The firm released a ‘comparative analysis’ that lets sports franchises and sponsors evaluate the effectiveness of sponsor-placed media across multiple sports.
The analysis, which is based on measurements from Nielsen's Sponsorship Scorecard service, compares the top three sponsors in four major sporting events during the past year, including the NASCAR Daytona 500, US Open men's final, NFL Super Bowl and NCAA Rose Bowl.
Sponsors were ranked by average number of televised impressions – or viewers - per hour among viewers ages 25-54.
It found the number one sponsor at the US Open, JPMorgan Chase, achieved 162 million impressions per hour compared to the Super Bowl's top sponsor, Motorola, which achieved 157m impressions.
Lowe's Home Improvement, the top sponsors in the NASCAR Daytona 500 achieved 110m, while Citibank’s branding during the NCAA Rose Bowl received 95m.
The Scorecard measures takes the old-school approach of measuring the amount of time a sponsor’s logo appeared on US TV coverage during the telecasts – covering anything from in-stadium signage, to on screen billboards, to product use on the field or sidelines.
Said Ron Schneier, general manager of Nielsen Ventures: “Major sports entities are taking the lead by using this service to demonstrate the marketing effectiveness of this medium. While some sports will deliver more impressions than others, once the cost factor is included, leagues, teams and sponsors can, for the first time, compare ROI by sport and locations within stadiums."
The top sponsor of tennis’ US Open received more TV coverage than the leading brand backing the Super Bowl, according to findings from research firm Nielsen Sports.
