The Frontier Market Report by Dentsu is a summary of sponsorship trends that sports agencies in London (and beyond) predict will be of greatest importance in 2023. Now in its eighth year, it highlights key topics that are influencing the marketplace based on input from brands, rights holders, agencies and many more.
Headline stats from sports agencies in London
- 2023 is looking to be an economic challenge globally and the sponsorship market is no exception. Having bounced back from the pandemic, the industry looks to brace itself for lower growth than in 2021 and 2022 due to the economic downturn. 47% of respondents predict the sponsorship market will stay the same in size, or decrease
- 69% of sports marketing industry respondents predict brands will want more assets for their money
- 75% of sports agencies in London think there will be a closer focus on balancing rights fees and activation budgets given brands have less money to work with
- The state of the economy is seen as the key influence on the health of sponsorship in the next five years
- Brand awareness, audience reach, brand preference, brand relevance, and sales are the top five objectives for sponsors. However, the importance of communicating purpose and CSR values have seen a 10x increase in importance versus the second biggest mover in importance, audience reach. 47% now cite purpose/CSR as the most important sponsorship objective
- Whilst rights holders are making commitments to make a positive impact on gender equality, racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights, they are lagging behind in the impact they can have in supporting age discrimination, worker welfare, the environment and disability
- ESG partnerships need to be rooted in more robust data. Only 17% of respondents said data was the main driver, and a third of respondents said no data or only small amounts of data were used to inform decisions
- The value of ESG sponsorships is also little understood, with only 17% of the industry confident they can measure the business value return. 66% of the industry would like a standardised measure
Click here to download the full Frontier report.
Looking for sports agencies in London?
If you’re looking for advice from a sports, esports or gaming agency, Strive Sponsorship can help. Contact us for sponsorship, marketing, commercial, content, media, investment, and communications consultancy services.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hire a sports agent?
Sports agencies can provide a variety of services. Strive Sponsorship advises on sports marketing and sponsorship strategy (what and who to sponsor), helps negotiate sponsorship deals, and helps brands leverage sponsorships to maximise return on investment (this may involve PR, events, social media content and activations etc).
What is the top sports agency?
Whilst there are various awards for work, there is no single definitive industry-wide ranking of sports agencies. The answer is fairly subjective. Strive Sponsorship had a 100% client retention rate and grew revenue by over 65% in 2022.
Who is the biggest sports agent?
There is no single definitive industry-wide ranking of sports agencies by size. Global network sports marketing agencies like CAA and Endeavour are likely to be two of the biggest in the UK. However, there is a trend to work with smaller more specialist agencies. Strive Sponsorship is one of these and had a 100% client retention rate and grew revenue by over 65% in 2022.
