It was only a few years ago when the Gaming industry was making some of the big sports sponsorship deals. It now seems that Sport Sponsorship has garnered significant attention from a number of FX and OTC financial instrument providers. Earlier this month Alpari announced a multi year multi million pound deal to become the Shirt sponsor of Premier League team West Ham United. Alpari have always been a big fan of Sport sponsorship having also sponsored the New York Nets and Knicks.
Alpari aren’t alone in targeting big name sports sponsorship’s; FSA regulated brokerage FX Pro has been the proud Sponsor of Fulham FC since 2011. FX Pro’s deal with Fulham runs out at the end of the 2012/13 Season. However that particular deal is only one part of FXPro’s Sports Sponsorship package with FXPro also being the main sponsor of the Asian Champions League as well as being the naming rights partner of the Australian Super League Rugby. In addition to these current sponsorship agreements FXPro previously had various sponsorship agreements with a number of different bodies and organisations in the world of Motor Sport.
Sports sponsorship seems to make a lot of sense for FX companies, just as it does to those in the gaming industry. Sport Sponsorship reaches a predominately male audience (Forex products are predominately used by Males). Plus there seems to be a sense in which Sports fans are both competitive and less risk averse than many of their peers. A number of different sports have been the primary targets for those wanting to advertise Foreign exchange products and each for distinct reasons.
- Football: Premier League football in particular has been a target for the FX Industry. Not only do such advertisements reach a large audience in Europe, they also gain great exposure in Asia which is a rapidly expanding market for those offering Foreign Exchange services.
- Motor Sports: Motor Sports and Formula 1 in particular have been targeted as well. Motor Sport has a global fan base as well as attracting a clientele with above average disposable income.
- Sailing: Some Forex companies have very cleverly chosen to provide sponsorship for Sailing teams and events. Those who follow Sailing again tend to have more disposable income as well as a greater interest financial products.