👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry!

I've been following Savannah Sanchez for over four years now, and highly recommend following her on X.

As a Meta and TikTok Ad expert, Savannah shares creative examples, resources, and tips for nailing your ad strategies. The best part is she gives insights into the results of the ads she crafts for brands.

Check out some highlights from her latest newsletter:

• 3 Reasons Why You Need To Test 3 Reasons Why Ads

• The best ad format to use if you don't sell a physical product

• I bet you didn't know this surprising fact about the TikTok Comment Question Overlay ad format

Although Savannah zeroes in on paid social strategies, I've found her recommendations just as powerful for organic social ideas.

In Today’s Edition:

• Exploring The Three Sponcon Categories 📑 

• How Michelob ULTRA scored big with a creator collab 🏌️ 

• A look at Man City Sponcon with 40M+ views 👀 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
How To Decide What Sponcon to Pitch

I was recently asked how I decide what type of sponsored content to pitch.

Do I focus on content the team is already creating or do I focus on custom content for the partner?

The short answer is that I prioritize content the team is already creating but it's a decision influenced by various factors.

First, we need to understand how sponcon is categorized.

The NBA classifies sponcon into three buckets: associated, integrated, and co-created. I've adopted this framework, with a few tweaks, to break down our sponsored content options.

Each type involves a different mix of team and partner branding, which you can see in the chart above. However, remember, this isn't a guide for flat-rate pricing; each project should be uniquely priced.

Today we’ll cover:

• Defining associated, integrated, and co-created content.

• Deciding the mix of your sold sponcon inventory.

• Pricing strategies for each category.

Let’s dive in!

Associated Content

The associated category is content you’re already producing with or without a partner.

It primarily shows up in two forms. There’s a logo slap when a partner logo is included in the content. Then there’s an elevated, custom version that clarifies why a partner is specifically included in the content.

This is typically done through a custom name for a content series in addition to logo inclusion and tagging.

The category tends to skew towards static graphic content.

Examples:

• Cincinnati Bengals x Kroger: Fresh Fit Arrivals

• New York Knicks x MSC Cruises: Must Sea Moments

• Philadelphia Eagles x Toyota: Toyota Rav 4th Quarter Update

The goal is to prioritize selling associated content and have it make up about 80% of your sold sponcon inventory.

• It’s the easiest to produce since you’re planning on creating the content already.

• It either performs well and or serves your fans (why it’s being published even without a partner).

• It’s great for top-of-funnel objectives based on great performance or high frequency.

• It’s easier to predict performance for pricing since it’s actively in the market.

• It has the most options for brands to be included during game days.

• On a one-year deal it could be offered at the low-end or below-rate card given it won’t create more work for your content team.

Just because this is the easiest content to produce does not mean it’s the most inexpensive asset in your inventory.

The price range for this category has a low floor and a high ceiling mainly driven by performance. Here’s the pricing guide to see how that may come into play.

Integrated Content

The integrated category is content you’d like to produce but needs partner dollars to help bring it to life.

Those dollars could be used to hire extra help to capture or edit content, purchase equipment, or help cover costs for custom elements (sets, animation, talent, etc).

This category typically includes product integration. It also skews heavily towards video content, although there are exceptions like these FanDuel-branded Starting Lineup posts from the Chicago White Sox.

Examples:

• Los Angeles Lakers x Delta: Takeoff Challenges

• Los Angeles Chargers x Toyota: Camping Out

• X Games x GoPro: Course Preview

The goal is for integrated content to make up about 15% of your sold sponcon inventory.

• You should have ideas in this category ready proactively, then tailor them to fit your partner.

• This category is best as we start to focus on middle-of-funnel objectives.

• These content series’ are typically posted at a lower frequency (three to 12 per season).

• There’s more opportunity to use assets from these shoots for paid ads on team and or partner channels.

• When done right, this category produces some of the best sponsored content in the industry. Fifty percent of Sponsored Content of the Week selections came from this category (12-of-24).

The price range for this category has a high floor and a mid-to-high ceiling mainly driven by hard costs and paid social boosting.

Co-Created Content

The co-created category is content that wouldn’t be produced without a partner.

Co-created content typically includes partnership announcements, content stemming from player deals, product collabs, partner initiative support, and influencer campaigns. It also leans the heaviest into partner messaging.

As a result, this sponcon category must be handled with care. Co-created content has the highest risk of crossing the line into ad territory. When done incorrectly, it’s one of the biggest sources of conflict created between content and partnerships teams.

This can be done successfully (see examples below) but it requires a lot of thought in the pitch phase of how it will come to life. The description in the pitch has to be heavily detailed.

