networks, or one of the many new activation formats for sales promotion in sport.
Corporate social responsibility
Nutrition, health, youth empowerment and sustainability (to name a few): professional sport provides companies with a platform that impacts a range of economic sectors and can lead to authentic ways of implementing CSR measures.
Employer branding
Sponsorship is becoming an increasingly important tool in the so-called war for talent. It is used for recruiting new employees or retaining existing employees who have been with the company for a long time.
Enhanced Fan Experience: Improve the overall fan experience by offering exclusive content, access, or promotions through the partnership.
Innovation and Technology: Showcase technological advancements or innovations through sports partnerships, positioning the brand as forward-thinking and cutting-edge.
