Perfect Puppies & More Global Partnerships

To kick off today’s profile of Global Partnerships, the SponsorshipX team shares our love for the Pet Perfect Puppies at the Playoff activation by Shaw Floors.

The event occurred at College Football Playoff Fan Central on January 18-20th, leading into the national championship game at Mercedes Benz Stadium. While Shaw Floors has some very informative educational sessions at the activation, a complete lineup of Pet Perfect products, and a compelling Real-life testing area, most consumers were most interested in playing with the pups. However, this activation is far from frivolous. 

Shaw Floors leans into the positioning of having Pet Perfect carpets and flooring. They leverage the hashtag #ShawPetPerfect, have contests for Perfect pets, and literally have a Pet Perfect collection of high-performance carpets, rugs, cushions, and cleaners that allow pet-friendly homes to enjoy flooring solutions that are as durable as they are beautiful. Their flooring expertise extends to being Shaw Sports Turf®, the Official Synthetic Turf Provider of College Football. 

So, while the activation onsite may seem all about cuddles and love as consumers spend time with an adorable slew of puppies, the strategy is solid. In addition to the direct tieback to the product—floor products tough enough for football players and pets—Shaw leverages the cute pups and ties in with local charities such as Angels Rescue and Furkids Atlanta to round out the relationship.

Nike Back in the Bike Saddle

In 2024, Dutch cycling star Demi Vollering leveraged her popularity with fans into a rare, for cycling, personal sponsorship deal with Nike. Her recent transfer to the FDJ-Suez team has made that deal even more significant, as the American sportswear behemoth, # 1 in the world, has just announced they will be the team's " lifestyle partner.”

 This is Nike’s most prominent foray into cycling since the ill-fated days of Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service team. It’s a fantastic deal for the team, Women’s cycling, and, hopefully, Nike. 

 "This partnership with Nike is a unique opportunity for our team. Collaborating with such an iconic brand will strengthen our identity while bringing a fresh dimension to our project," said Stephen Delcourt, General Manager of FDJ-SUEZ.

 Most definitively, this is an off-the-bike deal, as Nike’s presence will be to outfit the team’s athletes and staff with lifestyle, culture, and training gear. Given that this is the only peloton that Nike is associated with globally, eyes will be laser-focused on this relationship to see what outcomes it creates from standpoints ranging from products to commercialization, consumer marketing, and the shaping of future partnerships. 

Vollering is a star in the cycling world. The undisputed leading voice of women’s cycling and the highest-paid female peloton athlete. She speaks clearly on essential topics, such as the Women’s Tour de France, which should be extended to provide more opportunities for women riders. But don’t get her started on the event’s name. On a Strava podcast with former USWNT midfielder Tobin Heath, the pair discuss their dislike of the official name ‘Tour de France Femmes’, asking whether the men’s should be renamed the ‘Tour de France Hommes’. 

Vollering is a game changer, and that’s the type of character Nike loves to partner with. 

 K-Pop Star Points Finger at Hana Financial Group

At 11:11 PM on a recent Saturday night, K-Pop Star G-Dragon shared an image of his hand with his index finger pointed to highlight the Hana logo on his nail. 

That finger-pointing was a tease to the Hana Financial Group announcing G-Dragon as its latest ambassador on Sunday. The group said the K-pop star's trendy, creative image aligns with its goal to create new value in the financial industry.

After an unprecedented seven-year hiatus, G-Dragon has reeerged with a chart-topping single and new designs influencing the music scene. Well-known beyond music, G-Dragon also has a strong presence in music and art and will join a corporate lineup of ambassadors that includes IVE’s An Yu-jin, footballer Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., TV personality Kang Ho-dong, and singer Lim Young-wrong. 

"Following Son Heung-min's healthy leadership, Lim Young-woong's warm consideration, Ahn Yu-jin's youthful and bright energy and Kang Ho-dong's reliable partnership, G-Dragon's unique trendy and creative character has been added (to the group)," a Hana official said. "We will provide new and innovative brand content so that more customers can look forward to a better tomorrow in finance."

