Two sportsbooks were among the 100 most-searched national brands by sponsorship executives in 2023 on the SponsorUnited platform, according to a company report.
DraftKings ranked 45th, while Fanatics came in at No. 99.
SponsorUnited describes itself as a “global sports data intelligence platform, delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing sponsorships.” This suggests that the searches came from executives empowered to make partnerships and that the presence of two gambling companies in the top 100 underscores the continued spread and mainstreaming of legal sports betting in the United States.
The national leader, according to SponsorUnited, was Dunkin. The top 10 included Coca-Cola, Toyota, Celsius, Verizon, YETI, Geico, Ford, Cane’s, and Nike.
DraftKings, which accounts for 21% of the legal sports betting market in the United States — behind only FanDuel — according to the Gaming Today sports betting revenue tracker, ranked higher than ubiquitous brands including American Airlines, FedEx, VISA, and Walmart. Fanatics, which is currently live for online sports betting in 11 states, nudged out Continental.
DraftKings, Fanatics Added Partners Throughout 2023
Among DraftKings’ sponsorship successes in 2023 was taking over the presenting sponsorship of the NFL Red Zone Show. Like DraftKings, Fanatics added sports betting partnerships with professional teams, most recently with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League.
Josh Walker, the co-founder and chief executive of Sports Innovation Lab said of Fanatics in the Sport Pro sponsorship and marketing newsletter this week:
” …Its influence on live shopping and sports betting will be felt broadly [in 2024]. The company will be the first to integrate non-cash prizes and bets for consumers who want to bet jerseys, hats, and other merchandise with friends and co-workers based on each week’s games.
It will benefit enormously from this social behaviour and reduce the cost of customer acquisition, forcing competitors like DraftKings, ESPN BET and FanDuel to emulate its social gaming tactics.”
About the Author
