Category Analysis: Technology Sponsorship

Technology is changing the game of sponsorship!

Today, technology is paving the way for innovative and more valuable sponsorship opportunities. This analysis on technology explores the industries impacted by technology advances and the tech brands actively sponsoring global events.

Industries impacted by Technology

– Sports

Integrated technology has found its way into every aspect of sports, from fan apps and Wi-Fi enabled stadiums to digital playbooks. During a NFL game, athletes, the venue, and fans all rely on a form of technology. Athletes and teams utilize devices in equipment to help further train and understand the game of football. Sport venues use technology for online ticket booking, faster and easier payment options, and to improve fan experience and engagement. Technology allows fans at home to have the same experience as watching their favorite games from the sidelines.

Technology companies focus on advancing how the world experiences sporting events. They have opened new lines of communication for fans to involve themselves in the everyday world of athletes and teams. Furthermore, this has led to integration of technology and sport sponsorship. Technology brands have jumped into sponsoring major sporting events and organizations.

Sport sponsorship assets usually include the following:

• venue signage
• logo inclusion on jerseys/athletic gear
• digital media.

Sponsorships by technology companies play a more internal role in the sports category. Technology partners leverage a better overall experience:

• Provides support at the back-end and collect game and player data which can then be used to improve the property’s performance.
• Improves fan experience and engagement through their devices and apps, ensuring that the team/event has a positive association with its fans.
• Smooth streaming of a game leads to an authentic and credible association with the sponsor’s customers.

How does sponsorship in sports benefit the technology industry? Well, they can easily demonstrate their skills to its target audiences, increase company awareness, and capture new markets.

– Esports

Esports has become a new phenomenon and is completely powered by Technology.

“Last year, over 350 million hours of esports coverage was broadcasted.” This not only attracts sponsors, but puts technology companies’ front and center.

Global brand Intel is one of the longest running esports title sponsor. Intel is just one of many tech company’s providing large streaming platforms for esport gaming. “Technology companies are estimated to have spent the second largest amount on esport sponsorships at $15.9m, while clothing and accessories brands spent $13.35 million.”

Intel spends $40 million across its esports portfolio and remains the title sponsor of Intel Extreme Masters, one of the longest running esports competitions – first set up in 2006.”

– Music Festivals

Music festivals provide more than just a concert, they provide an experience. In today’s day and age, younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z are captivated by experiences.

Music Festivals attract these generations due to technology. Technology enhances a festival experience bringing elements such as holograms, augmented reality, and multi-sensory live experiences. Social media is a huge way for tech-forward music festivals to show to the world changes technology has made to one of music's longest lasting experiences.

Technology plays a huge role in the festival industry. TOMMORROWLAND, an electronic music festival in Belgium leads the industry with exhilarating tech innovations. This was the first festival to go all cashless; incorporating automatic payments linked to Tomorrowland’s digital app. Attendees could pay for food and alcohol with wristbands that even light up at night time.

The festival is also known for their AR/VR experiences, allowing people all over the world to experience the festival from home.

Our Music Festival (OMF) premiered in Berkley, CA in 2018. OMF has pioneered their way to become the first festival to integrate blockchain technology. Blockchain technology allows the sales of counterfeit tickets to be impossible by permanently tying the original ticket holder’s identity to their ticket; regardless of how many times the ticket changes hands.

OMF partnered with SingularDTV, the world’s first block chain entertainment studio to make this possible. Rewarding fans with affordable ticket pricing, was another development which establish this festival in the entertainment industry. OMF headliners included ZEDD and Big Sean. And although the festival sold out, it has not been back since its debut in 2018.

Interactive experiences at music festivals combine art, music, and technology. The LAB powered by HP, places experiential digital art at the heart of the Panorama festival, with six interactive installations and a massive 360-degree virtual-reality theater.

The dome like structure has multiple rooms with different themes and tech features. In the “Pixel Vortex”, attendees found themselves in the interior of inflatable balloons. The balloons changed colors in sequence to a funky techno track. Other tech features included “Infinity Wild”, a collection of solar-powered vines covered in thousands of tiny LED lights hanging from a mirrored, rectangular ceiling.

Altogether, the setting and tech-forward touches make music festivals a one-of-a-kind party experience.

– Film Festivals

Film festivals have been around since 1932, highlighting cinema and film internationally.

Over the past two decades, technology has found there niche in film festivals. A film festival themselves aren’t very tech-oriented, but is one way a technology company can attract publicity, credibility, media exposure, and, in the long run, increase profits. They can also attract new business partnerships, as well as potential development and, in some cases, long-range recruitment opportunities.

Streaming platform, Netflix’s, has films now being recognized by film festivals globally. They were approved for membership into the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on January 22, 2019, as the first streaming service to become a member of the association.

3D films became popular during the 80s and 90’s, while the development of IMAX theaters in the 2000’s established a high demand for 3D cinema.

Today, VR technology is shaping the way stories are created and shared. VR apps already allow users to have a cinema experience without leaving home. This on-going trend could boost 3D film due to Paramount Pictures and Bigscreen Inc. new 2019 multi-year agreement to distribute movies in Virtual Reality.

Bigscreen is a social VR movie watch platform. This partnership with Paramount includes four new movie premieres on the Bigscreen app every week. Movies will run for one week with a new lineup of movies available the following week. Tickets will even beat box office prices at five dollars a movie. Overall, VR adds a new dimension for viewers who enjoy 3D films.

