Dr. Jacopo Mazzeo is a freelance wine and drinks journalist and consultant.
He regularly contributes to leading trade and consumer publications including Wine Enthusiast, 

, Decanter, Meininger, Club Oenologique, Harper's, Pix Wine, and Good Beer Hunting. He consults on consumer trends and marketing strategy and offers copywriting services to drinks firms and agencies. Jacopo is a former sommelier, he judges international wine, beer, and spirits competitions, and sat twice on the board of directors of the British Guild of Beer Writers. Before he embraced full-time journalism, he studied musicology at the University of Bologna and took a PhD at the University of Southampton.

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Everyday Empathy

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Collective Equity

In the turbulent economic environment, money is losing its value. People are reevaluating their spending across sectors. With a looming crisis of trust in financial institutions, how are people managing their budgets? And how can brands navigate the complex relationship between value and cost?

Critical Spenders

“I grew up in Newcastle, so the Newcastle Brown shirt takes me straight back to my childhood,” says Clem Elphick, head of marketing at Bristol-based craft brewery 

 (BBF). “I've still got that shirt. Football is a big reason I feel so connected to sports brands. It was a huge part of how I was brought up, and it’s still deeply ingrained in me.” 

Interview with Clem Elphick conducted by the author

 Elphick is referring to Newcastle United’s iconic 1990s shirt, emblazoned with the iconic blue star of Newcastle Brown Ale. More than a sponsorship deal, that iconic piece of sportswear became one of the defining images of Kevin Keegan's celebrated ‘Entertainers’ era and an enduring symbol of both the club and the city. That partnership was far from unique. From countless other football clubs and beer brands to Formula 1’s iconic podium champagne celebrations, alcohol and sport have long been closely intertwined. From those years of highly visible commercial symbiosis, however, the way alcohol brands participate in and associate themselves with sport has evolved in response to shifting social attitudes, growing health consciousness and tighter marketing regulations. 

Kicking the Habit

In recent years, drink brands have had to reinvent their approach to remain part of sporting culture, focusing more on experiential marketing, no- and low-alcohol products, and – where budget allows – league-wide partnerships. 

Consumer Additions

 has partnered with Major League Soccer, while beer companies such as AB InBev and 

 maintain official sponsorships across major leagues, including the NFL and NBA. 

Drinks Intel

Sport remains one of the most valuable marketing platforms available to brands. The global sports industry is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 7.4% over the next three to five years, driven by rising fan engagement, the expansion of digital consumption, and increasing interest among younger audiences. 

 In the UK alone, amid an overall rise in sports viewership, the proportion of 18–24-year-olds who say they enjoy watching sport has increased from 34% in 2019 to 45% in 2024. 

Ampere Analysis

The potential of sport finds evidence in the data. Over two-thirds of global football fans (67%), for instance, report finding sponsoring brands more appealing simply due to their association with the sport. 

Nielsen

And while these partnerships can significantly increase brand awareness, consideration and purchase intent, their value extends far beyond commercial metrics. Sport has become a marker of identity and lifestyle rather than simply a form of entertainment. Fans are drawn not only to the competition but also to the values it embodies – integrity, resilience, ambition and personal growth – and to the intensity of shared emotions and collective experiences it generates. For brands, this makes sport not only a profitable marketing channel but also an opportunity to become part of communities and cultural conversations that extend well beyond match day. 

Sports Business Journal

 The changing nature of sports fandom, however, alongside an evolving global regulatory landscape and shifting expectations, is reshaping what successful sponsorship looks like. So how can drinks brands adapt their approach to sport to build authentic connections with fans, navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape and remain culturally relevant?

Beyond logos – earning the right to be there

For a drinks brand, simply being seen was once enough to justify the investment involved in sports marketing. Today, success depends on creating relevance around how, where and why fans engage with sport – from live events and broadcasts to social media, creator networks, fan communities and commerce platforms. “A perimeter board or a shirt logo delivered significant exposure because fans had relatively limited ways of consuming sport,” says sponsorship and partnerships specialist Sam Ellis, senior vice president of Sport & Partnerships, EMEA at United Entertainment Group (

). “Today, sport exists simultaneously across live events, streaming platforms, social media, creator networks, fan communities, commerce platforms and messaging apps…static signage and logos are quickly becoming silent assets that rights holders rely on to help justify investment through TV viewing figures and perceived visibility.” 

Interview with Sam Ellis conducted by the author

That fragmentation reflects the changing role of a sports sponsorship asset. Rather than treating a shirt logo or stadium presence as the campaign itself, brands can use it as a springboard for a wider ecosystem of experiences, reaching fans across the different places and moments in which they now follow sport. “Visibility on its own has become far less valuable than participation,” says Ellis. “Brands have to understand the role they can play within the fan ecosystem in order to develop a storytelling strategy that drives genuine business results. The brands generating the strongest ROI are using sponsorship assets as storytelling engines. The stadium presence provides a level of clear affiliation, but the real value comes from how that presence is amplified.” 

