When Sport Becomes a Central Pillar of Brand Communication
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In this Insight:
Sport is not a communication platform like any other. It carries decades of legendary stories, emotions shared by millions of people, and communities of passionate fans with high expectations. For a brand that chooses to make it its main strategic focus, the challenge is clear: embracing its codes, earning the trust of fans who do not give it easily, and constantly innovating to establish a lasting presence within this ecosystem.
This article looks at how four brands, supported by SPORTFIVE, have taken on this challenge, and what their approaches reveal about the most powerful levers of sport as a communication tool.
The Best Showcase for a Brand
For a brand seeking to stand out and reshape its image among its target audience, expressing itself through sport is the ultimate strategic choice. By leveraging the emotional power of sporting events and communities, brands can embody the values of performance, unity, and inclusion that define this world and, above all, make them tangible in ways that words alone cannot achieve.
Present in the world of sport through partnerships for more than 30 years, EDF set itself an ambitious objective for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games - to make them the most responsible Games in history. The brand notably designed a fuel-free Olympic flame made of water and light a flame that does not burn, but illuminates instead. It was both a concrete and symbolic demonstration of its expertise in decarbonized energy. A dedicated pavilion that attracted more than 50,000 visitors, along with the support of a team of 33 athletes, completed the initiative. This approach was later recognized at the SPORSORA Awards in 2025 and the ESA Awards in 2026.
Following a similar approach, Essilor has established itself as a true awareness platform through its partnership with Ligue 1 McDonald’s. On the occasion of World Sight Day, players from AJ Auxerre wore jerseys on which the letters of their names appeared in progressively smaller sizes, encouraging spectators to make a genuine reading effort. Rolled out during a live match, this activation enabled the brand’s message to reach more than 7.6 million people and generate over 3 million cumulative digital impressions, with an engagement rate of 9%. Following the campaign, 83% of Ligue 1 fans stated that they held a positive perception of the brand.
Two approaches, one shared logic - using sport as a platform to make a commitment visible environmental for EDF, health-related for Essilor. In both cases, sport did not merely serve as a sounding board; it became the space where these brands demonstrated, rather than simply proclaimed, what they stand for. This is precisely what helps build lasting trust among fans.
Sports Partnerships: An Unexpected Driver of Internal Engagement
Entering into a partnership with a sports organization is often associated with external visibility for a company, yet its potential extends far beyond that. It also represents a unique opportunity to strengthen employees’ sense of belonging and enhance the company’s attractiveness to prospective candidates. Thanks to the unifying power of sport, these initiatives make an organization’s values concrete and tangible, whereas traditional HR initiatives often struggle to create genuine connections. This is a particularly effective strategy for large companies seeking a powerful driver of engagement for their teams.
Through its activations, BPCE leveraged its partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to turn it into an internal engagement driver for its 100,000 employees, while also strengthening its employer brand. As early as 2019, the Group launched IMAGINE, an internal engagement program built around two complementary pillars: the animation of a year-round active platform punctuated by major event highlights, and the organization of large-scale events designed to strengthen cohesion among teams. The flagship initiative was three editions of the “Défi IMAGINE,” a three-day sports competition bringing together 1,200 employees from 43 entities across the Group, with the aim of uniting them around the values of sport and Olympism. The program successfully transformed an external partnership into a genuine driver of corporate culture.
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Omnipresence and Deep Local Roots: The Strategy of Territorial Coverage
A natural objective emerges when a brand chooses to associate its image with sport: increasing visibility. To turn this exposure into real value, it must be supported by bold and differentiated strategies. The most committed brands go even further: by multiplying partnerships across different disciplines and territories, they are no longer seeking only to be seen, but to become inseparable from an entire sporting universe.
TotalEnergies illustrates this “network-based” strategy. Long involved in motorsport, the brand has progressively expanded its footprint into cycling, with the Team TotalEnergies and the Tour de France, and then into rugby, where its presence is now comprehensive: sponsor of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, partner of the Fédération Française de Rugby and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, and a long-standing supporter of amateur rugby through its backing of Section Paloise since 1988. From professional stadiums to local clubs, TotalEnergies has established a presence across every level of rugby in France.
Supported in its activations by SPORTFIVE for the past two years, the brand has deployed a series of initiatives. Among them, ”Art & Essai", an operation organized during the Gala Rugby au Cœur, drawing on the creativity of 14 artists invited to design works inspired by the world of rugby. The brand has also developed fan-focused activations, including initiatives designed to facilitate encounters with rugby players and legends, as well as the simultaneous connection of four stadium forecourts during TOP 14 Fan Days.
