Research reveals value to brands of television show sponsorship

A new study commissioned by the UK marketing body for commercial television, Thinkbox, reveals the real value behind brand sponsorship of television shows.

by Helen Leggatt

The research, carried out by research firm House 51 and YouGov, highlights the differences in brand perception among viewers and non-views of sponsored shows. Viewers of a sponsored television show were found to be "significantly more likely" to believe the sponsoring brand is popular (78%) than non-viewers (68%).

"People judge you by the company you keep, and this is at the heart of TV sponsorship's power," said Matt Hill, Thinkbox's research and planning director.

"We've found very strong evidence that TV sponsorships' impact is long lasting and that, if advertisers want to see them work at their hardest, they should ensure they're integrated with the rest of their advertising and making use of the additional promotional tools the broadcasters provide."

Of particular interest is the finding that, on average, the personality fit between a viewer of a sponsored show and the sponsoring brand is 53% higher than that between the sponsoring brand and a non-viewer. This, says Thinkbox, is because viewers have strong affinities with their favourite shows and, as such, sponsoring brands borrow from the show's personality, motivating viewers to feel that the sponsoring brand is in tune with them.