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Each month we take a deep dive into a particular sector and explore the sponsorship opportunities that exist.

Energy & Utilities

The wider industry is clearly at a point of huge change. The downturn caused by Covid-19 and longer-term decline in demand for petroleum will mean that the next five to ten years will look very different to previous decades.

Traditionally the energy and utilities sectors have used sponsorship as a way of differentiating a commoditised product, driving awareness and to inject excitement into their comms to attract and retain customers.

The big 6 energy companies (British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, SSE) used to dominate the sector in terms of sponsorship spend. In 2013, sponsorship spend by UK energy and utility firms exceeded $24m a year (according to Sponsor Globe) and was spread across 24 recorded sponsorship deals.

Within the utility sector the overall number of companies since 2013 sponsoring is higher – meaning smaller entrants and challenger brands have seized the opportunity.

Recipe Box Delivery

Mindful Chef has reported a 452 per cent rise in customer numbers since the end of March 2020, as well as a 387 per cent increase in its recently launched side-line in frozen meals. Some customers have spent more than £500 in one order. Its larger rival, UK-based Gousto, had to stop accepting orders from new customers and has hired an extra 400 people.

Berlin-headquartered Hello Fresh, meanwhile, saw its number of active US customers increase 89 per cent to 2.6m in the first quarter, and said it expected sales growth of between 40 and 55 per cent this year, compared with a previous forecast of between 22 and 27 per cent.



The surge in recipe box orders has run counter to an initial drop in takeaway sales when the pandemic took hold, as consumers looked for something to do during the lockdown, as well as something to eat.

FinTech Banking

Fintech is transforming the traditional methods in which financial services are being delivered by enhancing and automating the use and delivery of financial services.

The drivers of this growth have been the increasing usage of smart devices, improved connectivity and customer demand for a high end user experience which are among key aspects driving the digital transformation trend.

In the main the innovation has been in the tech to break through into traditional financial services sectors such as banking, share trading, foreign exchange currency trading, blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

There are many new entrants to the sector and the traditional brands have had to adapt but they are not as agile as the challenger brands and they are having to retro fit the tech to their existing business model rather than start with a blank sheet of paper. There are other legacy issues for the traditional banks to deal with too with a great deal of disillusionment and lack of trust in the established banks.

Vegan Foods

The vegan food sector in the UK has seen huge growth. The UK was the most popular country for veganism in 2019, according to Google Trends, followed by Australia and New Zealand. 

The meat-free and plant-based dairy categories have in essence doubled in size over the past five years and are now worth just under £600m each. 

And a staggering 92% of plant-based meals consumed in the UK in 2018 were eaten by non-vegans. 

All of this means more market entrants trying to grab a share of the market and trying to stand out. Sponsorship is a perfect way to do this.