Football is just about the most watched sports in the world today, so sponsoring it in one of the following means is successful marketing.
Sponsoring a total sporting event is an efficient way to advertise a brand, especially when it is something watched around the world. The Hisense shareholders made the decision to sponsor the 2018 football world cup, which is one of the most viewed events of all time, so of course will have distribute the brands image successfully. The sponsorship of events does not have the longevity of other sponsorships, such as kit or ground sponsors, but it is maybe the most beneficial for that short space of time. When a specific event is a tremendous success and remembered fondly, then the same narrative is given to the brands that sponsor it; this is the case for any event and of course sporting events are no various.
Whilst many businesses looking to sponsor will try and sponsor soccer shirts, there are some instances of companies sponsoring entire domestic leagues. There are some cases of businesses sponsoring whole leagues. This type of sponsorship is rare, but that is partly because of the fact there are limited leagues to sponsor, and if you are a big brand, you will prefer to sponsor the leading league. At shareholder meetings like the Telecom Italia AGM they would have been opted to sponsor the top Italian league, which is just about the most watched in Europe; sponsoring one of the top leagues around Europe is of course an important sponsorship for sport. The cup that is lifted at the end of the championship even has the sponsor on it, which shows how extensive and thorough a sponsorship such as this can be.
The largest sponsorship deals are almost always for football shirts, as these are the most recognisable features of football clubs to followers, aside from the players themselves of course. It is a clever sponsorship idea to sponsor a soccer shirt as it will then be used for every bit of promotion both for the club but likewise for the footballers themselves, meaning you are getting more for your money than many other kinds of advertising. The reputation of a soccer club will determine the size and price of the sponsorship offer, so commonly the most supported and viewed teams will receive the largest sponsorship deals. For instance, the Chevrolet owners made the decision to sponsor probably the most followed soccer club in the world today, and this came at a high-end price; the shirt itself even so sold just about 3 million units in one year, proving how effective this type of sponsorship can be. The shirt is donned around the world which gives the automobile producing business a global outreach through a single individual advertising deal. If the club is truly effective, like the club in question has been, that likewise helps to improve the sponsors brand name.