SPORTS SPONSORSHIP

Sports sponsorship and management have always been close to Jo’s heart, from her very first years running JWA Prague, when she helped the directors of the Velká Pardubická racecourse with ‘everything marketing’, until more recently, when she has been acting for several Olympic gold medallists and other high level sports people with a view to building their brands and helping them with sponsors and other opportunities.

The Czech Republic has a huge history of sporting success, with superstars coming from a number of different disciplines. Until recently, however, the support of such stars has mostly been from the state, from dubious agents, or from companies that wanted to support one or other athlete or event purely because they liked the sport or had some other personal, non-commercial reason.

Jo approaches the whole commercial side of sports sponsorship from a different angle. Her aim is to support athletes by helping them to identify and build their own specific brand, and then to look for opportunities that suit and support the image that they are building. The same applies to events and products; first to identify who the target audience is, and then to look for support from brands that match that target audience, so that both sides benefit.

Of course, sports marketing and sponsorship is a lot more than just looking for sponsors. Jo has helped companies such as Prague International Marathon and individuals such as Katerina Neumanova, with a lot more than just looking for sponsors. Changing people’s perceptions and building the overall image is as important as landing a sponsorship deal or getting a nice article in the media, and that requires a lot of experience and the type of long-term approach that Jo is known for.