Sponsorship Assets – Package Deals

Sponsorship is among the least well utilized arrow in the marketing quiver. Not because it doesn’t work – we know how effective and beneficial it can be when done right - but because marketers don’t go the extra mile to extract the full value and potential.

Too often we see relationships established for a single, short term marketing purpose – awareness, sampling, hospitality, etc. – while the rest of the benefits are tossed to the side or used without thoughtful consideration. Even with the current depressed prices of these deals, they are far too expensive to be managed in such a foolhardy manner.

Sponsorship can be a powerful catalyst that serves as a key integrating theme or ingredient; enabling all of your other media and activities to work harder and together. You need not invest incremental programs or funds to “support” sponsorship. Rather, it is the other way around, with brands and communications linking the emotional value and image of the sponsorship to your audiences and customers. Unlocking that value and generating returns to the business requires exploitation of all assets available as sponsors. This may involve looking beyond the immediate marketing organization or objectives.

Ideally, brands enter into the sponsorship consideration process with the perspective of seeking a marketing ‘tool’ with legs and breadth; a multi-purpose, flexible and adaptable resource. Below are some of the areas that should be evaluated in selection and activation phases:

+ Brand match – How well does the property brand help reach your audience? Is there a positive fit at the intersection point of the brands?

+ Campaign Potential / Scalability – How well does the sponsorship allow you to leverage assets in retail, advertising, direct marketing, web or employee programs?

+ Direct Revenue – Are there opportunities to sell to the property or partner peers? Does the property take an active role in networking and introducing potential customers? Do you have access to the customer base?

+ Hosting and Showcasing (Indirect Revenue) – How will this sponsorship enable you to reach new or higher profile customer contacts? Can you use them to demonstrate your products in use?

+ Proprietary Value – Is there potential to create truly unique, exclusive and ‘ownable’ content or experiences with the property?

+ Employee Engagement – Do appropriate and reasonable opportunities exist to allow employees to participate in some way? Are there benefits that can be extended to employees?

The list is not exhaustive, but shows some of the ways that a sponsorship can benefit across the business. The critical factor is challenging the organization into looking beyond the ‘easy’ answer to other ways that the sponsorship can provide benefits.

Marketing Leverage LLC has extensive experience deriving value out of sponsorship assets large and small; local and global - Boston Red Sox, NJ Nets, FIFA World Cup, IOC among others in B2B & B2C markets. If you would like to evaluate existing relationships, consider new ones or simply scan the field, please contact me at marketingleveragellc@gmail.com or +1 908 268.8964