Earlier this month, long time Newcastle Jets Commercial Director, Mark Duffield-Thomas, took the plunge and launched a new sports marketing and sponsorship consultancy named Win-Win Sponsorship.
“As marketing managers and brands put together their plans for 2016, more and more companies locally are investing in sports sponsorship to help drive brand awareness, customer engagement and business growth,” Mark said.
“It is an exciting time to be involved in sport both locally and nationally. In the Hunter we are privileged to have two national sporting teams, world class facilities and most importantly high levels of participation and engagement at a grassroots level.”
“Football in particular as the number one grassroots sport in Northern NSW offers many opportunities for local businesses to support our community and develop their business in 2016.”
After five years with the Newcastle Jets and Newcastle Knights and three years prior to that with the English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United, Mark believes he is uniquely placed to advise local companies and sporting organisations on creating, selling and activating valuable and impactful commercial partnerships.
“There are always cautionary tales with sponsorship, it can sometimes be difficult to measure, value and without the right insight and expertise it can be difficult to translate into a sound business investment, but done right sponsorship can be the rocket fuel your brand and business needs to go to the next level”.
With the Jets Mark worked with major businesses including the Greater Building Society, Beechwood Homes, nib health funds, Inspirations Paint, Varley Engineering and McDonalds.
“Whether it is a six figure national investment or supporting an aspiring young athlete with a few hundred dollars, partnerships in sport can be created to be win-win for the sport, the sponsor, the fans and the community – this is the real sweet spot where everyone wins and how I hope to help local and national sports organisations and brands.”
“Most importantly, I am passionate about helping sport to play a role in the emergence of Newcastle as a world class city. We are blessed to live in the Hunter and by working together we can put this region on the map as a destination for business, lifestyle and sport.”