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LEVERAGING SPONSORSHIPS
Sponsorships have become an important tactic in the marketing plan. Sponsors use them to cut through the clutter and connect directly with target audiences in a number of venues through multiple media. Sponsorships also provide businesses with an effective way to marry their business purpose with their social purpose. It enables them to preserve or promote the positioning of their brand by aligning with a cause that is consistent with or reflective of the mission of the organization. Sponsorships offer small businesses a means of partnering with larger corporations
Once upon a time sponsorships were relatively simple. Organizations associated with a worthy cause took that cause to a sympathetic corporate donor and would receive the funding needed to continue their “good work”. Sponsorship dollars were often spent with little regard to how the sponsoring organizations own aims were advanced. It was not unusual for sponsorship decisions to be made on the basis of the personal preference of the manager whose cost control center would cover it. So if a manager was a golfer, patron of the arts, involved in a cause or a fan of a particular sports team, you could be sure that sponsorships in those categories would be funded.
In todays super competitive, resource constrained environment we find a very different landscape. The fragmentation of the media has made it more difficult for marketers to get their messages and brands in front of the right people at the right time. The increased cost and relative inefficiency of mass media advertising has forced marketers to be more creative and focused.
Government spending on many social programs has been reduced, shifting the burden to numerous non-profit organizations to fill the void. The increased sponsorship requests from non-profits are coming at a time when most corporate budgets are being spent in the Sports category. This perfect storm of events - increased sponsoring options and reduced marketing budgets - has created a situation where sponsors are becoming more selective in terms of the types of causes they will support.
According to IEG, sponsorship spending in 2008 is expected to increase in the Sports category by 14% over 2007 levels. All other categories are projected to increase by single digits.
So what do you do if you’re a small business looking for a sponsor and you’re not offering sports sponsorship opportunities?
First, it’s essential that you understand as much about your target audience as you do about the sponsors you are looking to partner with. The key to getting a sponsor to say yes to your proposal is to position it as an efficient and effective way to connect with their targeted audience.
The proposal must be structured to demonstrate the benefits to the sponsor. More importantly it should show tangible benefits the sponsor will receive in terms of Exposure and Activation.
We will be discussing the issue of sponsorships in this thread. Feel free to post questions or provided
suggestions to both sponsors and sponsorship requesters.
Up Next: How To Craft a Win-Win Sponsorship Proposal
Once upon a time sponsorships were relatively simple. Organizations associated with a worthy cause took that cause to a sympathetic corporate donor and would receive the funding needed to continue their “good work”. Sponsorship dollars were often spent with little regard to how the sponsoring organizations own aims were advanced. It was not unusual for sponsorship decisions to be made on the basis of the personal preference of the manager whose cost control center would cover it. So if a manager was a golfer, patron of the arts, involved in a cause or a fan of a particular sports team, you could be sure that sponsorships in those categories would be funded.
In todays super competitive, resource constrained environment we find a very different landscape. The fragmentation of the media has made it more difficult for marketers to get their messages and brands in front of the right people at the right time. The increased cost and relative inefficiency of mass media advertising has forced marketers to be more creative and focused.
Government spending on many social programs has been reduced, shifting the burden to numerous non-profit organizations to fill the void. The increased sponsorship requests from non-profits are coming at a time when most corporate budgets are being spent in the Sports category. This perfect storm of events - increased sponsoring options and reduced marketing budgets - has created a situation where sponsors are becoming more selective in terms of the types of causes they will support.
According to IEG, sponsorship spending in 2008 is expected to increase in the Sports category by 14% over 2007 levels. All other categories are projected to increase by single digits.
So what do you do if you’re a small business looking for a sponsor and you’re not offering sports sponsorship opportunities?
First, it’s essential that you understand as much about your target audience as you do about the sponsors you are looking to partner with. The key to getting a sponsor to say yes to your proposal is to position it as an efficient and effective way to connect with their targeted audience.
The proposal must be structured to demonstrate the benefits to the sponsor. More importantly it should show tangible benefits the sponsor will receive in terms of Exposure and Activation.
We will be discussing the issue of sponsorships in this thread. Feel free to post questions or provided
suggestions to both sponsors and sponsorship requesters.
Up Next: How To Craft a Win-Win Sponsorship Proposal
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