While watching the US Open this weekend, I was struck by the diversity of sponsorships on display. Some of the sponsors were sporting goods manufacturers, some were car companies, a few consulting firms could be seen mixed in with a handful of apparel companies. I also observed that the sponsorships worn on the players’ hats seemed to be the most visible. There were more shots than I could count where the camera showed a player’s face and head, and in each of those shots there were the logos of the sponsoring companies. Talk about huge impact for the sponsorship dollar.

Though I rarely watch televised NASCAR events for more than a few minutes as I flip through channels, it’s clear to me that NASCAR has the most intense sponsorship layout in all of sports. There are logos on the hoods of cars, smaller logos behind the front wheels, logos on the pillars behind the driver’s head, logos around the back wheels and all over the protective clothing the drivers wear. The big sponsors on the hood obviously stand out as the cars race around the track, but I would have a tough time picking out any of the smaller logos behind the wheels.

Overall, sponsorships should be beneficial to both the sponsor and the sponsored person or team. The more a sponsor spends, the larger or more prominent the display of their brand or logo. Marketing dollars spent on the right team could help to reinforce your brand as an industry leader. However, sponsoring the wrong person or team could end up catching fewer eyes, or worse, associating your brand with challenges or failures of the group you are sponsoring.