Wimbledon, Test cricket and the FIFA Club World Cup are dominating this summer’s sporting calendar. While official sponsors have paid millions for a seat at the table, plenty of other brands are finding ways to be part of the action too.
From Wimbledon-inspired drinks and fan giveaways to creative activations around major tournaments, such as the public challenge between British Airways and Norwegian Airlines on Instagram, some brands are tapping into the excitement without paying for official sponsorship. Instead, they’re finding authentic ways to add to the fan experience and stay part of the conversation.
But is that a smarter way to build relevance? Or does official sponsorship still offer something that unofficial activations can’t?
Three branding and marketing experts share their views.
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Table of Contents
Sam Scott, Head of Commercial GB at Verve The Live Agency
“Official sponsorship remains one of the clearest routes to relevance during a sporting event, but it’s not the only route in. Unofficial activations do not offer the same access or legitimacy, but they can offer alternative brand benefits when done well. During this summer of sport across Wimbledon, Test Cricket and FIFA World Cup 2026, I have seen these activations resonate and generate brand visibility in ways that feel additive to the wider fan experience.
But it isn’t just as easy as changing the colours of a logo or offering a product that alludes to a particular sports event. To make these activations work, you have to understand the culture of the event and the behaviours happening around it. GoGo squeeZ’s World Cup-inspired, ‘Fueling the Fans’, campaign demonstrates just that.
By handing out products to fans travelling through host cities, the brand is adapting an existing offering in a way that feels relevant to the occasion. It is not trying to look like an official partner, or borrow too heavily from the tournament itself. Instead, it is finding a natural role around the fan experience. It’s a different, more accessible way of being visible around a major sporting moment.
Of course, if a brand opts for this route, it must do so while avoiding infringement, with no protected logos or attempts to look official. But just as important is that the activation feels genuine and is a meaningful contribution to the event. GoGo squeeZ’s activation works because it gives something back to fans in a moment where the brand has a role to play. It’s not a cheap, opportunistic imitation of a sponsorship deal; it exists as its own thing that the brand can own.
Given the cultural relevance of sport this summer, brands will be looking to engage with these moments in different ways. For brands without official rights, unofficial activations may be one way to do that, but only those that remain true to a brand’s offering and give something back to consumers will resonate.”
Charlotte Black, Chief Strategy Officer at Saffron Brand Consultants
“This summer, brand-led experiences will matter because people are increasingly looking for moments that feel tangible, memorable and worth their time. In a market where audiences are overwhelmed by content, brands need to move beyond simply saying who they are and start proving it through what people can see, feel and participate in.
Ralph Lauren’s long-standing involvement in Wimbledon is a powerful example. As the official outfitter since 2006, the brand has become part of the tournament’s visual language, from the uniforms worn by on-court officials and ball boys and girls to collections and activations that extend the experience beyond Centre Court. It is not a logo placed onto an event; it is a brand helping shape the codes, rituals and atmosphere of a much-loved cultural moment.
That is why the best summer experiences will not be stunts for visibility alone. They will be strategic expressions of the brand, designed to make its purpose, personality and promise real in the world. The brands that win will be those that turn experience into evidence – making their strategy not just understood, but felt.”
Daniel Binns, Global CEO, Elmwood
“The Permission Slip is Dead. The smartest brands this summer aren’t the ones with their logo on the centre court banner. They’re the ones handing out strawberries at the tube station.
Official sponsorship used to buy you proximity to culture. Now it often just buys you a badge which is visible, but forgettable. And tournament organizers may have tarnished reputations while the sporting event may still be beloved. Look at what is happening in the World Cup right now, FIFA maybe being questioned for how its handling the event, but the games are the talk of the town. So do you want to be a World Cup sponsor or do you want to activate your brand around the cultural phenomenon that is football?
Brands like Caffè Nero and Tesco are doing something more interesting: they’re reading the room. They understand that a Wimbledon-inspired matcha or a punnet of cream-topped strawberries isn’t a legal workaround. It’s a genuine cultural contribution. And people feel the difference.
Pepsi 30 years ago latched on to this in India when they lost the rights to the Cricket World Cup to Coca-Cola who then became the official sponsor. They brought in a batch of legendary ex-players and created a campaign around “Pepsi, nothing official about it” – perfect for the challenger brand and arguably one of the greatest pieces of ambush marketing on record.
This is what it means to move from intent to impact. Not waiting for the rights package to arrive before you show up, but knowing exactly what role you want to play in a moment – and making it real, fast. The brands winning this summer imagined their participation, rehearsed it, and made it feel inevitable.
What separates authentic activation from opportunism is that same clarity of intent. Are you here for the audience, or just for the association? The best unofficial activations pass that test instinctively. They don’t need a trademark to feel legitimate.
As rights fees climb and attention fragments, brand-led experiences built on genuine cultural intent will define the season. Not because the rulebook changed — but because the most purposeful brands stopped waiting for permission to make an impact.
The moment is the brief. Go make something worth remembering.”
