College Footwear, Apparel, and Equipment Sponsorships
Few relationships are as central to a college athletic department’s identity as the relationship with a footwear, apparel, and equipment partner. Partnerships with companies like Nike, adidas, and Under Armour not only help to shape a school’s image, but they can also be a critical source of revenue. From the companies’ perspective, college partnerships can play a key role in their overall sports marketing strategy.
As media exposure for college football and basketball has grown dramatically over the last 20 years, so has the value of sponsorships for top college programs.
Compensation for that exposure primarily takes the form of cash, product, and royalties, but can also include elements such as company stock and marketing activation commitments. Athletic departments and manufacturers are often faced with tradeoffs as they evaluate how each form of compensation addresses their needs and priorities.
Despite the overall upward trend, schools faced challenges in recent years due to changing competitive bidding dynamics among suppliers. The market is unique in that traditionally there have only been three or four potential suppliers, each with its own distinct set of priorities, motivations, and financial circumstances. This can lead individual suppliers to place dramatically different values on a given school’s sponsorship rights.
Understanding where a particular school fits in the overall sports marketing landscape, the timing in approaching the market relative to competitors, and the financial position of potential partners all come into play in determining the value schools generate from these partnerships. As athletic departments face increasing short- and long-term budgetary pressures, maximizing the value of their footwear, apparel and equipment sponsorship rights is a key step towards financial sustainability.
Please take a moment to browse our site for a more comprehensive look at all of our related valuation services from Sports Franchises to Sports Media Rights and more. Please contact us for more information.
College Footwear, Apparel, and Equipment Sponsorships
College Footwear, Apparel, and Equipment Sponsorships
Market Overview and Outlook
February 1, 2022
Few relationships are as central to a college athletic department’s identity as the relationship with a footwear, apparel, and equipment partner. Partnerships with companies like Nike, adidas, and Under Armour not only help to shape a school’s image, but they can also be a critical source of revenue. From the companies’ perspective, college partnerships can play a key role in their overall sports marketing strategy.
As media exposure for college football and basketball has grown dramatically over the last 20 years, so has the value of sponsorships for top college programs. Compensation for that exposure primarily takes the form of cash, product, and royalties, but can also include elements such as company stock and marketing activation commitments. Athletic departments and manufacturers are often faced with tradeoffs as they evaluate how each form of compensation addresses their needs and priorities.
Despite the overall upward trend, schools faced challenges in recent years due to changing competitive bidding dynamics among suppliers. The market is unique in that traditionally there have only been three or four potential suppliers, each with its own distinct set of priorities, motivations, and financial circumstances. This can lead individual suppliers to place dramatically different values on a given school’s sponsorship rights.
Understanding where a particular school fits in the overall sports marketing landscape, the timing in approaching the market relative to competitors, and the financial position of potential partners all come into play in determining the value schools generate from these partnerships. As athletic departments face increasing short- and long-term budgetary pressures, maximizing the value of their footwear, apparel and equipment sponsorship rights is a key step towards financial sustainability.
Please take a moment to browse our site for a more comprehensive look at all of our related valuation services from Sports Franchises to Sports Media Rights and more. Please contact us for more information.