Examples:

• Liverpool FC x Carlsberg: Partnership Extension Announcement and corresponding Inked content series

• Golden State Warriors x Rakuten x Steph Curry: Black In Fashion Council collaboration

• Arsenal FC x Ball Corporation: Top Bins Challenge and Green Gooners Cup campaign

The goal is for co-created content to make up about 5% of your sold sponcon inventory.

The price range for this category has the highest floor and a high ceiling mainly driven by hard costs and owned costs.

The Takeaway
Each category has its place in a balanced sponcon strategy, guided by the team’s content goals, partner needs, and the value we deliver. Always tailor your approach, keeping the audience and authenticity front and center.

💼 CASE STUDY
Sponsored Content of the Week

Check out this awesome collaboration between Michelob ULTRA and Joshua Kelley of @HoleIn1TrickShots.

Right off the bat, it clicks because Michelob ULTRA lets Josh shine with his golf trick shots, effortlessly grabbing and keeping viewers’ attention.

The clever integration of product placement and the voiceover asking, “which Michelob ULTRA line would you take?” blends perfectly with the theme, avoiding any overt ad vibe.

I'm especially fond of how the sponcon cleverly shows that the direct line involves more risk compared to the seemingly tougher path.

The video generated 1.7M views (with 555K followers!) and 15.9K engagements.

But that's just scratching the surface.

Following the trick shot, Josh encourages viewers to check the caption for details on how to win a chance to join him at the PGA Championship.

By hitting the link in his bio, you’re sent to a slick, mobile-friendly experience to enter Michelob ULTRA’s Greenside Sweepstakes and explore other active sweeps across sports.

To participate, you’ll need to sign up, which instantly grants you an entry into the draw.

Michelob ULTRA goes the extra mile by offering additional entries for engaging tasks like following their social media, visiting their website, or sharing your golf experiences through a survey.

I love how much thought Michelob ULTRA put into this activation.

• They let the creator produce a concept he knew would resonate with his audience.

• They incentivized that audience (golf fans) to go off-platform and create an account with a relevant prize - building their CRM.

• They prioritized a mobile experience for the sweepstakes given users would be coming from a mobile app.

• They created additional opportunities to build and learn about their audience through extra entries.

• They extended the reach of their other in-market sweepstakes by creating a sweeps hub.

The Takeaway
This Michelob ULTRA and Joshua Kelley collaboration exemplifies how to craft a genuine and engaging marketing campaign that resonates with the audience through authentic content and strategic incentives.

By leveraging a seamless blend of entertainment, subtle product placement, and interactive sweepstakes, Michelob ULTRA not only amplifies its brand but also deepens its understanding of and connection with its audience.

This approach not only entertains but also encourages active participation, demonstrating the power of thoughtful, integrated marketing strategies.

🔍 SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

Love everything about the San Antonio Spurs’ Fan Art Fryday presented by Whataburger from the series name to the added layer of a UGC contest.

The Philadelphia Eagles dropped some great all-access content in partnership with Firstrust Bank of Saquon Barkley’s first 24 hours with the team.

Clever work from the New York Red Bulls using the Audi logo in the word “Gooooal” on scoring highlights.

An eye-popping 40M views and 1.6M+ engagements on this e&-sponsored post from Manchester City.

The Chicago Bulls turned their game-day graphic into a digital collectible (designed by Mike Fogg). Fans who attended the game could add the digital collectible to their Coinbase Wallet to get exclusive access to enter for the chance to win tickets and the opportunity to shoot hoops on the United Center court.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Must See App Update: The Philadelphia Eagles Mobile App’s Video Hub, which is presented by Pepsi, just got a refresh. I checked it out and I’m digging the new user experience. While you’re there, the Toyota Free Agency tracker is also worth a look!

NBL Games on TikTok: New Zealand’s NBL has signed a commercial deal to broadcast Wednesday night games live on TikTok. The 16 games will be globally streamed live on Sky Sports’ TikTok channel [h/t Chris Swadling].

MotoGP Is The Place To Be: If you are looking for long-term brand loyalty, you need to be looking at MotoGP. Silvia Schweiger makes the case for brand sponsorship of the sport with some impressive data.

Maximizing Longer Carousels: If you’re planning to give 15-card carousels a try, read this post from Lindsey Gamble first. A new comment feature on Instagram can help you produce more valuable conversations with your fans.

Boosted Views on X: Pinned posts on X will get boosted views. Cash in while the algorithm is in your favor.

Stat of the Week: According to Pew Research Center polling, American teens (ages 13-17) use YouTube more than TikTok (71% vs 58%), but they're more likely to scroll through TikTok almost constantly [Axios].