Research shows sponsorship spend has increased in 2022, rising to 21.3 percent of total marketing budget, compared to 19 percent last year. This data provides a reaffirmation of the year’s positive trend bolstering stakeholder confidence. 

The Nielsen 2022 Sponsorship Outlook Survey is conducted to assist Australian and New Zealand agencies in building better sponsorship strategies. It takes input from leading brands, agencies and rightsholders, and generates comprehensive data identifying the key trends most likely to impact the industry in 2023 and beyond.

The Nielsen 2022 Sponsorship Outlook Survey identified key opportunities for sport sponsorship and brand growth.

Head of Nielsen Sports for Pacific, Scott Gillham says, “Encouragingly, it shows increased positivity and optimism from all stakeholders – a sign the industry has found its feet again – and continues to grow after a challenging couple of years.”

Gillham adds, “While sponsorship investment continues to grow, it’s still not quite at pre-COVID levels, and revenue growth for rightsholders could also be better, so we’ve placed particular focus on key growth opportunities beneficial to all stakeholders, and areas where efficiencies and ROI can be improved.”

The survey also highlighted the increasing importance of brand impact and independent research, which was up by 25 percent. Regarding the measurement of partnerships performance, the results suggest accurate sponsorship ROI measurement has become a must-have.

Additionally, Nielsen’s data covers cryptocurrency, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and the metaverse. It also identifies significant growth opportunities and solutions to make sponsorship investment more efficient, including key emerging categories, plus a list of the top five greatest misalignments between brands and rightsholders.