School Brand Activation in Action: The Sponsorship Playbook Brands are Getting Right
In the podcast episode Campus Confidential: How Campus Multimedia Is Reshaping K–12 Sponsorship on the Wait, What? Sportsbiz Chat with DP & McGhee, hosts David Paro and Tim McGhee sit down with Campus Multimedia CEO, Karl Mawhinney, to unpack how sponsorship is finally working in K–12—and why brands are paying attention.
What emerges is a clear thesis: school brand activations succeed when brands purposefully invest in schools.
From college sponsorships to K–12 school partnerships
Karl’s perspective is shaped by decades in college athletics, professional sports, and family entertainment. In the episode, he explains that Campus Multimedia was built by adapting the proven sponsorship models from college and pro sports—then reengineering them for K-12 schools with intention, scale, and responsibility.
Rather than treating K-12 school sponsorship as a hard-to-access niche, Karl positions schools as one of the most powerful community-based sponsorship environments in the country. With more than 25,000 high schools nationwide—and massive attendance at school sporting events—brands have a built-in connection point with families that already exists.
Why school sports sponsorships are the entry point
One of the strongest themes in the conversation is the role of sports as the gateway to meaningful partnerships.
School sports sponsorships and high school sports sponsorships deliver something brands struggle to buy elsewhere: consistent, high-attention community engagement. Games bring together students, parents, educators, and local supporters in one place—week after week.
Karl explains that this makes high school athletics the ideal starting point for school brand partnerships that can grow into broader school-wide initiatives.
The sponsorship models changing the game
Throughout the episode, Karl outlines how modern school brand activation is showing up inside schools today:
Integrated sponsorship programs that run across an entire school year, not just a single game or event
Premier, media-supported events modeled after college game days, delivering premium visibility at the high school level
Traditional sponsorships—like signage, PA announcements, and naming rights—that are seeing renewed interest when paired with real school value
The key shift? These are partnerships designed to align brand objectives with school needs.
Solving the fragmentation problem in K–12 sponsorship
A major barrier to K-12 school sponsorship has always been fragmentation. Thousands of schools. Different decision-makers. No centralized system.
Karl explains how Campus Multimedia has aggregated access across tens of thousands of schools, giving brands the ability to activate locally while buying at scale. He also highlights the rise of SponsorPlace, a marketplace-style sponsorship platform that simplifies the buy-sell process—making school brand partnerships easier for brands and revenue generation easier for schools.
What schools actually want from brand partners
One of the most practical insights from the episode is what school administrators consistently ask for. It’s support in three areas:
Resources that help educators and staff do their jobs better
Recognition for students, teachers, coaches, and counselors
Revenue to sustain programs, athletics, and school culture
When school sports sponsorships and broader partnerships are built around these needs, sponsorship feels intentional and is the basis for a growing relationship with the community.
The big takeaway
School brand activation isn’t about visibility for visibility’s sake. It’s about relevance, community impact, and long-term trust.
High school sports sponsorships may open the door, but the real opportunity lies in scalable K-12 school sponsorship models that support schools while connecting brands to families in authentic ways.
In a crowded marketing landscape, school brand partnerships offer something rare: attention, trust, and purpose—already built in.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here and explore how your brand can contribute meaningfully to the educational community.