Lexware expands sports sponsorships to shift from accounting tool to emotional brand
Lexware has deepened its ties with SC Freiburg and Viktoria Berlin to rebrand itself as a supporter of small business owners. The strategy aims to move the company away from its identity as a technical accounting software provider.
Lexware has expanded its marketing strategy through new sports sponsorships, including a sleeve deal with SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga and a jersey sponsorship with Viktoria Berlin in the second division of women's football. The partnership with SC Freiburg dates back to 1999, when it began as a football school initiative, and has since evolved into a broader brand alignment focused on entrepreneurship and resilience. Lexware utilizes these platforms to feature stories of small business owners, aligning with its 'Tell Your Story' campaign. Christian Steiger views sports sponsorship as a vehicle for emotional brand building and community engagement. He argued that Lexware's partnerships are value-driven and community-focused, contrasting them with the perceived superficiality of competitors like TeamViewer, which sponsored Manchester United. The sponsorships are part of a broader effort to rebrand Lexware from a technical accounting tool to an emotional brand that supports the 'backbone' of the German economy.