Iga ¦wiątek worked out hundreds of millions for the sponsor. “Nobody else decided”

Iga Świątek has been working with PZU since February 2021. He is the main partner of the Polish tennis player, although not the only one. The leader of the WTA ranking is also sponsored by companies such as Xiaomi, Rolex, and recently also Oshee.

Cooperation with the state-owned insurance giant benefits both parties. For a tennis player, it is a form of career support. In turn, as calculated by Sponsoring Insight, the value of the advertising equivalent obtained in the Polish media for PZU in the previous year amounted to over PLN 115 million.

What is an equivalent?

We asked Michał Gradzik, managing partner at Sponsoring Insight, what the concept of advertising equivalent means. – This is a pool of benefits that relate to the branding of sportswear or sports facilities with sponsor’s brands. In the case of Iga Świątek and PZU, this is a place for a tennis player’s outfit. The PZU logo is placed there. In the TV broadcast, this logo is shown to the viewers, it is also seen in photos in the press and on the Internet. The subject of the study is the answer to the question of how much money PZU would have to spend to purchase advertising that would enable it to be present in the same communication channels at the same time or place. We work on price list data, analyzing the exact costs, and this is how the advertising equivalent is calculated – explains Michał Gradzik.

Tennis is a unique discipline

PLN 115 million in a year. How to evaluate this result? – In 2021, the corresponding equivalent amounted to PLN 42 million. so we have almost tripled the value. However, it is difficult to compare it with other athletes, because tennis is a specific discipline. In tennis, it is the individual athlete who has the right to display the key image space on his attire. It is the tennis player who is in the spotlight. In other disciplines it is different, even in those perceived as individual – says our interlocutor.

He adds: – For example, in cycling, key sponsorship benefits are reserved for the team or national team. Tennis is unique in this regard. Similar sponsorship terms can be found in rallying. There is also an individual athlete – a driver – who builds his own team. Such a driver is an enterprise that manages various areas.

Iga Świątek is also a company. – It owns key products that it can “sell” in the market. Such a product is, for example, an exhibition on the outfit in which it appears in competitions broadcast by television stations. All this builds the value of cooperation with Iga Świątek, as well as the amount of advertising equivalent. Last year was very good for the Polish woman in terms of interest in her performances. This resulted in a high equivalent for PZU – explains Gradzik.

Could there be an even higher value?

– We have recently prepared a list of TV broadcasts. The top 3 broadcasts with the participation of Iga Świątek for 2021 are all matches shown by Eurosport 1. Last year it was different – there are two matches on the podium shown on TVN and one by Eurosport 1 – our interlocutor points out.

Currently, matches of Iga Świątek can be watched on Polish television on Eurosport 1 and 2 channels (Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open), Polsat (Wimbledon) and Canal Plus (WTA tournaments). Last year, Viaplay also showed the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup, but the leader of the ranking did not perform in Glasgow. TVN, in turn, shows the most important Grand Slam matches with the participation of Iga Świątek, as it belongs to the same Discovery group together with Eurosport.

– Iga Świątek is already a world number one, has great Grand Slam performances, repeating successes this year is possible, but of course sport never guarantees. I would rather see a chance for an increase in the equivalent on the wave of the growing popularity of tennis itself in Poland. You can see how it is growing in our country – believes Gradzik.

Task for the WTA

And if the matches of Iga Świątek were shown on public television, the equivalent would be even higher? Two years ago, Canal Plus took over the rights to show WTA tournaments from TVP. – Open antennas obviously generate more space for fans. Looking at the viewership of tennis tournaments, however, the Grand Slam is still the key. These events have a stronger brand. I think that in the background there is still a need for education about the entire WTA series, the most important tournaments, such as Rome, Madrid and other prestigious competitions, the expert points out.

Of course, this is not a task for Iga Świątek, but for the women’s tennis organization. – International activists, having a player like Iga, should invest in the Polish market. It’s not our tennis player who sells broadcasting rights, but WTA. They should invest in Poland, in the promotion of tennis, education, to increase the value of television rights – says our interlocutor.

As an example, he cites the activities of the ATP organization. – When Rafael Nadal and other Spanish tennis players appeared in the men’s competition several years ago, the men’s tennis organization decided to invest in the promotion of tennis in Spain. It has been calculated that they will be able to derive greater benefits from the Spanish market when it comes to the commercialization of broadcasting or marketing rights, Gradzik points out.

“PZU believed in Iga Świątek”

How did cooperation between Świątek and PZU come about? – We laugh in the community that this decision shows that PZU is a risk specialist. In 2020, after the success of Iga Świątek in Paris, many brands that could afford to cooperate with the Polish tennis player analyzed such a possibility. However, no one other than PZU decided to finalize these talks. PZU believed in Iga Świątek – explains the expert.

The current contract is valid until February 2024. – This is a long period for individual contracts. This contract is very profitable, it makes a great impression. It wouldn’t be without faith in the tennis player. Such contracts are rare. Today we are talking about the best player in the world, and when both sides cooperated, Iga Świątek was a revelation, but there can be many such revelations. We know, for example, the history of recent years in world tennis. PZU hit the “top ten” – admits our interlocutor.

At the time of signing the contract, Iga Świątek was already the champion of Roland Garros (2020). She jumped to the top of the WTA, but no one expected that in a few months there would be such dominance on her part in women’s competitions.

– I also wonder how much the trust she received from PZU had on Iga Świątek’s further career. Having financial comfort, she could easily build a team. At the biggest tournaments, she is accompanied by several people, two trainers and a psychologist. This is very important and can determine success – concludes Gradzik.