A culture of sustainable growth
In episode #326 of Unofficial Partner we spoke with Daniel Lambert, COO of Bohemian FC and Harry McCann of sponsor Dublin Bus. Bohemian FC is a member owned club from the Phisborough area of Dublin famous for its uncompromising stance on values. Having gone to the brink of insolvency with the prevailing commercial model for […]
Shared values in sponsorship
Looking for partners with shared values is a popular ambition these days, as rights-holders respond to increasingly values-conscious social audiences and the recognition that sustainability is less of a discretionary position. In episode #326 of Unofficial Partner we spoke with Daniel Lambert, COO of Bohemian FC and Harry McCann of Dublin Bus, a main sponsor […]
The sponsorship case for Green Football Weekend
The inaugural Green Football Weekend took place over the first weekend of February 2023 and cemented its fixture on the UK football calendar. Over 80 clubs took part in the inaugural GFW, including all the EPL, an amazing feat in itself – added to which the support of Sky and BT Sport made GFW1 unmissable. If it […]
Sponsorship perception : Coca-Cola & COP
The genie is out the bottle We weren’t alone in calling out the negative implications of Shell’s sponsorship of British Cycling last month – although perhaps in a small minority for taking a purely sponsorship lens to the issue. One reason for our focus on this story was our belief that public perception of sponsorship […]
British Cycling’s shell game
British Cycling and Shell’s announcement of their eight year sponsorship hasn’t landed well. According to the PR, British Cycling and Shell will share a commitment to ‘supporting Great Britain’s cyclists and para-cyclists through the sharing of world-class innovation and expertise; accelerating British Cycling’s path to net zero; and helping more – and wider groups of […]
Sponsorship’s transition to net zero
2022 was heralded as the year of action in our collective journey to net zero. Enough talking, time for action. And it’s true that we’re beginning to see larger actions from governments and corporates than in previous years, such as Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act. But what will sponsorship’s transition to net zero look like? […]
Getting your sponsorship to net zero
So, just to dispense with the pun, this isn’t about netting zero revenue. Net zero for sponsorship is a fairly simple ambition to describe for rightsholders: no sponsors who are major polluters, zero pollution through activation and ideally, positive environmental impact. This post is a simple kickstart to planning to minimise the carbon impact of […]
A bold vision for club activism
Allen Herschowitz, founder and president of the Green Sports Alliance, was early in identifying the potential of sport to play a leading role in addressing climate change. The ambition conjures up the image of fans across the world adopting more sustainable behaviours with the encouragement and support of their heroes. But is fan action the […]
Partnership with Purpose
This post, Partnership with Purpose, explores the implications for sponsorship and partnership practice in a landscape in which social and environmental action, and business contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals are increasingly important. A bit of historic context We’re so used to the concept of shareholder primacy that it’s strange to remember that the idea […]
Sponsorship, impact and ESG
Sponsorship, impact and ESG used to be very remote companions – but now there’s a large role for sponsorship in both communicating and delivering impact. Humans are creatures of habit. As a rule, we avoid change, anything which destabilises our existence – until the need becomes overwhelming. Burning platforms can be financial, existential, psychological but […]