Happy Wednesday, and welcome back to the 49th weekly edition of Broken Marketing by Anvara, where we discuss marketing that breaks.

For those of you who are new here, we’re Nick and Andrei, the co-founders of Anvara. We’ve included you here because one way or another, we’re connected. We’re happy to have you as a part of the Anvara family.

The World Baseball Classic just turned into a global sponsorship takeover.

At one point in Miami, 10 out of 11 brands on the outfield wall were Japanese companies.

Brands like Japan Airlines, Ito En, Konami, Tential, and Seiko didn’t just sponsor the tournament - they followed Team Japan and turned the event into a launchpad for global exposure.

And the scale fully backed the strategy.

The 2026 WBC brought in 1.6M+ fans (up 24%), delivered some of the largest U.S. audiences in tournament history, and generated 2.24B+ social views before the finals even started.

Attendance records fell across multiple host cities, including Tokyo and Houston, as the event kept expanding its global footprint.

This is a high-intensity distribution engine for brands trying to reach multiple markets at once.

Each sponsor approached it with a clear objective.

Ito En used the WBC to grow awareness in North America, aligning its presence with both the tournament and its athlete partnerships. When Fernando Tatis Jr. held up their drink during a press conference and joked, “call me,” the brand immediately activated the moment across social, turning a spontaneous interaction into global exposure.

Konami used the tournament to promote its baseball title across the U.S. and Latin America, aligning its media presence with regions where it wants deeper market penetration.

Other sponsors scaled signage and visibility depending on geography, focusing on a heavier presence in markets tied to their expansion goals.

That’s where the shift is happening.

From static signage to dynamic, market-specific activation layered on top of global events.

Zoom out, and the playbook becomes clear: global tournaments like the WBC are evolving into market entry accelerators, giving brands immediate access to international audiences, cultural moments, and regional fan bases - all within one concentrated window of attention.

The NFL just broke up with Visa after 30 years.

Which, in sponsorship years, is basically a lifetime marriage.

Starting April 1, American Express takes over league rights, ending one of the longest-running partnerships in sports history - a deal that started around $5M annually and scaled alongside the NFL into a global commercial machine.

And the reason it lasted this long is surprisingly simple.

The math always worked.

The NFL consistently delivered the strongest media numbers in sports, and Visa didn’t just sit on rights - it activated them everywhere.

At its peak, hundreds of issuing banks were using NFL rights through Visa to run localized campaigns, turning one league deal into a nationwide marketing system.

But the real lesson here is the alignment.

Visa and the NFL grew together - both category leaders, both scaling globally, both benefiting from a partnership that went far beyond logos into retail, promotions, Super Bowl campaigns, and cultural moments (including iconic ads with legends like Terry Bradshaw and Dick Butkus!)

Today, deals don’t last 30 years anymore.

But this one shows what happens when a sponsorship becomes embedded into how a company markets, not just where it shows up.

The NFL just signed Kraft Heinz as its official condiment partner.

Yes… ketchup has league rights now. What a time to be alive.

But this deal is way smarter than it sounds.

It’s a five-year agreement that goes far beyond hot dogs at stadiums. Kraft Heinz is bringing its full squad - Heinz, Velveeta, Philadelphia, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Classico - into the NFL ecosystem, with rights across branding, retail activations, co-branded packaging, and international games.

So this is giving more like “put the NFL inside the grocery store” energy now.

And the setup has been in the works.

Kraft Heinz already locked in distribution across 50+ venues with Oak View Group and another 80 venues with Live Nation, quietly building presence across sports and live entertainment. The NFL just adds the biggest stage in the country on top of that foundation.

Now imagine how this actually shows up:

That’s the real win here.

The NFL gets plugged into a category that lives inside everyday routines. Kraft Heinz gets to turn everyday food into part of the sports experience.

And that’s where sponsorships are heading. Less about where your logo sits during the game - more about where your brand shows up before, during, and after it.

🏆 English Football League x Carabao Group - The EFL has extended its naming rights partnership with Carabao for the English League Cup through the 2028/29 season, bringing the collaboration to a 12-season run and reinforcing one of the longest-standing title sponsorships in European football.

⚽ AS Monaco x BetJordan - Monaco has signed BetJordan as its regional betting partner in Oceania through 2027, expanding the club’s commercial footprint in international betting markets and unlocking new regional activation opportunities.

🏁 UEFA x Schwarz Gruppe - UEFA has agreed to a long-term deal with Schwarz Gruppe, naming it as its first-ever strategic corporate partner, signaling a deeper push into cross-industry collaboration beyond traditional sponsorship structures.

Quote of the Week

“I always try to enjoy the moment, because football is something I love.” - Son Heungmin