Why are Tesla, Amazon, Starbucks paying big $$$ to name stadiums and high-profile venues?
Sustainability, impact, empty venues and the fans at home mowing the lawn.
Paying for the extended publicity, brand awareness and fan loyalty, the connection with sustainability and the lasting impact on the community seems to be worth it.
Sports are vulnerable to the effects of climate change (hello winter sports and surf), and the air quality due to the intense wildfires in 2020 impacted the Australian Open and cancelled baseball in Seattle. Add the increased frequency of hurricanes, and more disruption is expected.
Brands of that scale don’t suffer from the lack of impressions as venues are empty, and strive to connect with relevant issues like sustainability and mental health.
🥘 Tesla has filed a trademark for a restaurant brand. The idea might be to turn Electric Vehicle charging stations into convenience stores that also serve food.
🏟 Avicii Arena in Stockholm was rebranded to honour the late Swedish DJ who took his own life at the age of 28, to raise awareness and open up discussions about mental health.
🏟 Amazon reportedly spent $300 to $400 million on the rights for the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the first certified carbon-neutral arena in the world, promoting the pledge which calls on businesses to be net zero carbon across by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement.
🏟 The Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium saves 29% in energy usage compared to a typical stadium, and has 4,000 solar panels generating around 1.6 million kilowatt hours per year of renewable energy – enough to power 9 Atlanta Falcons home games or 13 Atlanta United home matches.
🏟 The home of Bundesliga TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is the PreZero arena, after the waste management company part of the Schwarz Gruppe which includes Lidl, paying around €4.5m per year, and improving waste management and the recycling.
🏟 Starbucks files application allowing for stadium naming rights.
The power of intentions, much?
🥊 Hello Brand Reputation, please meet Crisis Management
⚽ EURO 2020: the ambush marketing kick-off