"It is even more meaningful and special because it is a partnership with Hana Financial Group, which has consistently carried out interesting marketing activities," G-Dragon said. "I am very excited, as I believe we can try something new and unprecedented in the fields of advertising and marketing."

The signing of G-Dragon and other top ambassadors, along with a commitment to producing new brand campaigns, products, and ad innovations, is all part of Hana’s effort to shed its burdensome and staid image that appealed to a stoic senior audience. 

They are engaging in an intriguing experiment to validate the power of cultural icons in transforming a brand from yesterday to tomorrow. 

G-Dragon understands transformation. Despite his long absence, G-Dragon’s new single amassed 10 million views the day it was released, resulting in his headlining several music festivals. The rapper-producer’s latest hit, “Power,” released his single “Power,” which crashed the Melon Chart Top 100 in thirty minutes and crushed rankings on Spotify and iTunes globally. 

Toronto Tempo Nets A Winner with Sephora Canada

In a series of firsts, Sephora was recently announced as the first founding partner and first jersey patch of the first-ever WNBA team outside of the United States, the Toronto Tempo. 

In a world where beauty and athletics are no longer separated, this new partnership comes within days of Sephora's announcement of a new collaboration with Unrivaled. This innovative professional women's basketball league plays three to three games on a compressed court.

Sephora continues demonstrating that they are in the empowerment business with the deal with Tempo. “We jumped at the chance to help build this team from the ground up and shape the cultural conversation in Canada around beauty and basketball through our partnership with the Toronto Tempo,” says Allison Litzinger, SVP, Marketing, Sephora Canada. “Women’s basketball embraces the unique identities of athletes who bring their full selves to the game, on and off the court, and it has the power to bring so many diverse people together through a shared passion. By celebrating the Beauty of Sport and the inspiring women who fuel it, we’ll show Canadians that we all belong to something beautiful.”

Around the WNBA, the cosmetic category is active, featuring many deals over the past several years. In 2020, Glossier became the WNBA's first official beauty partner.   This partnership has evolved to include activations at major league events and WNBA-themed content that amplifies players' voices and stories.  Recently,  Mielle, a Black-founded and woman-led beauty brand, entered a multi-year partnership with the WNBA, becoming an official marketing partner and the league's official textured hair care partner. On a team basis,  Urban Decay has partnered with the Los Angeles Sparks, providing makeup services before games and hosting events such as Pride Night and Fan Appreciation Night. In 2023, NYX became the official makeup sponsor of the New York Liberty, marking the team's first partnership with a cosmetics company.  The team had earlier signed Hero Cosmetics and became the first official beauty partner of the New York Liberty, sponsoring the team's starting five and engaging in various fan activations.  

Beyond team deals, the category is also active with media platforms. Witness the iHeart Women's Sports Audio Network, which has partnered with e.l.f. Cosmetics and e.l.f. SKIN as a founding partner. This collaboration aims to amplify women's sports and provide a platform dedicated exclusively to female athletes.   

As a beacon of inclusion, Sephora is a natural ally for the Tempo. The brand, whose logo will grace Tempo jerseys when the team takes the court in 2026, shares a core set of values with the team, as explained by Toronto Tempo President Teresa Resch. This alignment of values underscores the authenticity and depth of this partnership, promising a future of empowerment and growth for women's sports in Canada.

“From day one, we’ve been building so much more than a sports team with the Toronto Tempo - we’ve been building a community,” Resch says. “And there is no brand in Canada better suited to help us deliver on that vision than Sephora Canada. This is one of the most deeply inclusive, purpose-driven, passionate organizations in this country, and they’re going to work hand-in-hand with us to elevate women’s sport in Canada in unprecedented ways.”

While a year away from playing their first game on the court, the Tempo are already scoring their first points in the Boardroom.