Why Hospitals Sponsor The Home Team
Most professional sports teams have a local hospital on their sponsorship roster. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is out with an excellent new piece that sums up the thinking behind local healthcare deals:
Health care companies, which tend to have weak brands in the minds of consumers, benefit substantially from a connection to a winning sports franchise, said Kirk Wakefield, a Baylor University professor and expert in sports marketing.
“What they want to have happen is the fan passion transfers from the team to the brand,” he said. “Among the team's fans, they are more likely to use the team's health system.”
Research shows that exclusive sponsorship deals with sports teams are much more effective than other types of advertising, Wakefield said. Many sports fans don't realize it, but their passion for their teams and engagement in watching their teams play make them much more receptive to marketing messages.
