THE CONTEXT
Like most clubs, Bryne already had strong sponsor relationships. Sponsors appeared as match partners through signage and by sponsoring the Man of the Match. But commercially, the same question kept surfacing; one heard across stadiums everywhere:
“What do we actually get from this, other than exposure?” This was Bryne’s first season running structured fan engagement across every match. Rather than wait for that question to become pressure, the club decided to act early, finding a way to make sponsorship measurable without disrupting the matchday experience fans already enjoyed. Bjørn Hagerup Røken, Head of Marketing at Bryne FK, explains:
“Like most clubs, we’ve always offered strong sponsor visibility. But more and more, the question we were getting was: what does this actually deliver beyond exposure? We wanted to get ahead of that conversation and give our partners something measurable they could take back internally.”
THE APPROACH
Foodback was deployed as a single interaction surface. QR codes were placed on seats and shown on the big screen, supported by announcer prompts.
For fans, participation was simple: scan, vote, answer. Behind the scenes, the setup was flexible. The same QR code could lead fans to different experiences during a match:
• Man of the Match voting
• Pulse surveys about the fan experience
• One-More-Question prompts for targeted insight
• Sponsor campaigns designed around specific outcomes
Bryne didn’t have to choose between engagement, insight, or sponsorship. They could run all three using the same fan interaction. The initiative was owned and driven by Head of Marketing, Bjørn Hagerup Røken. Importantly, it ran without new technical systems or changes to matchday operations. Bjørn quickly began treating Foodback not as a fixed tool but as a creative and commercial canvas.
“What surprised me was how flexible it turned out to be. Very quickly, it stopped being one thing. Some weeks we used it for engagement, some weeks for insight, and other weeks for sponsor campaigns. I realised early on that the opportunity here was much bigger than we first thought.”
FAN ENGAGEMENT AND INSIGHTS
Across the 2025 season, Bryne consistently ran the following:
• Man of the Match voting
• Pulse surveys to understand the fan experience
• One-More-Question prompts for targeted insight
Engagement remained stable throughout the season. Fans returned to participate as interactions were quick, simple, and meaningful. Of all responses collected, 21% included written comments, giving the club valuable qualitative insight into the matchday experience.
SPONSOR CAMPAIGNS: WHERE THE MODEL CHANGED
At one match, a local bank committed 10,000 NOK to donate to the grassroots football club that received the most votes by halftime. Voting ran live through Foodback and was promoted ahead of the match. The result:
• Strong positive PR for the sponsor
• Increased attendance from local youth clubs
• A visible community initiative tied directly to matchday engagement
• Sponsorship became a reason to attend, not just something to notice.
At another match, Bryne worked with a different bank to run a campaign focused on lead generation. Fans were asked:
• Which bank they currently used
• Whether they would consider switching
• If yes, whether they wanted to leave their email
• 31 fans opted in, giving the sponsor 31 ready-to-contact sales-qualified leads.
For the first time, sponsorship produced a clear commercial outcome, not just visibility.
Bryne also partnered with a local festival to run a campaign combining:
• Feedback on the current lineup
• Attendance intent
• Artist preferences
• Future ticket-purchase drivers
The campaign ended by directing fans to the festival’s ticket page. The sponsor received both audience insight and direct ticket traffic, all generated live during matchday.
Women’s team campaign: Testing demand for season tickets
Bryne also used matchday engagement to support the club’s newly promoted women’s team.
During a cup match, fans were asked whether they planned to attend women’s matches that season. Supporters who expressed interest could leave their contact details to receive a season ticket offer. In a single matchday activation, Bryne identified 3× more potential season ticket buyers than had previously been sold.
The club suddenly had a pipeline of fans interested in supporting the women’s team. Matchday attention became ticket demand.
"Matchday is the one moment where you have the full attention of thousands of fans. Being able to test demand for the women’s team and immediately identify supporters interested in a season ticket was incredibly valuable."
RESULTS AND TAKEAWAYS
Throughout the 2025 season, Bryne delivered high-impact engagement through:
This data allowed Bryne to shift renewal conversations from vague exposure to concrete, measurable results. Consequently, the club is integrating campaign activations into its core sponsorship packages, empowering partners to align matchday initiatives with specific business objectives. As Bjørn explains:
“This has become part of how we sell sponsorship now. 2025 proved the model, 2026 is about scaling it.”
They stopped selling "space" and started delivering results. In 2025, the club moved beyond traditional sponsorship to focus on genuine partner outcomes. Now, they aren't just looking at the next match—they're building a new commercial foundation for 2026 and beyond.
