Belgium is in the process of introducing a broad ban on advertising and sponsorship around sports betting, which could have a major impact on, among other things, the revenues of football clubs and leagues from 2025, before the total ban takes effect in 2028. Several rights holders that depend heavily on such sponsorship have therefore wondered aloud how they will have to deal with this new Belgian sponsorship landscape in order to continue to maximise their sponsorship revenues, while betting brands as sponsors themselves will have to look for new, impactful and innovative sponsorship & brand activations to continue reaching the right consumers.
Wasserman Agency therefore already mapped the current situation, consequences and some inspiring alternative avenues with their Brands & Properties Consultancy division, as an impetus to start assisting both Belgian clubs/leagues that will lose major betting partners, and the betting brands’ marketing teams, in their future strategy, marketing, sponsorship and activations.
For example, the white paper for Belgian clubs and leagues outlines three strategies to mitigate potential revenue loss:
- Renegotiate existing betting sponsorship deals, changing the mix of rights sponsors receive.
- Create new value through innovative activations and start commercialising an optimised mix of sponsorship rights.
- Identify new brand categories that can complement or replace betting sponsorship.
“Sounds logical, but Wasserman nevertheless finds that a lot of their clients, both rights holders and brands, are struggling with the new legislation, and already assisted several foreign football clubs and sponsors on such issues. Think of clients like FC Barcelona, Spotify, Coca-Cola, Tottenham Hotspur, Unilever, Liverpool FC, Arsenal, Real Madrid, American Express, Lidl, Microsoft, LaLiga, etc.
There are many considerations and factors to take into account to maximise a risk mitigation strategy, but a collaborative, league-wide approach can help minimise the impact on clubs’ revenues. While it is becoming crucial for the highly competitive and evolving sector of sports betting brands to start developing new marketing innovation.
Would you like to receive our Football Sponsorship Report, insights into the initial impetus for clubs with betting sponsors, and/or a similar intro report for the brands themselves? Our report is available here.
Wasserman will gladly provide you with the necessary inspiration and cases to start innovating the future of sports marketing in Belgium together.
Interested in Sponsorship strategy for your brand? Discover more about what our Benelux marketing agency made here or contact us.