Scout 360 recently conducted a nationwide survey of 868 sports fans to gauge attitudes around sponsor involvement in live events. Among the respondents, 35% said that having a stadium/venue named after a brand is very or extremely influential in positively affecting their perceptions of that brand. That number grew to 61% when adding the people who said that such an activity is at least somewhat influential to them.
“In having their name attached to the building, a sponsor has a more authentic and legitimate reason to engage with fans via these promotions or otherwise,” said Karen Van Vleet, Scout 360’s vice president of strategy and insights. “Once having a prominent established presence, the sponsor can gain an inherent permission from that point onward to be there.”