Technology Brands

– Dell

Dell Technologies is currently a title sponsor of the PGA Tour. The 4 year sponsorship deal has recently extended till 2023.

Dell has successfully powered digital transformation in golf and creates the most unique fan experiences on the PGA TOUR. The Dell Technologies Fan Experience allows attendees to take golf to the next level by integrating technology. Dell has featured everything from robotic arms to "golfing on the moon”. Furthermore, Dell is taking golf into the world of tomorrow.

Dells sponsorship grew to Austin Country Club in 2016, presenting the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Fans can experience the tournament in real time; they’ll even experience Virtual Reality with Alienware technology. Dell digitally shapes the 16-bracket, round-robin format for fans to experience from home.

The PGA TOUR is a great platform for Dell to showcase their technology.

– Intel

Intel, a worldwide partner of The Olympic Games, plays a key role in accelerating the adoption of new technologies. Raising the bar for the technology industry at PyeongChang 2018, Intel’s goal is to create Olympic experiences that are more innovative and immersive than ever before.

At the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Intel technology helped re-envision the Olympic experience for fans using 5G, VR, world record-breaking drone light shows, and the first ever esports competition leading up to the Opening Ceremony.

5G: Intel Processors bought 5G to life at the Olympic Games, illustrating real-world demos, including live cross-county events viewing mountain ranges, downtown Seoul, and interactive HD video streaming form the arenas.

VR: Intel gave fans the ultimate VR experience from their homes. Fans were immersed into live streaming witnessing records braking, champion’s crowd, and athletes becoming heroes.

Drone Light Show: The Intel Drone Light Show kick off PyeongChang 2018 with a stunning light show that celebrated the spirit of The Olympic Games. With the advancements in drone technology, Intel was able to capitalize on it and bring magic into the sky.

Building from these accomplishments, Intel is excited to apply these technologies in addition to new technologies like artificial intelligence to bring deeper levels of connectivity and interaction to the Olympic Game, in Tokyo 2020.

Additionally, Intel has a huge presence in Esports. The company “spends 40 million across its esports portfolio and remains the title sponsor of Intel Extreme Masters, one of the longest running esports competitions – first set up in 2006.”

– Google and Amazon

Once a year, Americans watch the biggest game in football, but some people watch to see the best commercials of the year. Google is a Super Bowl ad veteran, premiering its first Super Bowl commercial ten years ago.

Google’s 2020 Super Bowl ad “Loretta,” made an emotional case for the collection and preservation of highly personal data. The commercial shows an elderly man telling the Google Assistant a series of things he wants to remember about his wife. Google’s sentimental message highlighted a real experience of someone using the Google assistant technology.

Amazon named their 2020 Super Bowl ad after a trending hashtag they created, #BeforeAlexa. The ad featured Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia fascinated by the idea of life before Alexa, the company’s voice-activated assistant.

The ad also highlighted with the fast pace growth of technology, many jobs are eliminated by automation.

– Microsoft

Esports is revolutionizing the world of competitive gaming.

Cloud9 is one of the fastest growing and most successful organizations in the world of esports, with several championships to their name. Cloud 9’s partnership with Microsoft, has allowed the team to revolutionize how their players train, strategize, and compete.

With access to Microsoft Azure, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Vision, Cloud9 is able to grab specific data that gives them valuable insight into their strengths and weaknesses, and their opponents.

Microsoft Research focused on creating an Al-based video analytics system, which allows Cloud 9 to leverage computer vision to break down the movement and behavioral trends of the enemy. Microsoft and Cloud 9 call this form of action, “The Enemy Jungler” or “Jungler Tracking."

The Jungler plays an important role in the gaming world. They can change the power of a game by stealing the other team’s resources and flanking their opponents. Studying the enemy jungler’s movements can help Cloud9 learn where the jungler will most likely be at any given point during a match.

– AT&T

In 2014, AT&T began sponsoring the esteemed Tribeca Film Festival which was established in 2003 with the idea to spark economic and cultural revitalization in New York after the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The global event explores the technology and trends that represent the future of storytelling. The partnership between the festival and AT&T sprung from similar values in innovation, culture, and community. AT&T improves the efficiency of the festivals internal operations, brings new experiences to attendees, and connects the consumers and filmmakers.

During the 11 day festival, AT&T provides a variety of public programs, including a day of free screenings for the public.

This year, the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and AT&T are giving filmmakers a shot at $1 million to make a movie as a part of the AT&T Presents: Untold Stories program. The program awards one million dollars, mentorship, and distribution to amateur filmmakers to produce their film and premiere it at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sources

Consumer goods and technology companies lead the esports sponsors list ahead of FIFA eWorld Cup ns-businesshub.com

How technology companies are leveraging sports sponsorships to grow their brand hookit.com

The 10 Most Tech-Forward Music Festivals of 2018 medium.com

Experiential Art, Powered by HP: Inside Panorama Music Festival’s ‘The Lab’ eventmarketer.com

The future of music festivals: How technology takeovers are ushering us into the "experience age" revolt.tv

See Paramount Pictures 2D and 3D movies in VR with Bigscreen provideocoalition.com

Dell Technologies extends sponsorship of WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play pgatour.com

Dell Showcases Its Technology Through Golf pgatour.com

Tech company Super Bowl ads said as little as possible theverge.com

Cloud9 is disrupting the esports landscape microsoft.com

AT&T Named New Presenting Sponsor Of Tribeca Film Festival nycppnews.com