The $0 Deal-Closer Sales Teams Ignore

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry! 

Should brands be putting more phones into sponsored content?

I'm starting to think the answer is yes.

I've noticed an interesting pattern emerge across sports and entertainment. Rightsholders and brands keep using phones as the centerpiece of content activations.

• Verizon's 1-800 Page Paige gave fans the chance to call in and ask Paige Bueckers questions.

• The UFL had players pick up a phone before the championship game and leave messages for people who helped them along the way.

• At The Masters, Malbon created an activation where patrons could leave a message for the person who introduced them to golf. The result became Letters From Augusta. They captured 25-episodes in one day.

• In April 2024, the New York Knicks launched the Playoff Hotline presented by Verizon, giving fans a chance to leave messages for the team throughout the postseason.

• Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Visit Philadelphia encouraged Philadelphia Eagles fans to leave a "Bird Call" either through custom phone stations placed around the city or by dialing a dedicated phone number. Those messages were then transformed into hype content leading up to the big game.

• Bumble launched Bee Line, a series where people call in with their dating dilemmas and celebrities pick up to help.

Different brands. Different audiences. Different objectives. Same mechanic.

And while the phone is proving to be an effective content catalyst, it also creates a natural sponsorship platform for categories like telecom, consumer electronics, dating apps, audio, and financial services—among many others.

The reason these activations work is surprisingly simple: they give people an excuse to talk.

• Fans know exactly what they're supposed to do.

• Athletes don't need a complicated script.

• Creators don't need elaborate production.

Pick up the phone. Leave a message.

The format is repeatable, scalable, and consistently produces authentic responses.

In many ways, it feels like a modern version of call-in radio.

If you're a fan of The Bill Simmons Podcast like I am, you've probably noticed how the return of listener mailbags has injected new life into the show.

The technology changed, but the appeal didn't.

People still love hearing real voices tell real stories.

That's what makes the phone such an effective content catalyst. It creates emotional connection, invites participation, and generates authentic responses at scale.

In Today’s Edition:

• Relationship ROI 🤝 

• Haaland’s Sponcon Odyssey ⚔️

• Threads Conversation Starter 🎙️

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
The Moment A Partner Stops Feeling Like A Client

Most sports organizations spend a lot of time trying to improve partnership performance.

• They invest in sales training.

• They refine sponsorship decks.

• They build hospitality programs.

• They create new inventory.

Yet many overlook one of the easiest ways to improve both partnership performance and client satisfaction.

Give partners direct access to the people creating the content.

For years, I've heard the same concern from partnership teams:

"What if the content team says the wrong thing?"

It's a fair concern.

But the cost of keeping content teams away from partners is often much greater than the risk of including them.

Every layer added between a partner and the people creating the work creates friction. Ideas get watered down. Context gets lost. Feedback becomes delayed. Opportunities slip through the cracks.

The best partnerships aren't built through a game of telephone.

They're built through direct collaboration.

Why Direct Access Creates Better Partnerships

When a partner wants advice on content strategy, they should be able to speak directly with the people who understand the platforms, audience, and creative process best.

Think about it from the partner's perspective.

They're investing significant money into your organization. They want confidence that they're receiving the best possible recommendations.

Giving them access to content teams provides exactly that.

Instead of hearing:

"Let me check with our social team."

They hear:

"Here's what we've learned from fans."

"Here's what's working right now."

"Here's how we'd approach this."

That access creates confidence. It also leads to better work.

Content teams understand platform behavior, audience preferences, production realities, and creative opportunities in a way few others inside an organization can.

When those conversations happen directly, partners receive more thoughtful recommendations and stronger solutions.

The benefits extend internally as well.

Content teams gain a deeper understanding of partner objectives, business challenges, and success metrics. They stop viewing requests as tasks and start understanding the larger strategy behind them.

As a result, they become more invested in the outcome.

They're no longer creating content for a sponsor. They're helping solve a business problem.

That ownership matters.

The same principle applies after the deal is signed.

In many cases, the activation phase is where the most valuable conversations happen.

A partner may arrive with an idea they want to explore.

Instead of filtering that conversation through multiple departments, let them workshop it directly with the content team.

Even if the original concept isn't the right fit, the discussion often leads to a stronger execution.

More importantly, partners leave those conversations feeling supported.

They're getting advice directly from the experts. Not secondhand interpretations.

If This Works So Well, Why Doesn't Everyone Do It?

Partnership teams are often hesitant to put content teams in front of clients because they've seen those conversations go sideways internally.

A client proposes an idea.

The partnership team brings it to the content team.

The response is immediate.

• "No."

• "No, we don't do that."

• "No, that won't work."

• "No, the platform doesn't allow it."

While the answer may be technically correct, the delivery creates problems.

• The partnership team feels dismissed.

• The conversation becomes adversarial.

• Everyone walks away frustrated.

I've written before about the importance of saying no without burning bridges.

The best content leaders understand that saying no is often part of the job. The difference is how they do it.

• They explain the rationale.

• They educate.

• They offer alternatives.

They focus on solving the business problem rather than rejecting the request.

Instead of saying:

"No, QR codes don't work on social."

They say:

"Most users are viewing on mobile, so scanning a QR code becomes difficult. If the goal is website traffic, email, SMS, or paid social would likely generate stronger results."

Same outcome. Completely different experience.

When content teams consistently approach internal conversations this way, trust grows.

