I write a lot about sponsorship – books, blogs, white papers – and virtually all of it is aimed at the frontline sponsorship and brand management team. It’s all about how they can get better results, how they can leverage more cost-effectively, how to create measurement plans, and all the minutiae of planning and implementing great sponsorship. The thing is, after more than 30 years in this business, I know they can’t do it on their own.
Even if they are the most skilled, best connected, shrewdest sponsorship professionals around, your investments will not deliver strong, consistent results unless the senior management team, particularly the Chief Marketing Officer, sets a strong agenda and the right expectations. Frankly, CMOs don’t need to know a lot about sponsorship, but what you do need to know – and do – is absolutely crucial to your company’s success in this media.
Sponsorship is one of the most needlessly wasted of all marketing media. Seriously, most sponsorship money creates virtually no real returns. Why? It’s not the media, because when it’s done right, sponsorship provides one of the most powerful, flexible, and accountable of all marketing media. No, in 99% of the cases, sponsorship fails because of a lack of strategic direction, a lack of skills, and a lack of accountability – all areas where small changes precipitated by you can invoke huge changes in your fortunes.
The advice I’ve included in this white paper isn’t what I would tell your frontline sponsorship or brand team. It’s not as detailed, because you don’t need to know the minutiae of sponsorship. It’s not as hands-on, because it’s not your job to do sponsorship. Your job is to create the strategic vision, encourage best practice, manage costs, and demand accountability, and that is what I’ve addressed.
Click here to download “What Every CMO Needs to Know about Sponsorship”
If, after reading the white paper, you decide you need additional assistance with your sponsorship portfolio, Please feel free to drop me a line to discuss. I offer…
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