London – September 26, 2023 – KORE, the leading engagement marketing platform for the sports and entertainment industry, is proud to announce its newest joint-client with Sports Alliance and first-ever Netherlands-based customer, PSV Eindhoven. This milestone marks a significant step in KORE’s expansion into the European market and reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions to sports organisations worldwide. This development is a direct result of KORE’s recent acquisition of digital marketing solutions provider Sports Alliance and the first Sports Alliance client to expand into the KORE platform.

PSV Eindhoven, a prestigious football club founded in 1913 and based in Eindhoven, has earned a well-deserved reputation for excellence on and off the field. As a top-tier Dutch Eredivisie team, PSV’s ambitions include being a perennial contender for the Dutch championship and striving for UEFA Champions League glory, all while fostering a top sports climate with professionalism at its core.

KORE’s partnership with PSV is a testament to the strong relationships forged by the Sports Alliance team. This landmark collaboration will see the integration of KORE’s Activate software into PSV’s operations, empowering the club to manage its partnerships business in ways previously unattainable. This landmark deal, spanning five years, represents a true partnership between KORE and PSV, aimed at elevating partner activation management and optimising sponsorship revenue streams.

“We are thrilled to welcome PSV Eindhoven as KORE’s first Netherlands-based client,” said Matt Roberts, Sr. Director, Customer Strategy & Success (EMEA) at KORE. “This is not only a significant milestone for KORE’s global expansion but also a testament to the great collaboration between PSV and Sports Alliance historically to bring us to this point. PSV’s commitment marks the first instance of KORE ‘software’ cross-selling with a Sports Alliance customer, and it exemplifies our unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional solutions to our valued partners.”

Activate, KORE’s premier asset management software, will enable PSV to seamlessly manage its activation assets and strategically cultivate and nurture partnerships like never before. With its robust and intuitive features, Activate provides PSV with an unprecedented level of control and insight into its partnership ecosystem, unlocking new opportunities for growth and revenue generation.

“We are enthusiastic about our collaboration with KORE” said Koen van Haastert. “Activate’s capabilities align perfectly with our vision of becoming a frontrunner in fan engagement and partnership management. This partnership will enable us to maintain the highest levels of professionalism on and off the field, and we look forward to achieving remarkable milestones together.”

About KORE:

KORE is the global leader in engagement marketing solutions. More than 900 brands, venues, and sports organizations trust KORE’s tools and platform as a source of truth to manage assets and measure partnership impact, with real-time insights, across all channels. 

Through Sponsorship Management and Evaluation, Ticketing and Fan Engagement, and Data Management and Analytics, KORE’s two-sided network unites corporate sponsors, sponsorship properties, and their fans with solutions that help enhance the fan experience, drive smarter decisions, and enable marketing and operations teams to spend time where it matters. Learn more at KORESoftware.com or follow us LinkedIn or Twitter. 

About Sports Alliance:

Sports Alliance was acquired by KORE in 2022.

Founded in London UK in 2002, Sports Alliance serves over 140 sports brands across the UK, Europe and the Americas. Sports Alliance helps rights-holders use data, technology, analysis and marketing insight to enhance fan experience and revenue generation. Sports Alliance provides end-to-end fan relationship management tools and solutions in Marketing & CRM, Digital, Loyalty and Commercial. Our mission is to personalize sport for every individual fan, current and future.

View the official press release here.

For more information, please contact:

Eva Rieder
VP Marketing, KORE
eva.rieder@koresoftware.com

New York City, NY, 9/19/23– KORE, the leading sports and entertainment business solution, Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) and Orlando Pride are excited to announce their new partnership. Together the clubs will implement KORE’s industry leading data platform for City and Pride’s business, driving maximum efficiencies and insights across their organization, leveraging KORE’s platform to create maximum flexibility while minimizing effort within their business operations. Both parties will collaborate to onboard City and Pride onto KORE’s industry leading Fan and Partnership ecosystems. The partnership signals significant milestones for both organizations: City and Pride as an industry leading sports operations, and KORE as the solution of choice for the industry.

A central component of this collaboration is the integration of KORE’s Fan Engagement + Helix platform on top of KORE’s Data Warehouse & Analytics (DWA) ecosystem. This integration delivers the most advanced Fan Engagement platform available, maximizing the club’s capabilities and elevating overall fan intelligence. KORE will seamlessly integrate with the club’s existing native Salesforce ecosystem, streamlining data management and analysis for the organization.

The partnership culminates with the implementation of KORE’s Sponsorship + Activate package, which empowers the clubs with an end-to-end partnership management ecosystem. This comprehensive suite of tools and resources will enable both City and Pride to optimize their sponsorship strategies and provide partners with unprecedented value and engagement opportunities.

Chris Kamke, chief strategy officer for Orlando City and Orlando Pride, states, “KORE offers the most advanced, yet simplistic business platform to help us streamline our business while driving the most advanced insights. It was a clear decision on how to take our business to the next level.”

