Tech and AI companies spend millions on marquee sports ads without clearly defining the business outcome, which puts real capital at risk when boards expect measurable growth.
Julie Xiu, a Global Tech & Sports Partnerships Executive, explains that sponsorships must start with a clear objective tied to customer acquisition, executive access, geographic growth, or sales acceleration.
Success comes from aligning leadership around one priority, choosing platforms based on audience fit, and measuring reach, trust, and conversion separately to drive real ROI.
Marquee sports advertising now sits on the balance sheet, not just the highlight reel. As AI and fast-scaling tech firms crowd into premium sports media, Super Bowl airtime is being treated like a growth lever with a price tag to match. Nearly a quarter of the most recent Super Bowl ads pushed AI-driven products or messaging, underscoring the shift. Thirty seconds on game day is no longer a vanity play but a strategic bet on reach, trust, and revenue.
Julie Xiu, a Global Tech & Sports Partnerships Executive who has led global marketing strategy across enterprise technology, says the starting point has shifted. The first question is no longer how big the stage is, but what specific business result the company intends to purchase. Her perspective reflects a broader transformation in sponsorship strategy, where audience alignment, geographic expansion, and growth objectives determine property selection more than brand visibility alone.
"The right question is not whether to do a Super Bowl ad, but what business goals you're trying to achieve. Are you trying to acquire customers? Are you trying to make a brand statement? If you can't answer that at a board level, any investment at this level is a waste of money," Xiu says. As costs rise and shareholder accountability increases, marketing leaders must demonstrate how sport partnerships support measurable business growth.
Get your head in the game: "Formula One is the best place to tell a technology story. Football reaches the right buyers. Success depends on knowing what you want to achieve and where your audience lives. Are you trying to reach a C-level executive? The top five people at a company? Or are you entertaining a broader group? You need to know your audience before you choose the platform," says Xiu. Platform choice is less about prestige and more about precision. The property should fit the objective, not the other way around.
To the moon and back: "You don't have 30 seconds to make an impression. You realistically have four or five. If you don't capture attention in that window, the audience is gone. When I heard the John F. Kennedy We Choose to Go to the Moon speech used in a recent campaign, it gave me goosebumps," she recalls. "No product explanation. No technology demo. Just a feeling. Attention without story rarely delivers ROI," Xiu explains. The goal is to make an impression that resonates, so viewers remember the feeling and the brand days later.
High-profile sports broadcasts operate in an entertainment focused environment with intense competition for attention. "The most effective campaigns don't start on game day. They begin weeks earlier, building anticipation across multiple platforms," Xiu says. AI-driven analytics now allows organizations to evaluate sponsorship performance in layers: reach, trust, and conversion. By defining a single priority, organizations can design creative, select platforms, and measure performance around meaningful outcomes.
Success in simplicity: "Success is straightforward. You build brand reach, create emotional trust, and drive commercial conversion. But you have to track all three separately. Impressions converting to familiarity, interest, and trust, which in my space is the most important thing, that is the real funnel," Xiu adds. For B2B markets, the goal isn't immediate multi-million dollar purchases. It's accelerating sales conversions and shortening deal timelines.
No 'I' in team: "The most successful sports marketing programs happen when the board, CMO, sales leadership, and executive teams are aligned around a single business objective. Is it reach, trust, or conversion? If a campaign isn't aligned, it often becomes a founder's childhood dream. That's when sponsorships fail," says Xiu. Without alignment, even the most expensive campaigns risk becoming a suboptimal ROI investment.
Success in marquee sports marketing comes down to clarity, discipline, and knowing when to let emotion lead. The opportunity for executives is to create moments that resonate, build trust, and drive results. "The brands that win aren't the ones who just show up. They're the ones who think like a boardroom, act like a storyteller, and stay true to their business purpose; everything else is just noise," Xiu concludes.
