How Planning Like A Brand Drives Revenue

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

A single editing effect is quietly becoming one of the most versatile storytelling tools in sports sponsorship.

Who knew so much sponcon potential could come from…the zoom?! Several great examples have popped up lately.

It started with Scottish Rugby and Skyscanner—a duo known for clever highlight edits (see Intro Breakdown of ‘24’s best digital partnerships). Their latest SkyZoom series captures the story of the match through aerial shots, pairing the name and visuals perfectly with the brand. The result? Eye-catching, memorable content that stands out in feeds.

Back in the States, the Portland Trail Blazers used a zoom theme to highlight game-night elements at Moda Center. The caption — “Anyone else got the zoomies for tonight?” — sparked an idea for brand targeting. Could you use that zoom effect — even in something like the Scottish Rugby example — and pair it with a dog-focused brand? The tie-in: Zoomies.

You could also take the concept literally and focus on zooming through product features. The ICC showcased the Google Pixel 10’s 100x Pro Res Zoom by taking fans to the highest point of DY Patil Stadium.

And while we’re talking Pixel, it’s hard to forget House of Highlights’ best-in-class Instagram Story takeover (see “Sponsored Content of the Week”) from the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament — a seamless showcase of the Pixel 8’s top features, including its zoom power.

Even a simple camera move can become a brand story. Who knows? Your next digital partnership could just be a zoom away.

In Today’s Edition:

• Plan Early, Win Big 🤝 

• Sky High Storytelling 🛫

• High Stakes Hockey 🪙

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
Why Planning Like A Brand Pays Off

Last week I was in London for Speakers Only, a sports industry event hosted by Andy Marston and the Sports Pundit community.

As the name implies, I wasn’t just attending — I was speaking. I joined Paola Marinone, Jamie Pollitt, Ladi Ogunmekan, and Rob Pilgrim on a panel exploring one question:

Today, I’m sharing my answer — and why I think it applies to every team looking to elevate their partnerships strategy.

1. Plan Like a Brand, Not a Team

One of the biggest challenges across the sports industry is that teams market reactively instead of proactively.

All too often, “sellable” moments — like a theme night, new campaign, or schedule release — are handed to the partnerships team just weeks before launch. Sometimes those ideas don’t come with full activation plans, and yet they’re priced at a premium.

The problem? Brands are planning quarters — even years — in advance.

When we hand them ideas last minute, a few things tend to happen:

• Partners dictate details. With parts of the campaign still TBD, brands may request elements that don’t align with your goals — or worse, they’re asked to fill in the blanks themselves.

• Credibility slips. If sellers can’t answer logistical questions, it hurts confidence and momentum in the deal.

• Pricing erodes. When a partner balks at short timelines, teams often cut prices. That can make the asset look overvalued, or leave revenue short of target.

2. Work on Brand Timelines

To fix this, teams need to plan at least six months ahead — matching brand timelines, not just their own.

When you plan early, you:

• Build proactive collaboration across departments

• Identify the strongest assets to sell

• Equip your partnerships team to lead with expertise

That kind of preparation builds partner trust, maximizes revenue, and removes friction across the process.

Let’s be honest — sports are unpredictable, but the structure of a season isn’t. You already know the beats: season opener, rivalry games, milestones, All-Star, playoffs, drafts, and more.

So plan accordingly.

3. Build the Calendar

Here’s what proper planning looks like:

• A six-month activation calendar built around key tentpoles

• Cross-department collaboration in concept development

• Comprehensive deliverables and platform details for every idea

• Sales decks equipped with fully built pitches — not placeholders

Proactive planning gives every initiative a clear purpose and direction — helping your team define objectives, set goals, and establish success metrics before you even start selling.

4. Prepare to Move Fast

Of course, not everything can be planned.

As Jamie Pollitt, Founder and Director of Rising Ballers, smartly pointed out during the panel — teams still need to be nimble. You have to react quickly when new opportunities arise, or when situations shift unexpectedly.

But here’s the thing: proper preparation unlocks agility.

When you already know your brand, goals, and success metrics — and your partner’s too — you can instantly evaluate new ideas. You’ll know whether to pursue them, how to position them, and how to defend your POV.

That confidence is what lets you act fast.

In real-time moments, the biggest advantage isn’t creativity — it’s speed to feed. Every second matters. The more you’ve prepared, the easier it is to move decisively when those moments hit.

