The new era of sponsorship goes beyond logos

The new Sponsorship Barometer (in Finnish), conducted by Sponsor Insight, shows a 17.5% growth in cultural sponsorship, largely driven by festivals. What explains the growth?

"Brands have found events and event partnerships. As media becomes more fragmented, it's harder to reach certain audiences. The best solution is visibility at an event where the target group already spends time," says Head of Operations Laura Sandström from Sponsorointi & Tapahtumat ry (SPOT). 

"People are in a receptive mood at events and festivals. Brands also bring a lot of added value to visitors. Commercial partnerships enable fun activities at events," Sandström says.

Authenticity and memorable encounters

Sandström believes that despite the economic uncertainty, we are in for a big festival summer. According to the Sponsorship Barometer, 76% of companies plan to increase or maintain their level of sponsorship investments in 2026. The industry has been growing for several years now and growth expectations are still high.

"The market is stable and growing and companies are not cutting back. Most of them will continue to invest," says Olavi Kajantie, Sanoma's Business Manager responsible for the commercialisation of Sanoma events.

"Bringing together festivals, media and influencers is exactly what the market now values. Brands are looking for experiences, authenticity and data-driven actions. We are able to offer all these under one roof," says Kajantie.

How should a brand build their presence at a festival?

"Definitely by involving the customer," Sandström says.

"Invest in authentic encounters. The experience is more important than logo visibility. Festivals are just one part of the marketing package, so think about what you'll do before, during and after the event. I'm delighted to see that our clients are making use of events in a multimedia way," says Kajantie.

Sponsorointi & Tapahtumat ry's annual SPOT Awards recognise the best sponsorship initiatives in Finland each year. Festivals were well represented among this year's finalists. The grand prize winner, Funeral Home Mikko Mononen, partnered with Tuska.

"Design your own funeral was an ingenious idea. It was probably our first time seeing a funeral home as a festival partner. When you think outside the box, so to speak, you get some really cool stuff," says Sandström.

Sandström also praises the collaboration between Sanoma and Pirkka that reached the finals.

"It makes sense to copy a working concept across multiple festivals. This shows benefit-oriented thinking and brought Pirkka's brand great visibility."

According to the Sponsorship Barometer, influencer marketing grew 13.3% last year.

"Festivals are increasingly forming commercial partnerships with influencers. Combining this with, say, a radio promotion adds to visibility far beyond the event. For example, Pirkka's brand ambassadors Jukka Hildén and Millu Haataja made posts about a radio promotion that got more than 2.5 million views on social media," says Olavi Kajantie.

While we see a lot of great creative executions in Finland, the amount of money spent on sponsorship here pales in international comparison. Even in neighbouring Sweden, the value of sponsorship is ten times higher.

SPOT Awards' winning entries have often won prizes in the international ESA Awards. Sandström believes that scarcity gives Finnish executions a competitive advantage.

"Cost-effectiveness forces you to be creative. We lead with an idea, and it shows," says Sandström.

Gaming companies will accelerate sponsorship growth

Both Sandström and Kajantie believe that the sponsorship industry is currently on a strong upswing and that the gaming industry entering the Finnish market will accelerate growth even more.

According to SPOT, the entry of gaming operators into the market is expected to boost sponsorship by at least €60 million.

"This will have a big impact on sport and also on events. The gaming industry has extremely professional sponsorship buyers. The industry is known for having used sponsorship as a form of marketing for a long time, and they know what they are buying," says Sandström.

Professional buyers know that associating with something that stirs emotions creates a lasting impression.

"Sports and music evoke strong emotions and provide unforgettable experiences," says Kajantie.

"More and more brands will add sponsorship to their toolkit in the future. This will yield great results," Sandström concludes. 

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