This article was originally published in the Brand Finance NFL 2025 report.
Head of Sports Services,
Brand Finance
In a commoditized industry, technology services brands succeed by creating meaningful preference and proving they are trusted partners for complex and large-scale transformation. HCLTech – the fastest growing IT services brand in Brand Finance’s 2025 ranking – is pursuing this ambition as the Official Digital Transformation Partner and Cornerstone Partner of MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Giants.
This partnership is not in name only. Brand Finance analysis finds it has already contributed USD247 million to HCLTech’s brand value and lifted its Brand Strength Index (BSI) score by 0.6 points, which equates to 2.9% of HCLTech’s USD8.8 billion 2025 brand valuation, over the three years since the partnership began. 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 (ITDMs). Brand Finance takes the conservative view that ITDMs 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.
Beyond a marketing expense, HCLTech’s sponsorship is proving to be a strategic investment in reputation, preference, and growth.
Why does sponsorship matter?
Sponsorships build positive perceptions and behaviors among priority stakeholders more efficiently than traditional marketing tools. By aligning with the attributes of the rights-holder and accessing targeted audiences, brands can achieve both short-term sales uplift and long-term brand-building.
The specifics and outcomes vary depending on the brand, industry, sport/ category, rights-holder, and activations but ultimately, any partnership should deliver a return on investment (ROI). In the case of HCLTech, the ROI is typically determined by the long-term brand-building and business value benefits. The objectives include driving brand visibility, generating pipeline influence, boosting client engagement and unlocking value through stadium access for hospitality and meetings.
In the IT Services and B2B technology sectors, where customers may perceive brands as interchangeable, partnerships with credible, high-profile rights-holders help create emotional relevance, demonstrate capabilities, de-risk supplier selection, accelerate demand, and galvanize talent, by giving employees a partnership that doubles as a point of pride in their employer.
Why MetLife Stadium?
HCLTech became the Official Digital Transformation Partner and a Cornerstone Partner of MetLife Stadium as part of a strategic initiative to both enhance fan experiences and showcase its technology at scale.
MetLife Stadium is among the most visible and operationally complex venues in the United States, a true living lab for real-time, high-availability, data‑intensive experiences.
Crucially, NFL audiences overlap strongly with North American enterprise buyers, delivering both broad reach and precise B2B relevance (Figure 1).
By powering “the most technologically advanced venue in the US”, HCLTech transforms sponsorship into solution theater. MetLife becomes a stage where prospects, partners, and employees can see “Supercharging Progress” brought to life.
The MetLife Stadium partnership advances several strategic objectives for HCLTech:
- Brand visibility in a key market and credibility – Elevating HCLTech’s profile on the East Coast, with prominent exposure in one of the most watched sports in the US.
- Credibility and repositioning – Associating with the NFL and New York’s top stadium helps shift perceptions toward a forward-thinking, capable partner for US decision-makers.
- Proof of capability – Demonstrating real-time digital, engineering and cloud solutions and capabilities, in one of the world’s most complex venues.
- Client engagement hub – Complementing HCLTech’s nearby Customer Experience Center in their offices, the partnership creates a focal point for showcasing work and strengthening client relationships through match-day hosting and activations.
- Employer brand and culture – Inspiring employees with a partnership they can be proud of, creating recognition and volunteering opportunities, and attracting new talent.
Together, HCLTech’s objective is to energize employees, deepen stakeholder trust and signal that HCLTech is not just sponsoring the Metlife Stadium, but powering the future of digital experience. Brand health metrics already show significant uplift in regard, relevance, differentiation, trust, and preference, underlining that these objectives are translating into measurable outcomes.
Impact on audiences
Brand Finance research among IT decision-makers shows a clear difference in perceptions of HCLTech between NFL followers and non-followers. This analysis takes a conservative approach by assuming exposure among NFL fans in general, rather than only those who directly engaged with HCLTech.
- Awareness and consideration: NFL fans are considerably more aware of, familiar with, and likely to consider HCLTech compared to non-fans. Fans are also more likely to choose HCLTech as their preferred brand (Figure 2).
