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IFM deal with SMS creates world's biggest sport & sponsorship research group
In one of the busiest years ever for sports research, IFM International Sportanalysen GmbH (IFM), the large German research consultancy, has acquired the majority shareholding of Britain's Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) to form the world's biggest specialist company in sports research, evaluation and media analysis.
The new 25m Euro global market leader in sports research boasts clients at the very top of the sporting rights and sponsorship ratings - ranging from the International Olympic Committee to FIFA; the Americas Cup to Wimbledon; F1 teams to the Bundesliga; and Mercedes to Red Bull.
Collective experience covers more than 20 years in the international sports marketplace (SMS was formed in 1984 and IFM in 1988), and the principals have pioneered many significant developments covering quality research into events, venues, sponsorship and lifestyle. During that time, the sports sponsorship market alone has grown dramatically - going from 3.8bn Euro to 22.8bn Euro in 2007.
Announcing the new operation at ISPO in Munich, Heinz Abel, CEO of IFM said: "IFM was already a major player in the sponsorship research business, but by adding SMS we are now a significant force in the industry - many times bigger than our nearest rival. The SMS operation enhances our international consultancy presence, our sports market research capability and our ability to quantify the visual impact and quality of brand exposure for our clients across the world."
Commenting on the takeover, Stephen Proctor, Managing Director of SMS who retains a Board position in the new group, said: "We've had many approaches before, but this deal makes sense if we are to improve our offering to existing clients and put our services in front of a wider range of rights holders and brands. It brings together two independent operations that put impartiality at the top of the agenda and I'm delighted it has been finalised ahead of a major year for sport."
The Karlsruhe-based IFM group and SMS based in Wisley, Surrey, now combine to offer an unrivalled worldwide service to clients in the sports marketing and sponsorship sector. The group has offices on every Continent and in all major sporting markets - including the US, Brazil, China, Japan, South Africa, France, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Korea, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.
By virtue of the size of a combined operation involving almost 300 people, the move signals the arrival of the industry's first common measurement standard in terms of image brand recognition and sponsorship evaluation on a global scale.
"We both use the same automatic image and brand recognition system and similar methodology, so it will be possible to standardize the measurement and create an industry benchmark that applies across all sports around the world," said Stephen Proctor. "Such a measurement will be popular with rights holders and sponsors alike and express the true value of sporting investments."
