What Generation Rightsholder Are You?

A while back, I wrote a similar blog for corporate sponsors, giving them the hallmarks of each generation of sponsorship, how that is affecting their results, and what to do about it. Just like sponsors, a rightsholder’s generation can have a profound effect on how much sponsorship you raise and… Read More


How a Great Sponsorship Proposal Follows a Hollywood Story Arc [Infographic]

Most sponsorship proposals are awful. They’re uncustomised and often arranged in levels; They’re self-centred, having absolutely nothing to do with the sponsor, their brand, target markets, or objectives; They don’t make a complete business case; And they’re structured so poorly that it’s actually difficult to make sense of them. If you’re guilty… Read More


Managing the Hardship of Selling Sponsorship

I got an email a few weeks ago that was just heartbreaking. The subject line read simply, “The hardship”, and the email went on to detail how difficult it is to be a rightsholder. The exhaustion and disillusionment was palpable, and the saddest thing about it was that I know… Read More


Sponsors: Should a Major Sponsorship Be an Extension of Your Marketing Plan?

A while back, I was advising a sponsor, and came upon this scenario… A large brand takes up naming rights sponsorship of a major event. Seemingly clueless to the basics of best practice sponsorship, they are under the impression that the sponsorship itself is going to deliver their results, when… Read More


What You Need Before You Seek Sponsorship

“I want to know how you can help me get sponsorship.” That’s it. No “hello”, no name, nothing – just one sentence sent from a Hotmail address referencing what I have to assume is the sender’s favourite cocktail, and closed out with a “Sent from iPhone” message at the bottom.… Read More


Why You Should Never Write a Sponsorship Letter of Request

The only thing worse than a search-and-replace, gold-silver-bronze sponsorship proposal is the “letter of request”. I don’t even like the name. Seriously, do people sending these things actually think they can “request” marketing money, and it’s just going to come their way? That there’s no rigour or strategy that goes… Read More


Can You Target Multiple Sponsors at the Same Time?

This is a question I get at least a couple of times a week. Generally, it refers to approaching multiple sponsors in the same category – ice cream, insurance, sporting goods, etc – at the same time. Sometimes, the question is about a naming rights sponsorship, and whether they can… Read More


Anatomy of a Corporate Sponsorship Manager [Infographic]

Great corporate sponsorship managers (and brand managers with substantial sponsorship portfolios) need a specific set of traits to be effective. If a manager has all of these traits, the sponsorship portfolio will be integrated across multiple channels, cost far less to leverage, and perform far better against objectives. Without these… Read More


Are You Really Selling Sponsorship?

I get dozens of emails and social media approaches every week from people looking for sponsorship of their website, blog, business, television show, documentary, education, or whatever. My issue with this isn’t that they are contacting me – I’m happy to hear from any of you! – but that so… Read More


Sponsor Speeches: How to Alienate Your Target Market in One Easy Step

I talk all the time about the kinds of benefits sponsors should want from an investment: Benefits that can be shared across the target market; benefits that bring you closer to your target markets, benefits that you can use to add value to your relationship with your target markets. There… Read More


What Time of Year Should I Seek Sponsorship?

I get this question a lot. The expectation is that there will be some magic window where the yesses will be plentiful. The good news is that there is no window – you can solicit sponsorship all year ‘round. The bad news is that there is no such thing as… Read More


Why “Proud Sponsor Of” is the Most Worthless Phrase in Sponsorship

Oh, how I hate those words. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that those three words can be among the most telling in sponsorship. You don’t see the great sponsors saying “Proud sponsor of”. They aren’t doing social posts or running ads in programs… Read More