Analyzing the effectiveness of sports sponsoring using neuroscience

For our client in the banking industry that is also a soccer sponsor, we used our neuroscientific methods to identify the most successful location of sponsoring ads during soccer matches. In addition, we investigated whether or not the perceived ads actually have an effect on the brand’s image and generated insights on general associations that are predominant with our client’s brand. Plus, we benchmarked the sponsoring effect against competitors.

How did we do it?

To investigate the effects of sports sponsoring, participants with an interest in soccer were recruited and equipped with EEG and eye tracking devices to align brain signals with gaze directions. We evaluated which ads caught their (unconscious) attention, whether a motivation-to-buy was evoked by the respective sponsoring location, and how the sponsoring influenced their overall brand perception. Subsequently, Deloitte NeedSphere was applied to determine implicit associations of the participants with the client’s brand in direct comparison to competing brands. 

Which value can we create for you and your business?

Neuroscientific methods help you to assess marketing effectiveness by quantifying and analyzing your audiences’ perception on out-of-home advertisement such as locations of ads and logos in sports sponsoring. This includes not only findings about whether your ads and sports sponsoring locations attract the attention of your target group – thus if it is effective – but also to understand what is unconsciously associated with it and whether the associations drive or hinder your target group’s buying motivation. This helps you to effectively optimize your marketing campaigns to evoke your desired customer action or perception and drive return on ad spend (ROAS) as well as sales and revenues. 

Did you know that our brain communicates with the help of electric signals?

The universal language of our brain is electricity. Our brain is made out of various variants of neurons which build a strongly connected network. By sending small electric signals, neurons communicate with each other. By varying the frequency of the electric signals, different processes are encoded.We differentiate between five frequency bands. With an EEG we do not only measure the frequencies but also their changes and in which brain region they are active. This allows to draw conclusions about motivational states, arousal, and confusion, amongst others.