I meet a lot of sponsors, and something that strikes me with alarming frequency is the fact that so many of them are quite aware of what best practice sponsorship is about, and the benefits of doing it, but have taken few, if any, steps to elevate their sponsorship approach… Read More
After writing my recent blog, How to Increase Sponsorship Revenue: Getting Creative with Benefits, I realised that there was a great way to visually convey the power of creative benefits, ended up with the infographic below. If you click on it, you’ll be taken to a full-sized, PDF version. This is… Read More
A while back, I stumbled across a post by Oxfam, showcasing the best performers in their Behind the Brands Scorecard. That is, in and of itself, really interesting and should be read, but they also created an immensely useful infographic for understanding what companies own what brands in the consumer… Read More
I tell rightsholders all the time, “Don’t approach the company, approach the brand”. The underlying principle is that companies will generally have one brand that is clearly the best fit for a sponsorship opportunity. This is true for sponsors, as well, and most sponsors have embraced brand sponsorship as the… Read More
Over the years, I’ve had a steady stream of questions about putting sponsorship out to tender. The questions invariably come from government, and often from a dismayed member of the marketing department, who is having this process thrust upon them by bean-counters. My advice to all of them is the… Read More
Every day, my inbox fills with messages from people who want advice about selling sponsorship. There is nothing wrong with that – I’m happy to hear from you! The issue is that many, if not most, of those sponsorship sales efforts are destined to fail. They are trying to sell… Read More
I see too many one-year proposals. Way too many. Some rightsholders seem to be under the impression that it will be easier for a sponsor to say “yes” to the lower commitment of a one-year deal. In reality, sponsors say “yes” to offers that fit their target markets and brand… Read More
I work with some amazing, committed sponsorship professionals, spanning industries and on both sides of the equation. But as smart and experienced as these professionals are, I’m often surprised at how little they understand about the other side. When collaboration is key to best practice sponsorship, this tunnel vision isn’t… Read More
A while back, I was forwarded a link to a video showcasing how Chelsea Football Club went about replacing their principal partner. The link was accompanied by the message, “I bet this will make you sick.” He wasn’t wrong. I will say that Chelsea FC was successful in gaining a… Read More
“Lower Back Jersey Partner” Those were the only four words on an ad featured in an industry newsletter. This is where we’re going to put your logo, with the added benefit of time travel back to 1993. Ugh. We’re talking about a professional sports team that people LOVE 365 days… Read More
If your company sponsors a major event or professional sporting organisation, there is every chance that they will require you to submit your leverage plan for their approval, well in advance of the event or season. This seems reasonable enough. They are ensuring that sponsors are actually going to do… Read More
“If you can’t explain it to your grandmother, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein I love that quote, and it is so appropriate for our industry. We so often overcomplicate what we do, but in my experience, the people only overcomplicate sponsorship when they don’t really understand… Read More