Listen to this articleThe basics:
- HCLTech partnership includes MetLife Stadium signage, suite access & tech enhancing fan experience
- Brand Finance analysis shows sponsorship has contributed $247M to HCLTech’s brand value
- Collaboration strengthens client engagement, employer brand and strategic positioning in North America
- HCLTech leverages relationship to showcase digital, engineering and cloud capabilities in high-profile NFL venue
A new analysis examines the ROI on HCLTech’s sponsorship at MetLife Stadium.
Earlier this year, NJBIZ profiled the global IT services and consulting company. Headquartered in India, HCLTech maintains its U.S. East Coast headquarters in East Brunswick. In 2022, HCLTech was named an Official Cornerstone Partner of MetLife Stadium along with Official Digital Transformation Partner for the arena as well as the New York Giants and New York Jets.
The partnership includes:
- Signage and branding throughout the stadium
- Naming rights of the southeast corner gate
- Access to a suite on the 50-yard line for events, hospitality and clients
- Collaboration with the stadium and teams to improve stadium technology and the fan experience
- And much more
Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, is out Oct. 13 with a new report that valuates the brand value of the 32 National Football League teams. As part of that research, Brand Finance also conducted a case study about HCLTech’s partnership with MetLife Stadium to quantify the brand impact of the sponsorship.
$247M
According to Brand Finance, the partnership has already contributed $247 million to HCLTech’s brand value over the last three years by boosting familiarity, preference and trust among NFL audiences.
“This partnership is not in name only,” Huge Hensley, head of sports services, Brand Finance, wrote in his analysis. “Brand Finance analysis finds it has already contributed $247 million to HCLTech’s brand value and lifted its Brand Strength Index score by 0.6 points, which equates to 2.9% of HCLTech’s $8.8 billion 2025 brand valuation, over the three years since the partnership began.
This partnership is not in name only.
— Huge Hensley, head of sports services, Brand Finance
“This is based on the quantification of the impact of improved perceptions and behaviors towards HCLTech among an audience of 1,003 IT decision makers (IDTMs). Brand Finance takes the conservative view that IDTMs who follow NFL are likely exposed to the partnership, with the results showing that this segment perceive and engage with HCLTech much more favorably than those who don’t follow the sport.”
Just getting started
The partnership has advanced several strategic objectives for the company, including:
- Brand visibility in a key market
- Credibility and repositioning by associating with the NFL and region’s top stadium
- Proof of capability by demonstrating real-time digital, engineering, and cloud solutions and capabilities in one of the world’s most complex venues
- Establishing a client engagement hub that complements HCLTech’s nearby Customer Experience Center in its offices
- Building employer brand and culture — inspiring employees with a partnership they can be proud of, creating recognition and volunteering opportunities – and attracting new talent
“Our partnership at MetLife Stadium has proven to be a highly effective client engagement platform, consistently driving meaningful business outcomes,” said Jill Kouri, global chief marketing officer, HCLTech. “The suite has enabled us to connect with the right decision-makers, strengthen relationships with our most strategic accounts, and accelerate opportunities through the pipeline.
“Beyond business impact, it has also provided an exceptional environment for high-level networking and collaboration, allowing us to engage senior executives in ways that directly reinforce the value of our brand and our partnerships.”
“Our brand momentum is clearly reflected in the metrics,” said Zulfia Nafees, global head of brand and AI marketing, HCLTech. “In North America, awareness has grown from 30% to 45% and familiarity has risen from 27% to 37%. Fan recall has also strengthened significantly, now at 25% – a 75% increase since 2022.
“Independent studies show that sponsorship awareness typically peaks between years four and seven, with the strongest impact around year six. This indicates that our investment is only now beginning to unlock its full potential.”
[S]ponsorship awareness typically peaks between years four and seven, with the strongest impact around year six. This indicates that our investment is only now beginning to unlock its full potential.
– Zulfia Nafees, global head of brand and AI marketing, HCLTech
First-hand experience
In the conclusion of the report, Hensley writes, “HCLTech’s partnership with the NFL through MetLife Stadium demonstrates the power of sponsorship to deliver both brand and business results. Far from being a symbolic association, the collaboration has measurably lifted HCLTech’s brand strength, added $247 million in brand value, and influenced billions of dollars in business pipeline.
“NFL audiences not only recognize the brand more, but also rate it higher on critical attributes such as innovation, AI expertise, and reliability – translating into stronger consideration for future market share growth.”
NJBIZ was on hand Oct. 9 at HCLTech’s suite at MetLife Stadium for an exclusive preview of the NFL report as well as the HCLTech case study (and a huge win for the Giants over the Philadelphia Eagles).
