Brack is back – after the FIFA World Cup comes the Brack Super League

A year ago, Brack launched a sponsorship project inspired by one of the most famous concepts in soccer: «Total Football.». m&k reported on it in detail at the time. The idea behind it was simple. Sponsorship shouldn't end at the sidelines, but should connect all the touchpoints between fans, clubs, youth players, and the brand.

A year later, it’s clear that the idea has become more than just a creative concept. The first season of the Brack Super League has delivered measurable results—in terms of brand awareness, revenue, and attracting new customers. At the same time, an old rule of sports sponsorship has been confirmed: a commitment of this magnitude does not reach its full impact after just one season, but rather over the course of several years.

The first season is over. Now begins the phase in which a successful start must be turned into a lasting impact.

In a video interview, Philippe Guggisberg, Chief Communications Officer of the Swiss Football League, and Christoph Frei, Head of Partnerships & Events at Brack.Alltron, discuss the sponsorship partnership as well as new rules that will take effect at Super League stadiums starting next season.

From the Logo to the League

«At the end of the five years, we want to be a sponsor that the fans would miss,» says Roman Reichelt, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Brack.Alltron. Not loved, but appreciated. A sponsor about whom the fans would say, «Things were actually pretty good with them.»

The goal sounds modest. In fact, it reflects a remarkably comprehensive approach. Instead of focusing on traditional visibility, Brack seeks to integrate all elements of its engagement—from supporting young talent to online retail to stadium marketing. Internally, the company refers to this as activating all five marketing Ps: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People.

A Dream Start in Terms of Name Recognition

The initial assessment of brand awareness is particularly impressive.

After just a few months, Brack has achieved an unaided sponsor awareness rating of 71 percent. This means that seven out of ten soccer fans spontaneously name Brack as a league sponsor without being presented with a list of options. Even long-standing partnerships with major brands sometimes fall well below this figure.

This commitment is also having an impact at the regional level. In areas where Brack implements additional engagement initiatives with local clubs, awareness of its sponsorship is growing at an above-average rate. This is particularly evident in the soccer strongholds of Bern and St. Gallen.

For Christoph Frei, Head of Partnerships & Events at Brack.Alltron, this confirms that the company is on the right track. In an interview with m&k, he says: «Our sponsorship awareness—both aided and unaided—is very high nationwide. Our regional sponsorship awareness in cantons where we have additional commitments has risen dramatically.»

Soccer Doesn't Sell Soccer

Perhaps the most exciting insight from the first year, however, came from where theory met reality.

With the «90-Minute Deal,» Brack developed a globally unique promotional format. During every Super League match, a product is offered at an exclusive discount. The original assumption: Fans buy soccer merchandise during a soccer game.

The reality was different.

«People didn't just go out and buy a ball on the fly during the game,» Reichelt explains. Instead, MacBooks, Apple Watches, robot vacuums, and Philips Hue lights sold particularly well.

So engagement doesn't happen because soccer merchandise is being sold, but because soccer attracts attention.

The numbers underscore this: During games, traffic to the online store increases by about 180 percent. Over the course of the season, this results in an increase of about 10 percent in weekend visits. Fourteen of the 44 items were even sold out before the 90 minutes were up.

More Than Just Jerseys and Standings

The impact is particularly evident in the soccer product line.

Brack is currently the only Swiss online retailer that carries all the jerseys for all twelve Super League clubs. This product line has become a major driver of growth. Sales in the soccer segment rose by 125 percent, while the number of new customers increased by 139 percent.

FC Thun provided a particularly striking example. The championship jersey of the surprise title winner sold out in just 90 minutes.

The actual platform is located in the village square

However, anyone who judges this commitment based solely on stadium photos is overlooking a key part of the strategy.

Brack has been involved in Swiss youth and recreational soccer for over a decade. Today, more than 1,100 clubs receive equipment through related support programs. Approximately 100,000 children and teenagers come into contact with these initiatives every year. This involves more than 12,000 tournaments, training sessions, and soccer events.

This gives the sponsorship pyramid a unique structure: At the top are the 230 Super League games, but its true foundation lies in the thousands of soccer fields across the country.

The second half begins

Accordingly, Brack does not view the first season as a conclusion, but rather as a starting point.

Starting with the new season, customized stadium spots will air at all twelve venues—narrated by children from the respective region in the local dialect. At the same time, the brand is making its way into the digital soccer world: According to the plan, the distinctive package-shaped goalpost and LED scoreboards will also be featured in EA Sports FC. Around 2.5 million virtual Super League matches are played there each season.

In addition, there are new ideas for promoting young talent. Models are currently being tested in which purchases made by fans directly generate funds for youth programs, as well as platforms where young players can automatically receive and share highlight clips of their games.

The league also wants to speed up the game

With the start of the season upon us, the Swiss Football League is also looking ahead.

Several rule changes are intended to speed up the game. These include stricter rules against stalling during throw-ins, goal kicks, and substitutions, as well as additional opportunities to use VAR for yellow-red cards. At the same time, VAR decisions will be displayed more transparently on stadium screens in the future.

«There’s nothing better for soccer than when it remains unpredictable,» says Philippe Guggisberg, Chief Communications Officer of the Swiss Football League. Following newly promoted FC Thun’s sensational championship title, there’s probably hardly anyone in Switzerland who would dispute that statement right now.

Final chord

With the World Cup behind us, attention is turning back to the national stage. The first season of the Brack Super League has shown that title sponsorship can be much more than just a logo in the competition’s name. The real question now is no longer whether the concept works, but rather how much potential will be unlocked when a successful first season evolves into a five-year project.