2022 MX Sponsorship Summit: Why Brands Sponsor

Different companies have different sponsorship needs based on their industry. Retailers want foot traffic into stores. Manufacturers want to prove product functionality. Service companies (like insurance) want to make their brand feel fun and collect leads from potential customers. Food and beverage companies want sampling opportunities so people can try their products. Endemic brands (those within the sport) want to prove functionality and achieve podium results. Understanding what a specific company needs helps athletes tailor their pitch accordingly.

Sponsors value several things beyond results: product feedback and testing (especially endemic brands who use athlete input for product development), professional behavior and approachability with fans, strong social media presence and content creation, the ability to be a positive brand ambassador, marketability and personality, and the athlete's family behavior. As one panelist noted, you could have the fastest racer but if they're not marketable or good with fans, they may not be worth sponsoring.