Partnership teams become more comfortable bringing them into client meetings because they know they'll represent the organization well.

Partners gain confidence in their expertise, and the relationship gets stronger.

Of course, trust isn't the only reason content teams are sometimes held at arm's length from partners.

In many organizations, it's simply the way things have always been done.

Partnership teams historically didn't need content teams involved in sales conversations, activation planning, or client strategy sessions. Digital partnerships are still relatively new in the grand scheme of the sponsorship industry, and many organizations haven't adjusted their workflows to reflect how important content has become.

Brands should be advocating for this access, too. If content is a key component of the partnership, there's tremendous value in hearing directly from the people responsible for creating and distributing it.

Regardless of the reason, when content teams are kept away from partner conversations, everyone loses.

The partner doesn't receive the best strategic guidance.

The content team loses valuable context.

The organization misses opportunities to create stronger work.

Trust Is Built Through Visibility

So how do you create that trust?

Start by removing some of the walls between departments.

Many organizations attempt to solve collaboration challenges by creating separate digital partnership meetings.

I understand the logic. The goal is usually to improve communication.

But in many cases, it reinforces the exact problem (an “us vs them” mentality) you're trying to solve.

• It creates another silo.

• Another room where only certain people are invited.

• Another reminder that content and partnerships operate as separate groups.

Instead, digital partnerships should be discussed as part of the normal content planning process.

After all, sponsored content is still content.

If it's important enough to sell, it's important enough to discuss alongside everything else the content team is creating.

The same philosophy should apply in reverse.

Content teams should have visibility into partnership meetings.

• Sales meetings.

• Activation meetings.

• Planning sessions.

• Client discussions.

Not because they need to attend every conversation.

But because exposure creates understanding.

When partnership teams sit in content meetings, they gain insight into production challenges, platform changes, content priorities, and upcoming initiatives.

When content teams sit in partnership meetings, they gain insight into client objectives, renewal conversations, revenue pressures, and business priorities.

Over time, both groups develop a greater appreciation for the challenges facing the other side.

That understanding builds empathy. Empathy builds trust. Trust creates collaboration. And collaboration creates better work.

The Impact

The organizations producing the strongest sponsored content aren't always the ones with the biggest budgets. They're often the ones with the fewest internal barriers.

• They give content teams access to partners.

• They give partnership teams access to content discussions.

• They create environments where information flows freely instead of being protected.

The result is better communication, strategy, execution, and ultimately, better outcomes for clients.

Which usually leads to better outcomes for the organization too.

• More renewals.

• More upsells.

• More referrals.

• More revenue.

Sometimes the most valuable addition to your partnership strategy isn't a new content series, a new platform, or a new piece of technology.

It's simply inviting the right people into the room.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

I really liked how the San Francisco Giants used their players to promote Hello Kitty Night. During arrivals, players took part in a blind box opening challenge, with the goal of finding the rare pink keychain. It was a simple concept that immediately communicated the collectible fans should be hoping to pull themselves.

Overtime spent 24 hours with Darius Acuff ahead of this year's NBA Draft, and the Xfinity integration was particularly well executed. At one point, Acuff calls his youth coach. The phone's branded case is prominently featured throughout the conversation, creating natural product visibility. Overtime also incorporated a custom 20-second ad directly into the video.

Since launching his YouTube channel in October, Erling Haaland has posted 12 videos, averaging 3.6 million views, and attracting 1.84 million subscribers. His World Cup vlog series is sponsored by The Odyssey, marking the first brand partnership on the channel. It's a natural creative fit, with both the film and the series (Part 1 | Part 2) exploring the journeys, challenges, and experiences that shape who we become.

In partnership with Trackman, the DP World Tour is documenting how far golfers can hit every club in their bag. The product placement felt seamless, but what stood out most was the leaderboard showing each featured player's cumulative yardage, which appears at the end of every video and creates a reason to follow the series over time.

As a partner of both the NBA and the New York Knicks, DoorDash worked with @NBAPaints to imagine the Larry O'Brien Trophy being delivered to the team after its first championship in 53 years. A smart way to tap into basketball culture while making the brand feel like part of the celebration.

Spotted: Threads sponsored CLASH's (a House of Highlights sub-brand) "1 Analytics Nerd vs. 10 Passionate NBA Fans" video. Given the channel is focused on sports debates, the partnership was designed to highlight the basketball conversations happening on the platform, making the integration feel directly connected to how fans already engage with the sport online.

🚨 ICYMI
Sports Industry News & Insights

B2B Growth Formula: Perk CMO Jada Balster joined Andy Marston on the Sports Pundit Podcast to discuss how B2B brands can use sport to accelerate growth, and why Perk chose the Audi Revolut Formula One team as its first major sports partnership amid an increasingly crowded F1 landscape.

Building Fan Obsession: Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin joined Adspeak by ADWEEK to break down how the franchise built one of the NBA's most engaged fan bases by treating game experience, community, and platform-native creativity as core business pillars, not just supporting acts.

After The Ban: Joe Farren explored the ramifications of the UK's social media ban on under-16s for sports teams and what they should do to fill the fan engagement gap [via FutureSport].

Controller To Cash: The Real Oshow broke down how Delaware’s football team made $12M off a video game.

The Roblox Blindspot: Jo Redfern dove into why most sports organizations have no Roblox strategy despite 73% of Gen Z Roblox users being active sports fans [via Fanshift].