Using Football as a Driver of Brand Transformation
For some brands, the ambition goes further by making sport a central lever for brand transformation. This is a radical choice, one that requires stepping away from traditional corporate communication and allowing sport to embody what the brand aspires to become.
By extending its partnership with the Fédération Française de Football in 2018, Volkswagen made a bold and differentiated decision: instead of promoting its corporate brand, it chose to spotlight its Volkswagen ID. electric range, using football as a key driver to reshape its brand image and accelerate awareness of electric mobility.
In a context where electric vehicles were still relatively unfamiliar to the general public, football became a powerful space for cultural adoption, enabling the association of sustainable mobility with a widely shared passion, while reaching a large audience across France.
Today, this strategy is reflected in initiatives that go beyond simple exposure to create tangible and engaging experiences. The Electric Club program supports amateur clubs in their transition toward more sustainable mobility by addressing real transportation needs. The Raid to Clairefontaine offers an immersive experience combining esports, electric mobility, and the football dream aboard an ID. Buzz. More recently, activations around UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 combine content, influencer campaigns, and road trips to embed electric mobility into moments of everyday life and shared experience.
More than a sponsor, Volkswagen is building a true ecosystem of experiences, where football makes its electric transition tangible, accessible, and desirable.
Making sport the primary pillar of a communications strategy means entering a different dimension of visibility, legitimacy, and attractiveness. But it also means operating within a complex ecosystem, where every decision shapes a brand’s relationship with demanding communities.
The brands that succeed in this challenge share one common trait: they do not treat sport merely as an exposure channel, but as a coherent space of expression, activated over time. Tailored, bespoke support adapted to each brand’s specific challenges is the key condition for this success. This is what SPORTFIVE has been building for more than 20 years.
SPORTFIVE is a global sports marketing agency that specialises in sports rights, marketing, and entertainment. We work with sports organisations, clubs, and brands to create and optimise commercial opportunities in the sports industry. SPORTFIVE is involved in various aspects of sports business, including the sale of broadcasting rights, sponsorship and partnership management, stadium naming rights, and other marketing initiatives.
SPORTFIVE creates innovative, engaging solutions that are worthy of the incredible sports, athletes and partners we work with, and the passionate fans who follow them. Campaigns are built collaboratively, based on trust and transparency, and enabled by a deep understanding of the industry, the agency’s global reach, digital intelligence and creative courage.
The result is gamechanging sports partnerships that redefine standards in the sports and entertainment space.
SPORTFIVE believes in the power of five - bringing brands, rights holders, media platforms, fans and ‘us’ together through sport.
Establishing a partnership with an athlete, club, or federation involves a strategic approach and effective negotiation. Here are steps for each:
Athlete Partnership
Research: Identify athletes whose values align with the brand. Consider their audience demographics and market relevance.
Contact and Proposal: Reach out to the athlete or their management with a well-crafted proposal outlining the partnership benefits, objectives, and terms.
Negotiation: Discuss terms such as sponsorship duration, financial arrangements, and activation plans. Ensure mutual understanding and agreement.
Club Partnership
Research and Alignment: Research clubs that resonate with the brand's values and target audience. Align objectives with the club's goals.
Engage with Key Stakeholders:Reach out to club executives or sponsorship managers to discuss potential collaborations.
Customised Proposal: Present a tailored proposal highlighting the benefits, including branding opportunities, fan engagement, and joint marketing initiatives.
Federation Partnership
Understand Objectives: Understand the federation's goals and priorities. Align brand objectives with the federation's mission.
Engage with Decision-Makers: Reach out to key decision-makers within the federation to discuss potential partnerships.
Collaborative Planning: Work together to create a mutually beneficial partnership plan, considering financial contributions, promotional activities, and long-term goals.
Building relationships, demonstrating the value of the partnership, and negotiating terms collaboratively are key elements in establishing successful partnerships in the sports industry.
Choosing the right sponsorship for your goals involves strategic consideration of your brand objectives and target audience. Follow these steps:
Define Objectives: Clearly outline your marketing and business objectives for the sponsorship, whether it's brand visibility, customer engagement, or community outreach.
Know Your Audience: Understand your target audience and align sponsorship opportunities with their demographics, interests, and behaviours.
Relevance: Choose sponsorships that align with your brand values and resonate with your audience, creating authentic connections.
Evaluate Opportunities: Assess potential sponsorships based on factors like reach, engagement potential, and the alignment of the sponsored entity with your brand image.
Budget Considerations: Evaluate the financial aspects, ensuring the sponsorship aligns with your budget while delivering significant value.
Negotiate Terms: Work with the sponsored entity to negotiate terms that meet your goals, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.
By aligning sponsorships with your brand objectives, audience demographics, and values, you can choose opportunities that effectively contribute to the success of your marketing and business goals.
