Maximize Your Sports Partnership With Digital IP Rights

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

It’s official: Instagram doesn’t downrank content marked as sponsored. This update comes straight from Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri.

Instagram is the latest platform to provide this clarity [h/t Lindsey Gamble]. TikTok dispelled the myth that using the Branded Content Toggle affects video performance and YouTube clarified that marking videos as Paid Promotions doesn’t impact their algorithmic ranking

So, no more blaming the Paid Partnership Tool when content flops. As I’ve said from the start, sponsored content doesn’t suck—bad content sucks. We need to treat sponsored content and unsponsored content the same.

And it’s okay if some content doesn’t land. Given how much sports accounts post, occasional misses are inevitable—especially when testing new ideas. Those "misses" are valuable learning opportunities.

Going forward, let’s dig deeper into why something didn’t work, instead of attributing it to disclosing sponsorships.

In Today’s Edition:

• How To Maximize IP Rights 📈

• 49ers Spill The Beans ☕️

• England Rugby’s Graphics In Motion 🏉 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
Are You Wasting Money With Unused Digital IP?

The number one asset that’s most underutilized in sports digital partnerships is brand partners’ access to online rights to logos and marks.

Whether it’s the only digital asset a brand gets in a partnership, or it’s one of many, it’s too valuable to be forgotten. Digital IP is a great tool for brands to build an association with a team beyond rights holders’ channels. They give brands a chance to take more ownership of the partnership and carry that fandom to their channels.

Not using these rights is not only a huge mistake, but also a waste of money.

While technically it’s the brand’s responsibility to figure out how to activate digital IP, rights holders need to do a better job of encouraging and educating their partners about how to put this valuable asset to good use.

Information about how to activate digital IP should be provided both during the pitch, onboarding, and resurfaced should those rights be inactive during the season.

It’s mutually beneficial and in the spirit of good partnership. When brands actually use online rights, the rights holder’s brand shows up in more places allowing them to reach new audiences.

Here’s what brands and rights holders can do to ensure they maximize this pivotal asset for digital partnerships.

Digital IP Rules

Before you come up with any ideas, you need to understand the do’s and don’ts of online rights to logos and marks.

Brands should ask these questions during the pitch and no later than onboarding.

• Are there any geo-restrictions on where I can use the marks?

• Are there any differences in how marks can be used based on the medium or content type (organic vs paid)?

• If I have rights to marks, can I run a sweepstakes on my own channels?

• What usage of your rights has to be approved by the team, if at all?

• If rights holder approval is needed for usage, how long does the review take? Does it differ based on the type of usage (social posts vs banner ads, etc)?

• Can we expect rights holder engagement when online rights are activated (e.g. like, comment, share a social post)? If so, when?

Online rights to logos and marks differ by league. For example, NBA team partnerships allow you to target audiences within 150 miles of the arena, that number is 75 miles for NHL teams, and MLB teams can target anyone within their television territory.

You must have clarity on the rules with each new partnership you enter.

Digital IP Resources

Purchasing digital IP does not entitle brands to get produced content or access to players from the rights holder. You’ll need to pay more for that.

That said, there are a few resources rights holders can provide for you that can help your digital rights activation and require minimal effort on their end.

Here’s what you need to ask for:

Rights Holder Brand Guidelines

Typically every time rights holders’ marks are used, they’ll need to review it.

Brand guidelines will tell you how logos and marks can show up. They should be shared with your creative team to avoid major redesign moments before activation.

Influencer and Creator List

Searching for influencers and creators takes a lot of time. Why not make that search easier?

If you have any plans of using influencers or creators to be included in (or to produce) content connected to this partnership, you should ask the rights holder for access to their influencer and creator list.

Everyone may not be a fit for your brand, but, you’ll now know who has an authentic connection to the rights holder, which is half the battle when searching for talent in association with this partnership.

In addition to getting the list, be sure It includes contact information (to save time) as well as their rates (to make sure you don’t overpay or underpay). When reaching out to these influencers and creators, be sure to mention they came recommended by the rights holder, which will improve the relationship for all parties involved - and may even help with deliverables negotiation.

On the flip side, make sure the rights holder shares the names of anyone who is blacklisted from working with them.

For paid media, Google Ads now allows advertisers to create remarketing lists based on viewers of specific YouTube creator videos. Target YouTube creators’ audiences provided by the rights holder since you know a partnership-based campaign could resonate with them.

Note: Creators don’t only need to be used for sponsored content. Check out Lia Haberman’s ICYMI newsletter for 10 new ways to work with creators in 2025.

Current and Former Player Agent Contact Information

If you want to add a player deal to the partnership ask for agents’ contact information for current or former, retired players.

While rights holders can’t facilitate these partnerships, they can at least put you a step closer to conversations with agents. Plus, they can help you decide who may be best for the deliverables you need. Most rights holders have former, retired players on the payroll. That group could be your best bet for a partnership as they are actively in good standing with the rights holder.

Freelancer List

Even though most rights holders have in-house creative teams, they frequently utilize freelancers for projects. They have a network of contacts, especially locally.

Not only do these freelancers come recommended by the team, but they may also have experience capturing content that matches the rights holder’s brand guidelines.

Tap into this resource if you need help capturing or producing content for your own channels.

Media List

Get this list from the rights holder’s public relations team. This can help with outreach for a partnership-focused earned media strategy. These contacts could have a history of covering the team and could give your brand better odds of coverage.

This could also inform your paid media targeting strategy and help you understand where the rights holders’ audience is.

Brand Partner Contact Information

Working with mutual rights holder brand partners is a great way to activate online rights to marks in a way that’s relevant to fans.