In response, KORE’s COO, Adam Grow said, “We’re excited to work with Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride to help them drive their business forward. Their goals align with the value KORE delivers for our Partners on a day-to-day basis. Together, we continue to drive the industry forward in a new era of success for OCSC and the Pride.”

The partnership between Orlando City SC/Orlando Pride and KORE underscores the growing importance of data-driven strategies in sports and entertainment. As the club embraces KORE’s innovative solutions, supporters, partners, and stakeholders can look forward to an enhanced and more personalized experience.

About KORE:
KORE is the global leader in engagement marketing solutions. More than 900 brands, venues, and sports organizations trust KORE’s tools and platform as a source of truth to manage assets and measure partnership impact, with real-time insights, across all channels. 

Through Sponsorship Management and Evaluation, Ticketing and Fan Engagement, and Data Management and Analytics, KORE’s two-sided network unites corporate sponsors, sponsorship properties, and their fans with solutions that help enhance the fan experience, drive smarter decisions, and enable marketing and operations teams to spend time where it matters. Learn more at KORESoftware.com or follow us LinkedIn or Twitter. 

About Orlando City SC & Orlando Pride:
Orlando City SC joined Major League Soccer (MLS) as the league’s 21st franchise in November 2013, becoming the first MLS team in the Southeast. The Lions began league play in March 2015, and in 2017, moved into its privately-owned downtown soccer stadium. In 2022, Orlando City SC re-launched OCB as a founding member of MLS NEXT Pro to bridge the gap between its successful youth development academy and the First Team.

In November 2015, the Club announced its intention to bring professional women’s soccer to Central Florida and launched Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League. The Pride began league play in April 2016 with a star-studded team of FIFA World Cup Champions. For more information, visit orlandocitysc.com or orlando-pride.com.

View the official press release here. 

For more information, please contact:

Eva Rieder
VP Marketing, KORE
eva.rieder@koresoftware.com

Jackie Maynard
Sr. Director of Communications & PR, Orlando City & Orlando Pride
jmaynard@orlandocitysc.com

2022-23 NBA Sponsorship Spend Up Slightly

Basketball’s Social Media Footprint Leads U.S. Sports

NEW YORK, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — KORE has released its 2022-23 NBA Market Intelligence Report looking at key sponsorship insights and social media values, including the top sponsorship market sectors, the NBA’s overall social footprint, the top NBA athletes on social media, and the top ten brands earning social media value through NBA partnerships. The report looked at the NBA season through the first round of the playoffs. 

“Overall, we’ve found the NBA sponsorship marketplace is thriving, and the league is second in the United States behind only the NFL in total sponsorship spend,” said KORE Head of Sponsorship Intelligence RJ Kraus. “However, when it comes to social media followers and total engagement, the NBA is first among sports in the U.S.”

According to the KORE NBA report, overall sponsorship is up +2% year-over-year, and up +11% from 2019. Sponsorship was led by the financial sector, comprising nearly +20% of the market, with food and beverage at 15%, and technology at 11%. While the overall value of sponsorships was up, the number of deals per team was down -41%, indicating brands were focused on doing fewer deals, but signing longer terms with larger annual spends.

On the social side, basketball’s footprint encompassed more than 2.5B followers and more than 45B video views over the last year – the largest among U.S. sports. Video viewership has seen a massive increase (+80%) due to new video formats. Among the different social media platforms, Instagram dominates with 80% of engagement and 50% of brand value, but Twitter holds a third of the brand value, better than in other sports.

The playoffs have created extra interest in the league, driving 10M new social followers for the first three weeks of the postseason. 

The biggest value drivers across social media are the league and teams. Combined they drive nearly 95% of the adjusted ad value. Among teams, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers dominate social media, combining for 22% of the total followers and 33.5% of total engagement.

Nike leads all brands, earning the most value through social media NBA partnerships, followed by Google, State Farm, KIA, and Crypto.com.

Lebron James tops the social media values among players, accounting for 23% of all brand value, followed by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker through the first three weeks of the playoffs.

To see the complete KORE 2022-23 NBA Market Intelligence Report reach out to KORE, here.

KORE, now including Hookit, is the only single-source solution to offer a full suite of management, measurement, and optimization solutions for buyers and sellers of sponsorship, marketers, and organizations looking to better engage with their audiences. 

Annually, KORE releases a number of sport-, league-, and team-specific Intel reports, case studies, and white papers. KORE’s next report will be released in late May and will examine the state of sponsorship in golf.

ABOUT KORE:
KORE is the global leader in engagement marketing solutions. More than 900 brands, venues, and sports organizations trust KORE’s tools and platform as a source of truth to manage assets and measure partnership impact, with real-time insights, across all channels. 

