This blog is for all the sponsors out there. And no, I don’t think you’re a bunch of jerks. Not at all. But there are some things that a lot sponsors do that unintentionally cause more strife for rightsholders than is really necessary. Below is a list, as well as… Read More
Some sponsors receive dozens of unsolicited proposals a month. Some receive hundreds. Others, thousands. It’s a relentless firehose of sponsorship requests that you’re supposed to somehow turn into a few recommended investments. It’s no wonder so many sponsors are overwhelmed by the process of sponsorship proposal assessment! Below, I’ve outlined… Read More
Looking at the title, I think I probably should have been more specific. I mean, there are dozens of ways to exit a sponsorship, including telling your partner to “get stuffed”, berating them for your own shortcomings, or simply not responding to any of their calls at renewal time. While… Read More
A few years ago, I came across an article entitled, “Sponsorship is Dead! Long Live Corporate Cultural Responsibility”. This article is a massive disservice to cultural sponsorship, and it irritated me that much that it took me a few months to compose myself enough to blog about it. It’s now… Read More
I can hear you. You’re asking yourself what a marketing plan has to do with sponsorship sales. And I’m here to tell you that it has everything to do with sponsorship sales. A strong marketing plan is the foundation upon which you can build your sponsorship success, and the raw… Read More
I hear a lot of stories from rightsholders. Stories filled with frustration, anguish, and sheer desperation. Most of the time, all of that could have been avoided, if they made some different choices along the way. This is a story inspired by the emails I’ve received from the industry. I’ve… Read More
This is the nightmare for much of our industry. I’m guessing some of you may develop a facial tic just thinking about it! And yet, it happens. Sponsorships end, and if it’s unexpected, or done without a lot of lead-time, you need an action plan and you need one fast.… Read More
The other day, I had someone ask me how to ensure a sponsor’s sponsorship portfolio was “balanced” across sponsorship categories. Her concern was how to ensure that there was an even spread of sponsorship across sports vs charities vs community events, etc, particularly given that sports sponsorship tends to be… Read More
I’ve published a few sponsorship hacks over the years. Most of them have to do with a process shortcut – something to streamline or speed up a time-intensive part of your job. But this one is different. This is about a mindset shortcut – a way of thinking about sponsorship… Read More
Have you ever been blindsided by a sponsor exiting? Thought a renewal was a sure thing, or at least a strong probability, only to get a “no”? There were probably signs along the way, but as much as rightsholders read a myriad of motivations and probabilities into every stage of… Read More
I love Masterchef, and one of my favourite challenges is the invention test. If you’re not a cooking nerd, like I am, the invention test is when all of the competitors get the same main ingredient and are challenged to come up with the most innovative and delicious dish. It… Read More
I’ve lamented on a few occasions about the bad news I often have to give to rightsholders. A lot of it has to do with the quality of the sponsorship proposals they’re creating, so I’ve decided to do this little self-diagnostic to see if your sponsorship proposals suck. There are… Read More