 Rather than expecting the brand to resonate with every consumer, drinks producers must deploy different products and approaches across their portfolios to achieve different objectives, whether reaching distinct communities, targeting specific consumption occasions or navigating regulatory constraints. BBF, for example, uses this approach to build authentic relationships at a local level, supporting grassroots organisations and community groups across the city, including the 

“That relationship opened the door for us to sponsor Bristol Pride this year,” says Elphick. “It meant we could show that community we’d already been supporting them, rather than just sticking a rainbow logo on our branding and saying, ‘Here we are, we’re doing our bit.’ We were able to do it in a genuinely engaging, community-led way, which I love. I think that also sums up why we’re so involved with this kind of work.” 

Today, alcohol brands can no longer rely on the emotional power of sport alone to justify their presence. They operate within an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, where sponsorship is constantly assessed through the lenses of public health policy, advertising law, broadcasting rules and consumer perception. In France, for instance, strict advertising rules forced the Heineken Cup to be rebranded as the ‘

’. No- and low-alcohol products have become an increasingly valuable asset for tackling an increasingly challenging environment. They allow companies to maintain a presence in sport while navigating advertising restrictions and shifting public attitudes towards alcohol. Bristol Beer Factory, for example, uses Clear Head – its alcohol-free beer, whose sales support a men’s mental health charity – as the lead brand for many of its community sports partnerships. “Having a strong alcohol-free brand in your portfolio means the door never really closes,” Elphick points out. 

, is taking a similar approach. It does not yet produce a zero-alcohol wine, yet it is actively developing one to support its future sports marketing strategy. “We’ve always promoted responsible and moderate consumption as part of our advertising, and that’s something we’ve consistently stood by,” says Raquel Zaldivar, brand director for Ramón Bilbao. “But obviously, when you have a 0.0% alcohol product, it’s much easier to align with sport, and that’s something we’re actively working on.” 

Interview with Raquel Zaldivar conducted by the author

 The value of zero-alcohol products extends well beyond regulatory compliance. They enable brands to participate in conversations and environments that would otherwise be inaccessible, particularly around wellbeing and responsible consumption. “Examples like Heineken 0.0 in Formula One and Guinness 0.0 in football and rugby work because they understand how different products within the portfolio contribute to the wider fan ecosystem,” says Ellis. “It allows them to extend their storytelling into spaces they couldn’t previously access and have conversations around responsible consumption using a product that offers a genuine solution.” 

In doing so, alcohol-free products can generate a powerful ‘halo effect’, whereby the positive associations built around a no-proof expression enhance perceptions of the wider brand. Whether that opportunity will remain open, however, is becoming an increasingly pressing question. “The interesting crossroads we’re potentially approaching is whether regulators begin asking if the 0.0% category is genuinely promoting the alcohol-free product, or whether it’s primarily being used to build consideration for the master brand,” warns Ellis. 

 For now, no- and low-alcohol products remain one of the drinks industry’s most effective routes into sport. But with major global tournaments approaching and regulatory scrutiny continuing to intensify, brands should prepare for a future in which even alcohol-free sponsorships come under closer scrutiny.

Women’s sport represents a particularly significant opportunity for drinks brands, as its audience continues to expand and diversify. Women now account for an ever-growing share of sports audiences, making up 47% of fans of women’s sport and 42% of fans of men’s sport (up from 45% and 40% respectively in 2022). Interest in women’s sport itself has also grown significantly, reaching 50% of the global population in 2024, compared with 45% just two years earlier. The momentum is particularly striking in disciplines traditionally viewed as male domains. The WNBA, for example, has expanded its US fanbase by more than 31% in just two years to 46.9 million people. 

To further illustrate why brands should pay closer attention to women’s sport, Elphick points out that “only a small percentage of men actively engage with or buy a sponsor’s product simply because of the partnership. With women’s sport, engagement is through the roof because female fans haven’t historically been marketed to in the same way. A prime example is 

, which delivered one of the highest returns on investment and brand lifts the sector has seen.” 

 This demographic shift presents a major opportunity for drinks brands to engage an audience that has historically been underserved by sports sponsorship. Yet, doing so requires far more than simply repurposing strategies that might have worked in men’s sport. “Brands are still lazily trying to retrofit male-centric marketing playbooks into a space that requires an entirely distinct cultural lens,” says Ellis. 

 Instead, brands should view women’s sport as part of a broader ecosystem rather than simply another sponsorship property. Success depends on supporting the sport beyond major tournaments by investing in grassroots participation, athlete storytelling and community engagement, while creating content that genuinely reflects the audience.

“The growth is not being driven solely by traditional fans,” continues Ellis. “It is attracting families, casual fans, culturally engaged audiences and consumers who may not have seen themselves reflected in traditional football marketing in the past. For any brand looking to activate around women’s sport, the key thing is to start earlier, build equity and affinity with audiences organically and, when the big plays come around, you will be welcomed with open arms.” 

 Ramón Bilbao has already embraced this broader approach. As part of its partnership with the Spanish national football team (spanning both the men’s and women’s programmes), the winery has backed 

, a documentary exploring the history of women’s football in Spain. By extending its investment in cultural storytelling, the brand has successfully embedded itself within the wider conversation around the growth of women’s football.

