Vienna Brands Talk: Strong brands in the sports environment
At the invitation of Vallon Relations & Coaching GmbH, a high-profile panel discussion took place at Mooncity Vienna on Kärntner Straße in Vienna. The topic of the evening was "From Sponsorship Strategy to Brand Positioning and Brand Management." Participants included representatives from A1, Volksbank, Wiener Austria, and Snowsports Academy.
The evening began with a conversation between host Dr. Ralph Vallon and Dr. Wolfgang Hötschl, business coach and Manner supervisory board member. Dr. Hötschl shared his sponsorship philosophy: "I agree with Warren Buffett, who says: 'Never buy a stock you're not prepared to hold for 10 years.' In other words: Don't sponsor anything you're not prepared to be involved with for 10 years." Hötschl also has strong ties to sports. During his 24 years as CEO of Kelly's, he established, among other things, the snack giant's successful ice hockey sponsorship of the Vienna Capitals. And now, at Manner, ski jumping is the focus of their sponsorship activities.
The first item on the agenda of the panel discussion was the situation in skiing. "Even though the ski industry is recovering after the years of the pandemic, it isn't powerful enough to sponsor large events. Therefore, organizers are dependent on external sponsors," reported Martin Dolezal, CEO of Wiener Snowsports GmbH, which is responsible for training 3,000 ski and snowboard instructors. He echoed Hötschel's sentiments: "For success, it's crucial that these are partnerships based on equality, lasting at least five years, in order to build a recognizable identity."
On snow and on sand
Marco Harfmann, Director of Marketing Communications at A1 Telekom Austria, explained what this looks like in practice. “We just celebrated the 25th anniversary of our partnership with the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV). Generally speaking, for our involvement in sports, since our product is intangible, emotions play a crucial role in our communication – because sports are about winning, and that perfectly aligns with our philosophy. Skiing is also about speed, just like our technology.”
That A1 also has a lasting presence in other areas was confirmed by another participant in the discussion, drawing on his many years of experience: Reinhard Lischka, Tournament Director of the ACTS Group and thus responsible for the annual beach volleyball highlights, formerly in Klagenfurt and since 2017 in Vienna. "Our collaboration began in 1998, back then with BeFree and Aon. A1 has been our partner since 2001." Lischka sees this as a significant point: "We have to constantly reinvent ourselves. This year, for the A1 Beach European Championships, we're completely redesigning our VIP area. It will be very colorful and vibrant."
Women's sports, diversity, inclusion
Staying ahead of the curve is essential for football clubs, explained Johannes Dobretsberger, Head of Marketing & Sales at FK Austria Wien: “Football is a very dynamic environment, but I see great opportunities and potential for shaping it. With our academy, youth teams, our own women's team, and our focus on diversity and inclusion of people with special needs, we want to send positive messages to our sponsors.” Another important point: “With the Generali Arena, we've invested in something that brings us obligations. Therefore, we want to use it much more, for example, with the Vienna Vikings from American football. After all, the stadium is a place for people to come together.”
Sabrina Oswald, Managing Director of Futura, the agency she co-founded and which specializes in brand storytelling, positioning, and marketing, described the diverse opportunities that sports sponsorship offers even for smaller companies. "What's new in sports is that it's no longer just about success and failure, but also about issues like racism, as demonstrated by the incidents in the Spanish La Liga surrounding Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr., or about transgender issues, as seen in athletics," said Oswald, who is also Deputy Chair of the Sports Division at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. "Companies can position themselves very effectively and intelligently in these areas. This also applies, for example, to the broad topic of the Sustainable Development Goals."
Last but not least, Wolfgang Layr, Director of Volksbank Wien, reported on his company's long-term commitments to sports – and drew connections to some of the points already mentioned. "We have been involved in beach volleyball for 22 years and in ski jumping for 16 years. And we continually link these activities. For example, at the tournament in Klagenfurt, Andreas Goldberger once flew over Lake Wörthersee on the Flying Fox." What particularly pleases Layr is that "today, 30 percent of our advertising value in ski jumping comes from the women's team – something that was unimaginable just a few years ago."
Photos: © leadersnet.at / C. Mikes
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