I recently had an interesting question. A charitable organisation was advised by their lawyers that they were obliged to spend sponsorship income only on the event or program that was being sponsored, and it could not be used for general operating expenses. The question was whether this was true or… Read More
It’s been over two decades, and a million downloads, since I first wrote “Last Generation Sponsorship”. I’ve done minor updates and tweaks, over the years, but never a full overhaul… until now. Let me introduce you to “Last Generation Sponsorship Redux”. The basic framework of sponsorship has remained the same,… Read More
Back when I started in this industry, visibility ruled, and the most powerful thing any sponsor could get was lots of logo exposure – the bigger the logo, the better. Add a bit of hospitality, an athlete meet-and-greet, and if you were really forward-thinking, maybe a sales promotion, and that… Read More
This is a big rewrite of one of my most popular blogs for sponsors. It’s actually the second full rewrite, since I first wrote it years ago. Why? Because how much to budget for sponsorship leverage is a perennial question. And the thing is, that’s not the right question. I… Read More
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