Breakers' sponsorship deal hailed by Market Intelligence

By SIMON HENDERY


While not in the multi-million-dollar league of the deal between the Rugby Union and Rebel Sport, sports marketing consultancy Market Intelligence is hailing its deal with the Breakers basketball franchise as an unusual sponsorship arrangement that will benefit both organisations.

Under the arrangement, Wellington-based Market Intelligence becomes the "official research consultancy" of the Breakers in return for providing its sports research and marketing expertise.

Market Research has already undertaken benchmark marketing research for the Breakers before the start of the National Basketball League season.

As with that initial research, on-going research will be based around Market Intelligence's proprietary PassionEight marketing model, which it has applied across several sporting codes.

The PassionEight concept analyses sports fans' attitudes and motives around eight "passions" involved in their interest of the game: passion for novelty, popularity, players, parties, contest, place, code and team.

It has won acclaim from sports academics and managers internationally.

Market Intelligence managing director Simon Arkwright said a key benefit of the Breakers sponsorship was his company's ability to use the team as an ongoing PassionEight case study, and to use the findings for workshops, publications and business development.

"With the use of actual case study examples, PassionEight validates itself and becomes a highly practical and powerful tool," he said.

Breakers sponsorship manager Richard Clarke said: "We don't exist without our fans, so the ability to understand who we are appealing to and how we can serve our fans better are going to be keys to our long-term success."