Sport as a marketing supertool

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/5

Serving a healthy lifestyle

SPAR Magyarország has sponsored the SPAR Budapest Marathon® Festival since 2008. The event has developed into one of the biggest mass sporting events in Hungary and Central Europe.

Márk Maczelka
head of communications 
SPAR Magyarország

 “Our goal is to encourage more people to exercise regularly and to promote the positive effects of sport and a healthy lifestyle”,

says head of communications Márk Maczelka.

SPAR has also been a partner of the Smart Sport Expo and Fitness Festival for the past two years, where participants could learn about the SPAR Lifestyle programme.

The retailer is committed to social responsibility, supporting several civic initiatives and foundations every year through various fundraising activities. SPAR stores offer a growing number of foods related to a healthy lifestyle.

Available to everyone

For Lidl Magyarország supporting health-conscious nutrition and healthy lifestyle has been a priority for many years.

Judit Tőzsér
head of company communication
Lidl Magyarország

“Through the promotion of various sporting events, we primarily target those consumers who are interested in a healthy lifestyle, and in this way we can further strengthen Lidl’s popularity and the loyalty of our customers”,

emphasises head of company communication Judit Tőzsér.

Last year they were the fresh food partner of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

Lidl’s greatest pride is its partnership with the UEFA EURO 2024 European Football Championship, where they are the global partner of the qualifying matches and this year’s tournament matches.

The discounter also supports mass sporting events and has been the title sponsor of the Lake Balaton Cross Swimming since 2017.

“Sporty” brands not only unite, but also encourage consumers to an active lifestyle

Strength in unity

The Coop Economic Group has always placed great emphasis on supporting cultural and sporting organisations and events. Coop has been helping the Hungarian Olympic Team’s preparation for the Olympic Games and promoting the Olympic ideal as a national social programme through the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB) since 1996. Regionally Coop franchise partners sponsor local sporting events and amateur and professional sports clubs.

Géza Tóth
CEO
Co-op Hungary

“Coop’s sponsorship strongly focuses on children and the overall health and well-being of the Hungarian society. Through education Coop aims to raise awareness of the importance of sport in everyday life and in maintaining health”,

explains Géza Tóth, CEO of Co-op Magyarország Zrt.

Fuel tested on racing cars

Shell’s partnership with the Ferrari Formula 1 team, which dates back more than 70 years, has opened up new horizons in the field of innovation, in addition to mutually increasing brand awareness.

Sarolta Vecsey
mobility manager-Hungary, Slovenia
Shell Hungary

“Shell customers are the ultimate beneficiaries of this, as improvements made on the race track are reflected in the products and services we offer. The partnership between Shell and Ferrari also helps to achieve sustainability goals, as we work with the team to reduce the carbon footprint of Formula 1 through the development of biofuels, in accordance with our commitments”,

says Sarolta Vecsey, mobility manager of Shell in Hungary and Slovenia.

Shell Hungary also helps Paralympian Luca Ekler prepare for the Games, through the company’s cooperation with the BOM Foundation for Hungarian Sport.

The success of sports marketing should be based on credible and excellent products

Exemplary values

According to BioTech USA’s experts, awareness raising and sports marketing create an opportunity to establish long-term partnerships with the best teams and athletes, who inspire many people with their perseverance and outstanding achievements. “We can play an active role in supporting elite sport, thanks to the outstanding quality of our products, and this serves as the basis for further expanding our partnerships. Our partners include small town soccer academies, national sports federations and star athletes”, says BioTech USA. They have been a supporter of the National Handball Academy and have also been a partner of the KTE Basketball Club since 2020.

At home and abroad

In recent years Mondelez International has been involved in sports-related marketing activities at both international and local level. At international level the company sponsors several sports, athletes and events, including football and ski jumping. In Hungary the sponsorship of the 2023 World Athletics Championships was part of the campaign to celebrate the 70th birthday of the iconic chocolate bar, Sport.

Szabina Redele
brand manager
Mondelēz Hungária

”With our product range, we can best connect to sport from an experiential side and bring our brands to sports loving communities”,

says brand manager Szabina Redele.

Krisztina Nagyidai
brand manager
Mondelēz Hungária

“Football is a sport with which the Hungarian public identifies very well and it also has a great community building power, which is compatible with the values of the Milka brand”,

adds brand manager Krisztina Nagyidai.

A century-old partnership

Judit Szalóky Tóth
director of public affairs, communications and sustainability
Coca-Cola Magyarország

Judit Szalóky Tóth, director of public affairs, communications and sustainability at Coca-Cola Magyarország told that Coca-Cola is the longest-standing sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Games – the partnership was most recently extended for 12 years in 2019, bringing the cooperation of Coca-Cola and the Olympics to 104 years with this agreement.

Annamária Vida
senior brand manager
Coca-Cola Magyarország

Coca-Cola is also an official partner of this year’s European Football Championship, having first sponsored the event in 1988. At the end of May Hungarian football fans will also get the chance to meet Coca-Cola at the Szoboszlai Live event in Budapest.

The advocates for hydration

Promoting hydration and an active lifestyle is an important message for Szentkirályi Magyarország, and it is their mission to educate consumers, pass on knowledge and support young people.

Boglárka Bara
senior brand manager
Szentkirályi
Magyarország

“We are proud of our elite athletes, but we don’t forget about sporting events for the general public either, because we believe that everyone can find the sport that suits them and thus have a richer life. Szentkirályi mineral water plays a key role in our sports sponsorship activities, especially the sports bottle variant launched last year, which is specifically designed for an active lifestyle”,

explains Boglárka Bara, senior brand manager of Szentkirályi Magyarország.

Launched in 2016, the Szentkirályi Talent Programme supports the best young athletes.

Szponsorship provides brands large-scale visibility and a unique way to connect its consumers

Boxing is like this…

Adrienn Popovics
marketing director
HELL ENERGY
Magyarország

“Since the beginning HELL has made it a priority to work with sport. It is no coincidence that spectators have encountered us in countless areas of the sporting world: we are present at various car races, ball games, and boxing and darts events. At the beginning of 2024 we launched HELL Boxing Kings, a boxing tournament series that links 10 countries. The reason why we chose boxing is very simple: the kind of drive and dynamism that the HELL brand represents is also characteristic of boxing”,

says marketing director Adrienn Popovics.

The brand’s commitment to boxing is also demonstrated by the results of the HELL Fight Club, which has already boasted several champions in various age groups. //