Nielsen: MLS drives powerful purchase uplift

Spring is the season of (much) better weather, re-emerging life and sports galore. While professional baseball is getting underway and the pro basketball and hockey playoffs are on the horizon, we’re also enjoying the start of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 27th season as matches have kicked off in 28 cities across the U.S. and Canada.

MLS is followed by a fast-growing, diverse, tech-savvy, passionate young supporter culture that celebrates the game and results in an exhilarating live experience. Charlotte FC set an all-time MLS attendance record with 74,479 fans at Bank of America Stadium in March. Along with an avid fanbase, MLS also is providing eye-opening returns to its sponsors, illustrating the significant power of brand partnerships with MLS.

New research from Nielsen Sports has documented the strong potential sales lift MLS sponsors are enjoying. The new Nielsen findings demonstrate that Major League Soccer fan loyalty goes well beyond rooting for their clubs. It also extends to MLS advertisers and sponsors as well.

Dramatic MLS sponsor uplift

In its study, Nielsen Sports leveraged Nielsen Fan Insights to take a close look at the interests of sports fans, media behavior, brand attitudes and purchasing habits—and in particular at MLS. In conjunction with Nielsen Compass, a database of audience-outcome metrics tracking over $10 billion in ad spend annually in more than 50 countries, this Sales Uplift Model forecasts the impact sports sponsorship and association has on partner sales.

The bottom line: MLS partnerships have a powerful impact on sales lift, an average of plus 6.1% in revenue from MLS fans, compared with same-industry brands that are not league sponsors.

“Our global sponsorship analytics and fan intelligence provide brands and rights holders the knowledge to identify and connect with the audiences that matter most to them,” said Jon Stainer, Nielsen Sports managing director of the Americas. “Our Sponsorship Sales Uplift Model, underpinned by Nielsen Sports Fan Insights and Nielsen Compass data, shows the strength of a partnership with Major League Soccer.”

MLS sponsors dominated the competition

The comprehensive Nielsen study analyzed the sales uplift that sponsors of professional sports receive among three sets of fans: (1) MLS fans overall, (2) those MLS fans who are aware of the league's sponsorships and (3) fans of other major U.S. sports leagues. In turn, Nielsen evaluated eight industry categories, ranging from apparel and automotive to financial services, personal care and telecommunications, and compared potential MLS sponsor sales lift with industry competitors.

The findings were striking. In addition to the average 6.1% overall sales lift enjoyed by MLS sponsors compared with non-sponsors in the same verticals, many MLS sponsors experienced sales boosts exceeding 10% against competitors, with results ranging from 5.6% to a high of 10.9%.

In fact, seven of eight analyzed MLS partners all dominated their key industry non-sponsor competitors in increased sales.

“It reinforces the effectiveness of existing partnerships, while also showcasing the strong fit between our fans and potential return for prospective partners,” said Cory Bildstein, MLS director of partner solutions and insights.

Meeting sponsors’ goalllllllllllls

Going beyond the confines of MLS, Nielsen also analyzed the sales lift experienced by sponsors of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Nielsen used the same methodology, taking sales uplift figures from the other leagues’ fans and comparing those with lift credited to non-fans.

But here was the crucial difference: The study now matched the identical MLS sponsor categories that also partnered with the other five majors.

In this comparison, MLS sponsors boosted sales by 5.5% overall (compared with their industry competitors), compared with a 0.2% sales increase gained by those same brands that partnered with the other major leagues.

Many of the sponsors analyzed by Nielsen Sports have a long-standing history of sponsorship with MLS, the benefits of which are punctuated by the results of this study. For the record, MLS’ corporate sponsors include such brands as Adidas, Audi, Coca-Cola, DoorDash, Heineken, AT&T, Procter & Gamble, Target and many more.

Given MLS’ growing fan base, its immense fan and partner loyalty, and demographic diversity, the future looks bright for today’s and future sponsors, said Bildstein. “As we continue to identify innovative solutions to measure impact for our partners, it’s exciting to see how the equity of MLS transcends categories. The message for those non-sponsor brands and their agencies: Get onboard Major League Soccer to enjoy similar results!”