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Welcome to the Scout Newsletter, an exploration into the data behind the Australian Sport and Sponsorship Landscape.

This Week in Sponsorship is a weekly wrap up of the latest deals and renewals with a special focus on the Deal of the Week.

The Scouting Report is a monthly long-form deep-dive covering topics of interest to the sponsorship industry. Check out previous articles 

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9th October 2024

Deal of the week

NRL x Red Bull

Brand: Red Bull

HQ: Global

Category: Energy Drink

Deal type: New

Tier: Official (3)

Context: The NRL has announced iconic international brand Red Bull as the official energy drink partner of the NRL and NRLW from 2025. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the partnership between two leading and exciting brands was a natural fit and would span multiple elements of the sport including the NRL and NRLW Premierships, Men’s and Women’s Origin, Rugby League Las Vegas and the All Stars contests.

A deeper dive on the Soft Drinks category:

• Category tension: The Soft Drink Category is generally characterised by the battle between Coca Cola (also owning Powerade) and Pepsi (owning Gatorade).

• For Energy Drinks specifically, Monster Energy sponsors AFL, while V Energy has deals with the Eagles and Strikers.

• Deal distribution: Many deals are at the “all of code” level - for example, Pepsi / Gatorade partners AFL and every Club, while Coca-Cola / Powerade partners NRL and Clubs. Meanwhile Schweppes has multiple deals across Horse Racing.

• Market moves: Red Bull has recently exited sponsorships with Supercars, Melbourne Demons and Port Adelaide. Rather than a strategy to wind down, it has instead re-deployed its activity into a larger deal with the NRL.

• Complementing current activity: After recent exits, Red Bull’s current (prior to NRL deal) sponsorship exposure (across major leagues and teams) comes from the Australian GP. Audience interest skews towards Victoria, and the event date in March. This nicely complements NRL’s audience profile, which skews towards heartland States NSW and QLD, through the period after the Australian GP. The new deal thus helps Red Bull remain active year-round, and across the Eastern seaboard.

• Other benefits: Moreover, Red Bull enters a sport with no clutter from other Energy Drink partners, reaching fans at a key time to compete with Monster’s deal with AFL. Las Vegas activity also helps the brand show its international presence.

For a full breakdown of the Soft Drinks category, or for a different look at what’s going on in sponsorship, drop us a note.

For creative insight on the deal announcement, check out Notice’s wrap-ups of things worth noticing in sport:

Other notable deals

NEW

🎾 The Australian Open has announced a multi-year partnership with waterdrop. As the Official Bottle Partner, the hydration company will provide reusable stainless-steel bottles to players, their teams and employees of the Australian Open and Summer of Tennis events

🏉 The Blues (Super Rugby) have joined forces with the world’s largest privately-owned independent insurance broker, Lockton, signing a three-year partnership deal.

⚽️ Auckland FC have brought on real estate behemoth Barfoot & Thompson as a partner and will display the brand’s logo on the players’ shorts.

⚽️ Family-owned Vamp Cranes announced as back-of-shirt sponsor for Adelaide United Men’s ISUZU-UTE A-League away shirt for the next two seasons.

⚽️ The Central Coast Mariners have announced a new partnership with the NSW Government’s Reclaim the Game initiative. Under the new partnership, the Mariners will turn down sports betting sponsorships and eliminate sports betting advertising at home games.

⚽️ East Coast Car Rentals has announced a partnership with the Newcastle Jets, becoming the club’s exclusive rental car partner and provider.

RENEWALS

🏀 AAMI will remain as the NBL’s Official General Insurance Partner for two more years.

🏉 Waste management company URM will upgrade their long-term relationship with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles by returning as the new Major Partner for the next 3 years. They will replace PointsBet.

🏀 The Sydney Kings have confirmed the renewal of its deal with the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park for the 2024/2025 season, returning as the club's official accommodation partner for the seventh year running.

🏀 The Sydney Kings have announced that Pringles is back for a second season as the team’s official Salty Snack Partner.

🏇 The Victoria Racing Club has renewed its long-standing partnership with TCL Electronics Australia, a global leader in consumer electronics, for an additional three years.

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