- Brand attributes: Among NFL followers, 32% rate HCLTech a 9 or 10 out of 10 compared to 24% of non-followers — an uplift of 8 percentage points. Fans score HCLTech higher on attributes such as having a global brand, bringing innovative solutions, and leadership in digital transformation. These are the very capabilities showcased at MetLife Stadium.
- Engagement: NFL fans are nearly twice as likely to have had a conversation about HCLTech in the past year, and almost three times as likely to recall seeing advertising by the brand. This indicates the sponsorship is converting visibility into active engagement and advocacy.
Taken together, these results confirm that the partnership is not just increasing visibility but also shaping deeper, outcome-oriented perceptions. NFL fans see HCLTech as a more trusted, innovative, and differentiated partner — outcomes that align directly with the company’s long-term growth ambitions in enterprise digital transformation. This market research does not exclusively target respondents who have reported being exposed to or engaged with specific partnerships. Instead, it assumes exposure among followers of the sport in general, and thus if the partnership were to end, the positive brand uplifts would fall to the level of the general sample. While this approach provides a conservative view of the impact, it is evident that the partnerships are delivering benefits to the brand.
Impact on HCLTech attributes that drive brand consideration
The attribute scores for HCLTech, segmented by NFL following, provide a compelling narrative of how the sponsorships enhance positive brand associations that drive competitive differentiation and market leadership (Figure 3). Attributes such as, ability to deliver, having best in class talent and leadership in strategic digital transformation are integral to how this partnership enhances HCLTech’s brand among NFL fans.
These attributes emphasize HCLTech's role not just as a sponsor, but as a critical technology enabler behind the scenes, powering MetLife Stadium’s transformation into the most technologically-advanced venue. This sponsorship uniquely positions HCLTech as a provider of cutting-edge tech cloud, and platform-driven innovations that elevate fan experiences through real time, immersive digital engagement. that connects fans emotionally and practically. The clear uplift in technology-related scores among NFL followers reflects this resonance.
Impact on Employer Branding
Internally, HCLTech’s partnership with the MetLife Stadium can drive a sense of pride among colleagues. Experiential engagement, such as its family appreciate day initiatives, offer exclusive experiences and game-day events and concerts, which strengthen emotional connections with the company and improve satisfaction and loyalty.
Externally, it is a big draw for talent attraction and recruitment. HCLTech leverages the sponsorship for internship campaigns and contests (e.g., “Greatest Internship Ever”), using the stadium as a backdrop to attract young talent. This creates a strong employer value proposition.Brand Finance’s global IT talent research shows that 22% of STEM graduates who follow the NFL are likely to consider HCLTech as their preferred employer, compared to only 15% amongst those who do not follow the sport (Figure 4). This further demonstrates that the partnership is well targeted and reaches a relevant talent pool. The ability to implement cutting-edge technology to enhance fan experiences is a big appeal to potential employees who value working on impactful, high-profile projects.
Brand Strength and Value Impact
When these metrics are combined into Brand Finance’s Brand Strength Index (BSI), the effect is clear.HCLTech’s overall BSI among all respondents stands at 80.1, compared to 79.5 when NFL followers are excluded — a net lift of 0.6 points. The strongest gains appear in consideration, where NFL fans score HCLTech at 8.7 versus 8.3 among non-fans. Consideration is a key indicator of future market share growth, making this uplift especially significant in demonstrating how the sponsorship translates into commercial advantage.
These improvements translate into a brand value impact of USD247 million growth (Figure 5). Far from being a discretionary marketing expense, the MetLife Stadium partnership is a strategic investment in brand equity, driving both immediate differentiation and long-term value growth.
Our partnership at MetLife Stadium has proven to be a highly effective client engagement platform, consistently driving meaningful business outcomes. 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." - Jill Kouri, Global CMO, HCLTech
"Our brand momentum is clearly reflected in the metrics. 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." - Zulfia Nafees, Global Head of Brand and AI Marketing, HCLTech
Conclusion
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 USD247 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 and future market share growth.
At the same time, 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.
