A few days ago, I did a few updates on my white paper, Disruptive Sponsorship. One of the things that needed updating was the AI sponsorship poem that had been in there. It was from early days of artificial intelligence, it was pretty bad, and I thought Chat GPT could do better now. I was both right and wrong.
So, I asked for a 16-line poem about corporate sponsorship – four sections with four lines each, written in iambic pentameter. What I got was a blisteringly negative take on corporate sponsorship, based on a very outmoded understanding of how sponsorship works. I mean… holy moley, get a load of this!
Amid the gleam of neon-branded lights,
The logos shine in carefully staged sights.
A product placed, a name upon the wall,
Ensures the show will never risk a fall.
The athlete runs, the crowd erupts in cheer,
Yet stitched upon his chest, the brands appear.
The speech is made, the banners drape the stage,
A deal is struck, a name preserved with age.
No art is pure, no game untouched by gold,
Each tale is bought, each hero’s fate is sold.
The sponsor’s hand extends with measured grace,
To paint their mark on every sacred space.
Yet who can fault the deal, the cost, the trade,
When bills are due, when dreams begin to fade?
For in this world, where wealth commands the game,
The price of art is just another name.
What the hell did corporate sponsorship ever do to Chat GPT? Kidding, but still it’s a little alarming that what it’s “learned” about sponsorship – its baseline understanding – is both thirty years out of date and so incredibly negative.
Still needing a new poem, I asked Chat GPT to put a positive spin on corporate sponsorship, and got a pretty good one:
The banners wave, colours bright and bold,
A helping hand, a story to be told.
With every name gracing field or stage,
A dream takes flight, a vision meets the page.
The artist paints, the athlete takes their stride,
With sponsors there, they step with strengthened pride.
The funds provide, the vision comes alive,
Through partnership, great ventures start to thrive.
A concert fills the air with joyous sound,
Because a brand helped lift it from the ground.
A team is formed, their jerseys crisp and new,
A chance is earned, a path brought into view.
So hand in hand, the dreamers and the trade,
Together shine in all the plans they’ve laid.
For when support and talent intertwine,
The brightest lights of all begin to shine.
I get asked about AI, and how it comports with sponsorship, quite a lot. My strong advice is – for the moment, at least – don’t use it to ask sponsorship questions. You’re not going to get good information.
That’s not to say there isn’t a role for AI in sponsorship, because there is. It’s great at a number of things that are critical to doing sponsorship well. I addressed some of these, as well as my recommendations for how to use AI, in a recent blog, Rightsholders’ Guide to Using AI with Sponsorship. I’ll get around to writing a guide for sponsors eventually!
You may also be interested in my white papers, “Last Generation Sponsorship Redux” and “Disruptive Sponsorship: Like Disruptive Marketing, Only Better“. I’ve also got a self-paced, online sponsorship training course for sponsors, covering the whole process of sponsorship strategy, selection, negotiation, leverage, measurement, and management, with lots of inclusions. Interested? Check out the Corporate Sponsorship Masterclass. I’ve also got Getting to “Yes” for rightsholders.
If you need additional assistance with your sponsorship portfolio, I offer sponsorship consulting and strategy sessions, sponsorship training, and sponsorship coaching. I also offer Sponsorship Systems Design for large and/or diverse organisations. Please feel free to drop me a line to discuss.
© Kim Skildum-Reid. All rights reserved. To enquire about republishing or distribution, please see the blog and white paper reprints page.