“Three years ago, HCLTech joined the team here. And at Brand Finance, we wanted to see what has been the impact of these really strong franchise brands on HCLTech’s own brand,” Scott Moore, manager, Brand Finance, said as he presented the findings before kickoff. “So we looked at how do these sponsorships drive commercial value, not only for the team, but for the brands themselves that we see here today.
“First of all, why would a brand want to partner with such a high-profile sporting entity such as the Giants, the Jets, or the stadium itself? It’s, first of all, that awareness. You can’t walk around the stadium without seeing the logos of great brands. Of course, HCLTech coming through the gate – it’s unmissable. And that really helps drives awareness.”
Building the brand
Moore explained that as everyday consumers or B2B audiences become aware of these brands, they also drive stronger emotional and functional perceptions.
“As you see here today, this suite, the science that the HCLTech brand brings to the stadium – a lot of the activations around the game. They really do drive a sense of capability and prowess about how they can bring their own brand, services and capabilities to enhance the fan experience,” said Moore. “So, we see these driving emotional perceptions.”
And those emotions often lead to a more favorable feeling about a brand.
NJBIZ spoke with Abhishek Atree, HCLTech’s global head of brand strategy and sports partnerships, about the MetLife partnership, the findings in the report, and more.
Atree told NJBIZ that it’s often difficult for companies in their sector to differentiate themselves.
“Brand plays a very key role here,” Atree explained, noting that a few years back, HCLTech’s brand awareness and familiarity were kind of low versus its peers.
“So, we needed a big brand platform that puts the brand more and more out there,” he said, pointing out the size and scale of the company globally (including more than $13 billion in revenue and operations in more than 60 countries). “When you come and see our logo – it’s one of the biggest ones out there. That gives an idea of the scale and the size of who we are. So, I think we needed a platform like this.”
A practical partnership
He said the East Rutherford location worked out great – given HCLTech’s hub in East Brunswick – describing Jersey as a great talent market for the company.
In addition to the visibility to tens of thousands of attendees at a particular event and the brand value laid out in the report, Atree explained that the partnership has also provided a platform for HCLTech to showcase different technology and activations.
“We are officially the digital transformation partners,” said Atree. “All of our sports partnerships are always foundationally, like tech partnerships. We want to have context more than just a sponsor – and that’s the intent with the stadium and the two teams. It’s a great avenue to try out fan engagement technologies, cybersecurity technologies, stadium technologies.”
“And according to this report, it has generated a $247 million value increase for your brand since it started. Has that been better than even anticipated? Has it been even more of a home run than you guys had thought when you did it?” NJBIZ asked.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said Atree. “We obviously imagined that it was going to have an impact on our brand from an awareness perspective. But I think the returns have been just incredible — far, far more than what we anticipated.”
[R]eturns have been just incredible — far, far more than what we anticipated.
– Abhishek Atree, global head of brand strategy and sports partnerships, HCLTech
Atree also noted that in addition to the football games, that sheer number of high-profile events at MetLife Stadium – including a busy summer concert season and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, as NJBIZ has reported on – has been a huge plus.
The big time
“This is an incredibly busy stadium,” said Atree, offering the opportunity to host a wide range of clients, partners, employees and key stakeholders — something NJBIZ saw on full display during the Oct. 9 game.
“For people who come to the stadium and see HCLTech, what’s the message you’re hoping that the casual fan or business person thinks when they see your signage and your branding throughout a stadium like this?” NJBIZ asked.
He explained that for people who may be unaware of the company, they see the signage and brand throughout the stadium and think – wow, these guys seem big. “The others that are aware of us – and maybe they’ve engaged with us in the past; whether it’s an employee or a brand. And they feel proud,” said Atree.
“And how would you describe the overall experience of partnering with MetLife Stadium and the Giants and Jets so far?” NJBIZ asked.
“It’s incredible,” said Atree. “These partnerships are first founded in great relationships.”
A matter of trust
He noted how those relationships were forged even before the deal was reached in 2022, with the discussions that preceded the agreement. Atree said that the sides are aligned with their value systems and that the relationships between the MetLife Stadium and Giants and Jets teams are great.
“It’s just been incredible. There’s a lot of trust. There’s a lot of transparency in the way we work together,” said Atree. “Wonderful people to work with – and the fans are great.”
The report concluded, “The partnership energizes employees, enhances recruitment, and creates high-value client experiences that no conventional marketing campaign could replicate. With awareness and recall still building toward their peak, the evidence suggests HCLTech’s investment in the MetLife Stadium is only growing in impact.
“It is a case study in how technology brands can turn sponsorship into a strategic driver of sustained growth.”
Hensley told NJBIZ, “Too often, sponsorship is treated as a cost rather than an investment. The data shows that when partnerships are strategically aligned with brand and business objectives, they deliver measurable returns – not just in awareness, but in preference, trust, and ultimately, profitability.”
