Increase in Commercial Breaks Could Be Boost For Sponsorship

The recent decision to increase the number of minutes of advertising within the hour from seven to 12 could work to the sponsorship industry’s advantage according to the European Sponsorship Association. With research showing viewers’ increasing dislike of programme interruption and the ability to edit out ad breaks, sponsorship can come into its own with its ability to deliver commercial messages within the context and content of the programming.

As chairman of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), Karen Earl commented, “Sponsorship is now a very key component of the marketing activity of major brands. In particular major sporting events have perfected sponsorship’s ability to effectively target audiences in different countries with different cultures and languages. As people’s time becomes more valuable, the ability to deliver commercial messages within the content of the programmes being broadcast creates a highly significant advantage over other types of marketing”.