5. Putting It Into Practice

At the Chicago White Sox, we partnered with Nike to produce a five-part YouTube docuseries on All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson — one of Nike’s athletes. The series was scheduled to drop at the start of spring training in — the perfect moment to reignite fan excitement ahead of the 2022 season.

Because we started planning early (during 2021 season), every department had a seat at the table — partnerships, social, video, design, marketing, and comms. That collaboration helped us build a true campaign: mapped-out content capture, production, and release timelines, plus tease, trailer, activation, and sustain phases.

Then came the curveball: the CBA expired, and MLB entered a lockout. Overnight, we couldn’t share any content featuring players — including Tim Anderson — from December 1, 2021 through March 10, 2022.

But because we’d planned so far ahead, we were ready. We had contingency plans for every possible timeline, and we stayed in constant contact with Nike, delivering updated rollout scenarios based on when the lockout might end. When baseball finally resumed, we were able to move fast — aligning creative, approvals, and publishing on a tighter schedule without sacrificing quality or impact.

Once the docuseries launched, our team built momentum around fan reactions in real time. One Instagram post highlighting fan comments became one of the top-performing assets of the campaign.

The results: +3,100 new YouTube subscribers (4th-highest growth in MLB), 203,000+ video views, and 24,000+ hours watched — the most-viewed content series on White Sox YouTube (at that time).

The Takeaway

Planning like a brand doesn’t slow you down — it gives you the structure to move faster, smarter, and with purpose.

When teams plan on brand timelines, they build partner trust, maximize revenue, and remove friction across the process. It’s not about creating more work — it’s about creating more clarity, alignment, and confidence on both sides of the partnership.

Sports will always be unscripted. Your partnership strategy shouldn’t be.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

The Jacksonville Jaguars nailed their Atlas Air integration with a behind-the-scenes explainer on how team travel works. After this concept took off (see “Commercial Travle vs NFL Travel”) last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s great to see another team pair the format with a perfectly aligned sponsor.

Speaking of product placement, the Real Madrid Women’s Team teamed up with BMW for a speed and reflex challenge.

Here’s a new (to me) concept for the casino category! The New Jersey Devils are running a Golden Goal sweepstakes with PlayStar Casino, giving fans a shot at $10,000 if the Devils score between the 10:30 and 10:00 mark in the second period of home games. The name alone makes it a great fit for hockey and soccer teams.

Juventus brought financial flair to their Key Stats series, spotlighting standout player performances with sponsor Football Exchange — complete with stock-style graphics showing each player’s value rising as if it appeared on the ticker.

The Sacramento Kings opened their Kings Cup Nights series with ampm by challenging players to a round of Is It Cake? — featuring team-branded tumblers to put the cup in Cup Nights.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Pitch Perfect Dreams: Juventus debuted Future Stars, a Creator Lab original series made in collaboration with EA SPORTS FC and Rising Ballers. The show follows young Bianconeri players in the Premier League International Cup as they chase their dreams — on and off the pitch.

Football Flies United: Alyssa Meyers explored how social media “tarmac threads” inspired United Airlines’ latest campaign — one designed to channel the look and feel of a high-fashion magazine [via Marketing Brew].

Stat of the Week: A Morgan Stanley Research study shows that the sports industry, which is lagging other sectors in technology adoption, could increase its annual revenue by 25% if it closes that digital gap. A must-read packed with insights on where innovation meets opportunity.

Racing Rewards Loyalty: Brandon Burgess, a London-based F1 fan who’s attended every race on a budget and shared the journey via @full.time.formula, was rewarded with Formula 1’s first-ever “season ticket.” Courtesy of Heineken, he and a guest will have access to all 24 races in 2026 [via Silvia Schweiger].

Content Gameplan Evolution: PREM Rugby partnered with award-winning production company Whisper to launch a bold, athlete-led content strategy. Whisper will drive creative development, open new partnership opportunities, and deliver innovative storytelling. To maximize reach, they’ve teamed up with 53Six for YouTube strategy, channel management, and optimization.

2K League Relaunch: Basketball creator Jesser has been named the Honorary Commissioner of the relaunched 2K League. NBA players and creators will represent 2K teams, and fans can also join in. Games are now streaming live on Twitch.