What’s your name and position within the organisation?
Andrea Savi – Business Director of NF Sport
How did your organisation come to work with rights holders and brands?
We work with athletes, brands and rights holders with a 360˚ approach.
We are part of the Northern Fides Group, a financial group founded over ten years ago that specialises in wealth management. NF Sport was founded in 2015 with the aim of delivering the same trust and dedication for clients in the sport industry that Northern Fides provides in the financial sector. Combining into one reality the solidity and credibility of an established financial group, together with the creativity and dynamism of a sports marketing agency, NF Sport was born.
We work with athletes, brands and rights holders with a 360˚ approach. We assist them in image strategy, marketing, communication and sponsorship activities.
What “bigger picture” did this relationship seek to meet?
Our aim is to help our clients (athletes, brands and rights holders) with the development, care and growth of their image by assisting them in building an identity and defining the values they wish to portray. We are sure that this comprehensive approach will help them increase their earning potential, which will then be professionally and strategically managed by the financial group to whom we belong.
How is the effectiveness of the relationship(s) measured? What metrics do you use?
Using the best software available for metrical evaluation and social listening.
We are using the best software available for metrical evaluation and social listening in the projects we are carrying forth with our clients and partners. We want to track the real awareness (before, during and after) of all the campaigns, in order to understand what went right and what didn’t go as well as expected.
Providing our clients with exhaustive data means we offer them the perfect tools to evaluate and calculate their ROI.
What are the current trends within your business area, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
Rights holders and brands are looking for valuable ambassadors who can communicate their products and services in the right way.
New trends, tools and opportunities are emerging every day that change the sports industry. Rights holders and brands are looking for valuable ambassadors who can communicate their products and services in the right way. Our job is to find the right gateway to join the parties. A great example of our work in this regard is the endorsement agreement between Regina Baresi and adidas. Regina, captain and striker of the Inter women’s football team, strongly believes in the development of women’s football in Italy and has dedicated herself on and off the field to help its growth.
For this reason, adidas considered her the perfect candidate to become the first Italian female football player to officially represent the brand in Italian women’s football. The resulting sponsorship relationship is a perfect expression of the common values and economic interests shared by Regina and adidas.
How has sponsorship changed in your industry over the past few years? And how do you think it’s going to change in the next five years?
The main objective is not only to increase the visibility of their products and services, but also to alter and improve the way they are perceived by their customers.
Sponsorship in the sports industry has grown and evolved a lot over the past few years. As indicated in the latest Nielsen Sports’ reports, the two main reasons behind the continuous expansion of sponsorship is the general growth of the sports business as well as the digital evolution. New event structures, campaigning tools and innovative ways to approach and build relationships provide users with more realistic, immersive and powerful experiences.
Many companies from diverse industries are interested in creating sponsorship relationships in sports. The main objective is not only to increase the visibility to their products and services, but also to alter and improve the way they are perceived by their customers.
How are you harnessing and executing on digital strategy, and what problems / opportunities has this created?
NF Sport considers digital strategy an integral part of the larger project. We employ a 360˚ management approach to meet the needs of our varied clients (including athletes, brands, and rights holders). In order to create powerful campaigns for our clients, we conduct daily measurements, tests, and analysis to stay at the forefront of trending topics.
What makes NF Sport different from other sports agencies?
We are combining the creativity and dynamism of a sports marketing agency with the solidity and credibility of a financial group.
We are a bilingual company with experience in different European markets, particularly in the Italian market. This allows us to be known as a strategic intermediary for Italian clients (brands, rights holders, athletes) who want to expand their brand internationally and, vice versa, European clients who want to explore the Italian market.
What makes us different is that we are combining the creativity and dynamism of a sports marketing agency with the solidity and the credibility of a financial group. Additionally we are able to assist our clients in the development and management of their assets gained through the exploitation of their image.