One of the biggest opportunities for drinks brands lies beyond sponsorship itself and into sports-inspired products. Blokecore – the fashion trend that has transformed vintage football shirts into everyday streetwear – has turned sports merchandise from match-day memorabilia into a lifestyle category. 

Coveteur

 Brands can capitalise on this renewed appetite for retro football culture through limited-edition apparel, capsule collections and co-branded merchandise that people actively seek out and wear. Bristol Beer Factory is already embracing this approach. As part of a Clear Head campaign across south-west England, the brewery rewards the best-performing bar staff with exclusive football shirts rather than conventional sales incentives. “The member of the bar staff who sells the most wins a limited-edition Clear Head football shirt. I think it’s a brilliant idea,” says Elphick. 

 As football shirts increasingly become fashion items rather than simply team merchandise, drinks brands have an opportunity to transform sponsorship from something people merely see into something they actively choose to wear, extending brand engagement well beyond match day.

The right sports partnership can do more than put a brand in front of the right audience; it can change how that audience sees the brand. For drinks brands in particular, choosing the right sport, competition or athlete means finding a cultural fit that can make the product feel more relevant, approachable or distinctive. Ramón Bilbao’s developing strategy illustrates this shift. Tennis initially provided an environment that complemented wine's traditional positioning. But as consumption declined and the category sought to become more approachable, football offered a more appropriate cultural playground. The winery chose Spain’s national football team rather than aligning itself with a potentially divisive club, allowing the brand to tap into themes of collective identity, belonging and shared emotion that closely mirror its own values. “Wine has sometimes been presented in a way that can feel too formal or intimidating,” says Zaldivar. “We shouldn’t be creating barriers that stop people from enjoying it… At some point, it’s our responsibility to find new, more relaxed ways of bringing the product closer to consumers.” 

 Partner selection is now less about simply borrowing an audience and more about finding a setting in which the brand has something credible to contribute. The strongest partnerships give drinks brands permission to enter a culture, conversation or community that they could not create on their own.

Perhaps the biggest shift required for drink brands is to stop treating sports sponsorship as a short-term marketing expense and instead view it as a long-term brand investment, much like maturing a whisky cask or ageing a fine wine. Brands should be building narratives that unfold over years, using sport as a natural extension of their identity. This will be particularly important as events such as the 

 approach. The brands that stand out will not necessarily be those that spend the most during the competition, but those that have established genuine credibility with athletes, communities and fans long before the opening ceremony. “The biggest mistake brands make is treating athlete sponsorship as a channel investment rather than a storytelling opportunity,” says Ellis. “If the strategy is based solely on an athlete winning, competing or simply their social following, then the relationship has been built on the wrong principles from the beginning. Sport is unpredictable. Injuries happen, results aren’t guaranteed, and, particularly at the Olympics, you’re dealing with four-year cycles. The brands that create the strongest partnerships focus on the journey rather than the podium. Preparation, sacrifice, setbacks and resilience are ultimately much more compelling stories than medals.”

 of global football fans report finding sponsoring brands more appealing simply due to their association with the sport, compared to 

 in the UK who enjoy watching sports surged from 

 of fans of men’s sports, with overall global population interest in women’s sport reaching 

Static stadium signage is fading; modern sports marketing for drinks relies on active storytelling and multi-channel ecosystem integration over passive logo placement

Non-alcoholic options serve as a critical gateway into sports, navigating strict advertising regulations while building a halo effect across a brand’s wider portfolio

Tapping into women’s sports requires moving away from outdated, male-centric playbooks to build long-term, community-first stories and authentic cultural alignment

Sam Ellis is the senior vice president of Sport & Partnerships, EMEA at UEG. A sponsorship and partnerships specialist with more than 15 years of experience, he has helped global brands including McDonald's, Unilever, Lucozade, adidas, P&G, Cadbury, Samsung and Warner Bros. Drawing on extensive expertise across football, athlete marketing and global sponsorship strategy, he specialises in creating partnerships that earn fan attention, drive commercial impact and deliver measurable return on investment.

Clem Elphick is head of marketing at Bristol Beer Factory. He joined the brewery a decade ago with the mission of protecting its heritage while raising brand awareness and strengthening its voice. Since then, he has helped build on Bristol Beer Factory's legacy of pubs, community and city pride to create a brand deeply rooted in the identity and culture of Bristol and its people.

Raquel Zaldivar is a brand-building and innovation specialist with experience across both multinational drinks companies and independent agencies. She has spent the past 13 years in Zamora Company's wine division and currently serves as brand director for Ramón Bilbao, where she leads the winery's brand strategy and positioning.

Global

Sports

Eating and Drinking

Sports sponsorship in the drinks industry is shifting away from passive visibility and generic logo placement. Success in the space now requires building active, multi-platform ecosystems centred on authenticity, cultural storytelling, non-alcoholic portfolio integration and community engagement.

Analysis

Jacopo Mazzeo

Sam Ellis

Clem Elphick

Raquel Zaldivar

Related Macro Behaviours

Everyday Empathy

Collective Equity

Critical Spenders