Five Minutes With Mike Vandrau
Meet Mike Vandrau, Wasserman Right Sales
Casting your mind back to your first tentative steps into the sport industry – do you remember what drew you to sport as a sector, and then to sales within it?
I didn’t plan to work in sport. Leaving University I had my eye on the advertising industry, thinking that my background studying English may help me in crafting some creative stories. I was hoping to emulate Mad Men rather than Jerry Maguire back then!
However, as can be the way, I found an opportunity in grassroots sport, and my direction was set. It was around the time of the 2005 Ashes when my brothers – Matt and Kev, who had set-up Frontiers Group – encouraged me to consider a sales position. I would describe myself as a reluctant salesperson. I was not naturally inclined to sell.
However, after a few months in the role, I began to see that not only was I quite good at it, but I enjoyed it. I loved the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people, to hear and share in new ideas, and to create cool solutions. Of course, there are parts that are challenging, and remain so. No one enjoys rejection. But it is compelling and creative. A good salesperson understands the brand intimately and is able to tell its story through a partnership.
What advice would you give to a young grad looking to make their way in the industry today?
Firstly, it is to understand where you want to be. To do this, I think it is smart to work for a small business. In that start-up world you wear a lot of different hats – sales, PR, marketing, events, content, and everything in between. Suddenly, you have this 360-degree lens, and a greater sense on where you fit. In bigger businesses, you can easily become pigeon-holed into a single skill set, without fully understanding the options.
From a sales standpoint, I would offer a healthy dose of reality. You can enter the sales world with dollar signs in your eyes – and of course there is wonderful commercial potential – however it can be a tough ride. It is the one department where you can be a hero one day, and nothing the next. Not getting too attached to the highs or the lows is a valuable attribute.
Finally, I would encourage them to be themselves. Across 20-years, and £250 million of sponsorship revenue, the piece I feel proudest of is that most people I deal with like me. They do so, I believe at least, because I show up as myself, and I give an honest view on the world.
Across your career, what have been the seminal moments which have most markedly shifted the sponsorship rights landscape?
The advancement of technology is an obvious one. When I began, we were sending a contract via fax. All our work was done on the phone, or in-person. A lot of it was cold calling. Now, we can warm someone up through linkedin or email, so the scene is set when we first speak. That said, for all these advancements, this remains a people business. You do not do deals on linkedin, or email, or the phone. You do them by meeting people and building a relationship.
Another major shift has been the rise of player power. Where previously we might do a deal with a sports team, and that would provide us access to the full squad, now the players dictate which brands they will and won’t work with. This dynamic has become a big part of the partnership conversation.
Finally, sport has become the appointment to view. We can download – and watch on the commute – any of our favourite TV shows, but the live sport experience remains unmissable. You simply cannot watch Liverpool overturning a 0-3 deficit to Barcelona on catch-up. This remains a significant draw for brands. It sets the sport industry apart.
How have the type of brands – and their reasons for investing in sport – changed in the last 20-years?
If you look at the top 200 spenders in that time, they remain pretty consistent. In the top-20 you will find DHL and UPS, Emirates and Etihad, Heineken and HSBC. These sorts of brands have kept investing for a long time.
Certain sectors have spiked and retreated. We saw this with the cryptocurrency boom, which I think will come again. I am also interested to see which energy companies move towards green tech, and how that plays out.
Ultimately, I still anticipate the consistent message, from the biggest brands, continuing.
What do you see as the key trends – and forces – shaping the sport sponsorship landscape in 2024? Which ones are you particularly excited about, or perhaps cautious of?
I think more and more sports will be seeking their gateway drug. Just as cricket has done so effectively with franchise tournaments.
I am a Test match purist. However, my kids will not sit through eight hours of cricket, but they love The Hundred. It becomes the gateway to the sport. The LTA is looking closely at Padel tennis, understanding that it is a brilliant outreach tool to a younger audience. I think this trend will grow and grow.
How have brands’ expectations changed in terms of the return they hope to get on an investment, and how they expect it to be measured? What are your team doing that stands them apart when it comes measurement?
It has changed beyond recognition. It started out with the Chairman’s whim, then brands wanted to see some media value, and now we have reached a point where the partnership is included in the brands’ overarching kpis.
Capturing the media value is relatively easy, the challenge comes in measuring audience engagement. We can tell a brand that the opportunity is with an audience of 750 million people, but that is not enough, they want to know not only how to reach them, but how to engage them, and then to educate them to influence their behaviour in some way.
Using sport as a platform to educate is a growing trend. Look at the way Guinness was landing it’s zero alcohol messaging throughout the Six Nations, or how Johnnie Walker has leveraged F1 so effectively to drive its ‘Never Drink and Drive’ messaging.
Brands also want the partnership to make sense. More and more we see technology brands entering F1 because they can conclusively demonstrate how their product is enabling the team to go faster. That story is authentic and commercially viable.
Which single sporting event are you most excited about in 2024, and why?
After nine incredible years under Jurgen Klopp, I am excited and intrigued by Arne Slot’s first game at Anfield. No doubt it will be a big occasion, and it’ll be interesting to see both the reception he receives from the fans, and how the players respond to him.
Another year I would love to attend the Super Bowl. I am not a seasoned NFL fan, but as a sports fan I am fascinated by the concept and would love to experience that level of occasion.
Which emerging market are you feeling particularly optimistic about, and why?
There are three.
Firstly, the Middle East fascinates me. I was in Riyadh recently and saw a market with a genuine cultural identity which is on a path of change perhaps more than any other in the region. Their vision for the future is phenomenal.
A market that I think we need to grow in is Southeast Asia. It has had £2 billion in sponsorship invested in the market, yet very few of the big businesses in sport are part of this. That is a huge, sports-mad audience, and a relatively untapped commercial opportunity.
Finally, Australia is just at the start of a ‘golden decade of sport’ with World Cups in Cricket, Football, Netball, and Rugby, the British & Irish Lions tour, and the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics. This is rightly being celebrated as a ‘golden’ opportunity for the market, and one we will be closely involved in.
COMING TOGETHER
Rights sales is a new service that your team brings to the Wasserman world. What are you most excited about when it comes to joining Team Wass and what opportunities do you think it will bring?
I think when CSM first formed as a house of brands, we did not appreciate the power of collaboration. Then, as we came together under a single brand, this scale and depth of skillset soon became our primary asset.
Joining forces with Wasserman, the potential is enormous. This time we are entering from the start with a mindset of collaboration. Suddenly, we have a footprint, and access, that is unmatched in the industry. As a salesperson I am seeing so much opportunity here.
When I think back to the 15 of us who formed Frontiers, to now being a part of a business with more than 3,000 people globally, it is remarkable how far we have travelled. And it is seriously exciting how far we still have to go.
Finally, when not at work what would we find you doing at the weekend?
Mostly I would be coaching my kids sport or acting as a taxi service from one sporting or social event to another. However, if I am very lucky you might find me on the golf course.


