Let participants' reasons lead the story
For Tata Consultancy Services' This Run marathon sponsorship campaign, the emotional starting point was why people run, not the sponsorship itself. Stories of motivation, preparation and achievement offered a way to connect participants, supporters, spectators and event organisers.
The creative approach took two forms: giving people a platform to tell their own stories and reducing accounts to their core motivations. Statements included "This run is for my dad", "This run is for my personal best" and "This run is for a world without cancer". Bold typography put those human reasons at the centre of the branding.
Start by finding the reasons participants care, then choose whether a personal account or a short statement expresses each reason best. Let the message determine how much design is needed. The Drum's 2025 commentary on mass-participation sponsorship similarly places participants' training, achievement and personal milestones at the centre of the emotional experience.
Sources: Tata Consultancy Services: This Run brand campaign, Designing an authentic emotional connection