Sponsorship’s Age of Optimization in Canada Has Arrived
Author - Norm O'Reilly
For years, sponsorship in Canada has been described as resilient, adaptable, even recession-proof. But the most recent data tells a more important story. Sponsorship is no longer just holding its ground. It has entered a new phase.
The latest results from the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study (CSLS) show an industry that has not only recovered from the pandemic, but fundamentally advanced. Spend is up. Tools are better. Portfolios are more balanced. Measurement is finally being taken seriously. And brands are investing with confidence again.
At T1, we see this moment clearly. This is not just growth. This is sponsorship’s age of optimization.
TL;DR: Sponsorship trends for 2026
Canadian sponsorship has surpassed $4.2B in total industry spend, the highest on record
Brands increased sponsorship investment 58% year over year in 2024, with more growth expected
Sponsorship portfolios are becoming more diversified beyond professional sport
Measurement, evaluation, and service quality have improved significantly
Cause, purpose, and community impact are re-emerging as key drivers of effectiveness
What is the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study and why does it matter?
The Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study (CSLS) has been tracking sponsorship in Canada for nearly two decades. Since its first release in 2007, it has provided an annual snapshot of how sponsorship is evolving across investment levels, categories, tools, and capabilities.
Over the years, CSLS has surfaced defining moments for the industry:
Early findings showed Canada lagging in activation investment
Sponsorship proved resilient during the 2008–2010 recession
The rise of “festivalization” reshaped how properties design experiences
Professional sport grew into a dominant share of spend
The pandemic exposed sponsorship’s vulnerability when experiences disappeared
Each cycle told a story about where sponsorship was struggling and where it needed to evolve.
The 19th annual CSLS tells a different kind of story. One of progress.
What changed and why is this moment different?
The most recent CSLS results are the strongest in the study’s history. Total sponsorship spend exceeded $4.22B, nearly tripling since 2007 and growing at a pace that far outstrips inflation over the same period.
This growth did not happen in isolation. It followed years of disruption, uncertainty, and forced rethinking during the pandemic. What emerged is a sponsorship ecosystem that is sharper, more intentional, and better equipped.
Several signals stand out.
First, brand confidence is back. In the 2024 data year alone, sponsorship investment grew 58% compared to 2023, with brands forecasting another significant increase in 2025. That level of confidence only comes when marketers believe they can plan, activate, and measure effectively.
Second, sponsorship portfolios are no longer overly concentrated. While professional sport remains important, brands are spreading investment across music, festivals, causes, culture, education, entertainment, and media. This points to a more strategic, audience-led approach rather than defaulting to legacy properties.
Third, tools and tactics have matured. New questions in CSLS around evaluation revealed widespread use of modern measurement approaches, digital platforms, and specialized tools. Sponsorship is being managed more like a system, not a standalone tactic.
Why measurement and service quality are the real unlocks
Two areas have historically held Canadian sponsorship back: evaluation and servicing.
This year, both showed dramatic improvement.
Spending on sponsorship evaluation more than quadrupled year over year. At the same time, brand ratings of service provided by properties and agencies reached their highest point in the study’s history.
This matters because optimization only happens when three things align:
Clear objectives
Strong execution
Credible measurement
Without that triangle, sponsorship becomes expensive visibility. With it, sponsorship becomes a growth and trust-building engine.
At T1, this reinforces what we have long believed. Impact is not assumed. It is designed for, measured, and proven.
What does the return of cause and community signal?
Cause and purpose have always played a role in Canadian sponsorship. What changed this year is how central they are to effectiveness.
Brands reported greater emphasis on cause-driven sponsorships, not just as values signals, but as contributors to performance. Community alignment is no longer a “nice to have.” It is increasingly tied to how brands assess return.
This aligns with what we see on the ground. Communities are not audiences. They are ecosystems of trust, identity, and shared experience. Sponsorships that respect that reality perform better because they earn relevance instead of renting attention.
The CSLS results suggest that brands are rediscovering this truth at scale.
What does the age of optimization mean for brands?
Optimization does not mean doing more. It means doing better.
For brand leaders, this new era raises the bar in three ways.
First, sponsorship decisions must be intentional. Bigger budgets demand clearer roles for each property, experience, and activation within a broader ecosystem.
Second, experiences matter more than ever. Sponsorship value is increasingly unlocked through activation, participation, and lived moments, not logos.
Third, return must be defined properly. Optimized sponsorship focuses on return on objectives, not just impressions. Trust, belonging, participation, and behavioural outcomes matter.
At T1, our POV is simple. Sponsorship works best when it is built around community, activated through experience, and evaluated against meaningful objectives.
Optimization is not the end state
The CSLS results point to a bright future for sponsorship in Canada. Better tools. Better service. Broader investment. Stronger confidence.
But optimization is not a finish line. It is a discipline.
Brands that win in this era will be the ones that resist autopilot, design sponsorships with intention, and stay close to the communities they are trying to earn.
That is where sponsorship stops being a line item and starts becoming a strategy.
If you want to explore the full findings, the complete Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study is available here:
https://www.thet1agency.com/canadian-sponsorship-landscape-study/