According to the research institute, the five sectors that predominate in the properties of the uniforms of Latin American teams (with the exception of Brazil) are, in order: financial institutions, betting, automobiles, telecommunications and food.
In 2018, IBOPE Repucom released the first edition of the article “Why not here?” an unprecedented survey of global brands or those with continental relevance that invested in football sponsorship in Latin America, but which, for various reasons, did not do so in Brazil.
In 2020, the world was going through one of the most critical moments of the pandemic, waiting for the start of vaccination and trying to resume the competition calendar. Amid uncertainties regarding the regional and global economic scenario, the 2020 version of the study recorded a scenario of stability, both in volume and in the diversity of sponsoring brands of the largest clubs in the region.
Now, in 2022, still under the reconstruction of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company launches a new version of this article, in order to compare and analyze any changes and advances.
What has changed?
When looking at neighboring countries, we can say that 35% of the sponsors of the main Latin American clubs (except Brazil) in 2022 are new, and that of the total sponsors in 2020, 42% of them continued to sponsor the main clubs in the region in 2022.
Among the main clubs in Latin America, the five sectors that currently lead in volume of brand exposure in uniform are: 1st Financial Sector, 2nd Sports Betting, 3rd Automotive, 4th Telecommunications and 5th Food. Together, they represent 55% of brand appearances on the uniforms of the region's top clubs.
Just as a comparison, among the 20 Serie A clubs of the Brazilian Championship, the five sectors that currently lead in volume of brand exposure in uniform are: 1st Sports Betting, 2nd Financial Sector, 3rd Real Estate, Construction and Finishing, 4th Services Health and 5th Food. Together, they represent 58% of sponsor brand exposures on uniforms.
Sports betting sponsorship
The sports betting segment was the one that developed the most in the last two years in Latin America. In comparison with 2020, the sector gained seven positions and currently ranks second among the sectors with the highest volume of brand exposure among the main football clubs in the region.
In 2020, sports betting brands accounted for only 19 appearances in uniforms, and today they total 40, most of them in the “master front” property, the most noble position of the uniform. The sports betting sector is present in almost all Latin American countries with the exception of Uruguay and Bolivia, which currently have more restrictive legislation on the subject.
As a comparison in Brazil, the sector's growth stands out, since "Sports Betting" has the highest volume of brand appearances on Serie A clubs' uniforms. Two years ago, the sector was represented by 16 exhibitions, today are 24 among the elite teams of national football. Since 2020, the sector has gained two positions and reached the first place in the volume of brands exposed in Brazilian football elite uniforms.
Arthur Bernardo Neto, director of IBOPE Repucom, comments that “in Latin America, the sponsorship potential that clubs offer is notorious, especially when we look at the medium-term horizon, both for brands/sectors and for sponsorship activities, or either local or global. Therefore, looking at the entire region helps us understand the peculiarities and trends of each market, as well as identifying new opportunities for sponsors and sponsors.”
What about Sports Betting?
Due to the relevance and rise of the sector in the last two years in volume of exposure of brands among the main Latin American clubs, we have organized an additional map, only with advertisers in this segment. Brazil is the country with the greatest variety of players among the main football teams.
Other sponsorship keys in Latin America (except Brazil)
1- The Financial Sector still leads in volume of branded applications on the uniforms of the main clubs in Latin America, with banks such as Pichincha, Vision and Bank of Palestine, as well as companies in the insurance, digital wallets, credit, etc.
3 – The Automotive sector recorded slight growth and occupies the third position among the segments with the most brand appearances. Advertisers present in the uniforms of the main teams in the region such as: Renault, Changan, Cherry, Chevrolet, Suzuki, Mazda, DAF, DFSK, MG, Foton, Hyundai, JAC, Jetour, Ssangyong, UAZ, Bridgestone and Mobil. Even though many of these brands have operations in Brazil, and our market is bigger and more attractive, no brand in this segment is currently present on the uniforms of Brazilian clubs.
4 – The Telecommunications sector, despite having dropped two positions compared to 2020 in terms of brand volume, remained among the five sectors with the highest volume of sponsorships in the region. Companies such as Antel (Uruguay), Movistar (Chile), DIRECTV (Chile and Ecuador), Tigo (Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia), Telcel (Mexico), AT&T (Mexico). In Brazil, we only have TIM as a uniform sponsor in football clubs, even so in properties with less uniform exposure.
5 – Other segments that stood out are Health Services, which during these two years doubled the number of brand exhibitions, a possible reflection of the health crisis of recent years. Today, this sector has 20 insertions in the uniforms of the main Latin American clubs, including medical agreements, laboratories, health plans, pharmacies and pharmaceutical laboratories.
6 – The Technology segment achieved significant growth and conquered six positions in this list. The sector continues to sponsor clubs both in Brazil and in other Latin American countries. Another similar segment was the Delivery Service, which in 2020 was not even included in the survey and today has nine brands on uniforms from the main clubs in Latin America.
7 – The Airline sector recorded a slight reduction compared to 2020. The segment stopped sponsoring clubs in some countries in the period, such as Qatar Airways at Boca Juniors (Argentina). Companies that remain present in the uniforms of clubs in the region: Air Europa (Argentina), Turkish Airlines (Argentina), Avior Airlines (Venezuela) and Boa (Bolivia).
8 – The Home Appliances segment continues to show an evolution in the volume of brand appearances. In the other Latin American countries, the sector grew 67% compared to 2020.
9 – The Alcoholic Beverages sector maintains significant relevance in the region, and represents 8% of the total share, which represents 29 brand exhibitions on the uniforms of the main Latin American clubs. In Brazil, it only works with sponsorships on other fronts, other than the uniform, for legal reasons.
Source: IBOPE Repucom