Through Sponsorship Management and Evaluation, Ticketing and Fan Engagement, and Data Management and Analytics, KORE’s two-sided network unites corporate sponsors, sponsorship properties, and their fans with solutions that help enhance the fan experience, drive smarter decisions, and enable marketing and operations teams to spend time where it matters. Learn more at KORESoftware.com or follow us LinkedIn or Twitter. 

Contact: Eva Rieder, eva.rieder@koresoftware.com

Click here for the official press release. 

KORE Releases State of the Industry Report

Financial, Food & Beverage, and Technology Sectors Top Sponsorship Spend

Nike, Adidas, and Emirates Top Brands for Social Media Sponsorship Value, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Eileen Gu Lead Athletes Social Media Value

NEW YORK, April 18, 2023 – KORE has released its 2022/23 State of the Industry Report, featuring an annual review of sports marketing, sponsorship, and social media trends. In 2022, sports-related sponsorship spending increased +12% for the year. However, overall sponsorship deals were down slightly, as brands became more selective about who they choose to work with and spent more time quantifying the impact of those sponsorships. 

In 2022, social media sponsorships saw overall engagement increase, with more effort on quality posts focused on subject matter and type driving engagement, while focusing less on overall quantity of posts. Branded social media posts and views were up for brands year-over-year, demonstrating the importance of understanding what content drives successful partnerships. 

“The work we do with hundreds of rights holders and brands across the globe allows us to surface really valuable insights throughout the industry, that impacts the market and helps give our clients a competitive edge,” said KORE CEO Jason Fletcher. “Where it really gets exciting is when we see how our clients begin to innovate with this type of intelligence.” 

Looking at the global state of sponsorship spend, KORE determined that the average annual deal size in 2022 was $326k versus $273k in 2019 (+23%) and $317k in 2021 (+12%). The average deal length increased to 3.3 years, indicating that brands and rights holders have shifted focus to more long-term objective setting and planning.  

The big five North American leagues experienced similar trends in terms of increased sponsorship income through fewer deals. According to KORE data, spending is up +6%, while deals are down -4% year-over-year. Compared to 2019, spending is up +14% despite the number of deals being down by -5%. 

KORE’s State of the Industry Report also tracked the top sponsorship categories, which sectors were spending more and less over the last year, as well as sponsorship asset trends and more. In 2022, the Financial sector led sponsorship spending for the fourth consecutive year. The other top sectors include Food & Beverage, Communications & Media, Retail, and Technology.  

Social media drives significant exposure and value for brands, creating more than $12B in total adjusted ad value (AAV) across social platforms. In 2022, KORE tracked an -8% dip in brand value from 2021 and fewer partnership deals created, but a +39% increase over pre-pandemic levels in 2019.  

Branded posts, engagement, and views were all up for brands year-over-year and versus 2019, which demonstrates understanding what types of content such as video, images, text mentions, hashtags, keywords, and various topic analysis are key insights for successful partnerships. 

Among all sports, global football had 54% of all social media followers, 53% of social engagement, and 42% of social brand value.  

Instagram videos were the most engaging form of content in 2022, rising above the other platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram (IG), Facebook, and Twitter. Instagram continued to be the most engaging platform for four years straight. 

The brands that benefitted most from partnerships in social media in 2022 included Nike, Adidas, Emirates, Puma, and Red Bull. The report also named the top 30 best promoted brands as well as top male and female athletes on social media. On the male side, global football stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar da Silva lead the list, while skier Eileen Gu, global footballer Alisha Lehmann, and tennis great Serena Williams top the women’s list. 

KORE’s data footprint is the largest in the industry. The company’s sponsorship management data perspective covers more than 70% of major North American sport and entertainment properties and globally more than $52 billion in sponsorship spend. KORE actively tracks more than 500,000 entities across sport and entertainment on social media platforms, as well as more than 32-billion fan connections. 

The complete KORE 2022 State of the Industry Report is available here. 

KORE, now including Hookit, is the only single-source solution to offer a full suite of management, measurement, and optimization solutions for buyers and sellers of sponsorship, marketers, and organizations looking to better engage with their audiences.  

Annually, KORE releases several sport-, league-, and team-specific Intel reports, case studies, and white papers. KORE’s next comprehensive report will be released at the end of the year, focused on brands, teams, leagues and athletes on the rise. Shorter industry sector reports will be released throughout 2023. 

ABOUT KORE:
KORE is the global leader in engagement marketing solutions. More than 900 brands, venues, and sports organizations trust KORE’s tools and platform as a source of truth to manage assets and measure partnership impact, with real-time insights, across all channels. 

Through Sponsorship Management and Evaluation, Ticketing and Fan Engagement, and Data Management and Analytics, KORE’s two-sided network unites corporate sponsors, sponsorship properties, and their fans with solutions that help enhance the fan experience, drive smarter decisions, and enable marketing and operations teams to spend time where it matters. Learn more at KORESoftware.com or follow us LinkedIn or Twitter. 

Contact: Eva Rieder, eva.rieder@koresoftware.com

Click here for the official press release.