There are so many aspects to sponsor football, and this post will outline about three separate techniques.
Sponsoring a total sporting event is an successful way to advertise a brand, especially when it is something watched around the world. The Hisense shareholders made the decision to sponsor the 2018 soccer world cup, which is about the most viewed events of all time, so of course will have spread the companies image successfully. The sponsorship of events does not have the longevity of other sponsorships, such as kit or ground sponsors, but it is maybe the most efficient for that short space of time. When a specific occasion is a big success and remembered fondly, then the same narrative is awarded to the brand names that sponsor it; this is the case for any event and of course sporting events are no different.
Whilst many firms aiming to sponsor will try and sponsor football tops, there are some cases of companies sponsoring entire domestic leagues. There are some instances of businesses sponsoring whole leagues. This type of sponsorship is rare, but that is partly because of the fact there are limited leagues to sponsor, and if you are a huge brand, you will hope to sponsor the top league. At shareholder meetings like the Telecom Italia AGM they would have been chosen to sponsor the leading Italian league, which is about the most watched in Europe; sponsoring one of the top leagues around Europe is of course an important sponsorship for sport. The cup that is lifted at the end of the championship even has the sponsor on it, which shows how extensive and thorough a sponsorship such as this can be.
The greatest sponsorship deals are practically usually for soccer jerseys, as these are the most recognisable features of football clubs to supporters, apart from the footballers themselves of course. It is a clever sponsorship idea to sponsor a soccer shirt as it will then be included for every bit of marketing and advertising both for the club but also for the players themselves, meaning you are receiving more for your money than many other forms of advertising. The appeal of a football club will decide the size and cost of the sponsorship contract, so usually the most followed and viewed teams will receive the most popular sponsorship deals. For example, the Chevrolet owners opted to sponsor possibly the most followed football club in the world, and this came at a high-end cost; the top itself however sold just about 3 million units in one year, indicating how efficient this type of sponsorship might be. The shirt is donned all over the world which gives the automobile manufacturing firm a global outreach through one individual sponsorship deal. If the club is really effective, like the team in question has been, that likewise helps to showcase the sponsors brand.