You could create a product collab, like Home Run Inn did with Garrett Popcorn at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field.

Or if your brand doesn’t have a product that can be easily delivered to fans (or your brand is in the B2B space), tap a mutual brand partner to help with activation.

For example, with Toyota Gameday Giveaways season-long sweepstakes, the auto brand sometimes uses Uber Eats and SiriusXM products - both NFL partners - for prizing.

These relationships can help facilitate relationships between the businesses for partnerships of their own.

Note: Check out last week’s edition of JohnWallStreet for a deeper dive into how co-branded partnerships present new revenue opportunities for brands.

If it were up to me, rightsholders would deliver these resources to their brand partners proactively as part of a welcome packet of partnership information.

Digital IP Recommendations

Here are some of my favorite ways to activate baseline digital IP rights—no rights-holder content creation, player deals, or sweepstakes required.

Organic Social Media

Brands should approach rights-holder integration the same way rights-holders integrate brand partners: focus on matching audience expectations.

As a brand, you likely won’t dedicate your accounts solely to promoting the partnership. Regionality also matters—is a local team partnership relevant to your national audience?

The best approach is to create or leverage episodic content that stays relevant to your audience and allows for seamless integration.

Example: Hotels.com Perfect 10 Series x Arsenal Episode (See Sponsored Content of the Week).

If applicable, consider filming content in your branded space within the rights holder’s venue for a man-on-the-street series that taps into the live fan base.

A dedicated social media account for the partnership is another option, though I’d recommend this only for long-term deals and if your team is staffed to support another channel.

Examples: M&T Bank x Buffalo Bills (@mtb_bills), Santander x Scuderia Ferrari (@formulasantander).

Paid Media

This is essential. You’re paying for access to rights holders’ logos and marks, likely a key reason for the partnership.

Run a season-long campaign offering fans game day discounts, or take a reactive approach with a trigger offer the day after wins.

Pro Tip: You don’t need to specifically target rights-holder fans to integrate them into your strategy. Use ad copy and creative (with logos and marks) that appeals to those fans, casting a wider net. Then, build a custom audience of anyone who engages for future campaigns.

Note: If the offer isn’t exclusive to fans, add fan-tailored ads to your current collections to see if this targeting is impactful for your audience.

Mobile App

Like paid media, create geotargeted offers (discounts, triggers) within your app, and pair them with targeted push notifications to drive awareness and engagement.

For example, Dunkin’s BOGO last October celebrated its partnership with the New York Jets and Giants. Also, consider a prediction game within the app to give fans a chance to win rewards.

Email

Similar to organic social media, launch a series that resonates with your audience and incorporates a rights-holder twist.

For a financial brand, teach customers how to save for season tickets based on actual costs. Travel brands can create guides with sports partnerships as featured destinations within a given area.

This is also a good medium to alert your audience about rights holder-related offers.

Link Loyalty Programs

If both your brand and the rights-holder have loyalty programs, let fans link them for joint points accumulation.

Example: Delta Air Lines x Starbucks.

Website

Showcase the IP on your website with testimonials and case studies.

How did the partnership boost the rights holder’s business? Improve fan experience? Contribute to community impact? These insights can elevate brand perception and credibility, especially for B2B brands.

SMS

Ask your audience if they’re interested in rights-holder-focused content or offers. This can enhance segmentation for your CRM.

🔍 SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

I’m bookmarking this San Francisco 49ers x Peet’s Coffee content series name for future coffee category inspiration.

UCONN Women’s basketball had some fun with their equipment managers (Michael’s Jewelers) ahead of last week’s season tipoff.

Placing a branded center bar in vertical video is prime for integration. Check out this great example via The Joel Klatt Show and Hampton by Hilton. The Chicago Bears used a similar approach with Dr. Pepper for Instagram Stories locker room clips last year.

More brands are turning static graphics into dynamic videos. England Rugby gave it a try with O2 Tune-In Announcements on Instagram Reels.

Dude Perfect nailed it, giving partner BODYARMOR a boost with their take on Chris Matthews’ (@LethalShooter) gummy bear shot from NBA Range.

NFL teams are innovating with their SONY partnerships this season. The Jacksonville Jaguars shared a “day in the life” with their videographer, while the Detroit Lions took fans behind the lens from their game against the Green Bay Packers. I’d love to try Juventus’s approach for SONY, capturing top moments through a camera’s viewfinder.

Finally, on the B2B front, Riddell Sports gave a cool behind-the-scenes look at what happens to a player’s helmet during a trade, featuring recently traded Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Cards And Connection: This week, I discovered Tim Hortons’ Hockey Card Trade Nights—a program created to bring the community together through a shared love of hockey and help collectors complete their sets. I love how Tim Hortons used their Vancouver Canucks partnership as a marketing channel for this initiative, spotlighting an event that’s directly relevant to the team’s fans and presented in a content piece that truly captured their attention.

Verizon Access: Verizon’s revamped NFL strategy is all about experiences [by Alyssa Meyers, Marketing Brew].

Cavs Coffee Table Book: Cleveland Cavaliers Art Director, Bailey Mincer, printed a book recapping the team’s work last season. This would make an incredible season ticket holder gift or a physical extension of a digital partnership, like the #ShotOnSony campaign mentioned above.

Branding Through Sports: How CMOs choose athletes and sporting events to sponsor [by Kimberly A. Whitler, Forbes].

AI-Driven Fan Engagement: NFL VP of Marketing Technology and Consumer Products, Chi Ogbuehi sat down for a Q&A, touching on how the league is enhancing fan engagement through AI and data-driven personalization across global markets [by Cydney Lee, ADWEEK].