If you don’t have the money, resource, or need for an account manager, implementing these quick and simple account management processes will ensure your sponsorship partnership runs smoothly. Continue reading “Sponsorship Account Management Tips to Help Your Partnership Work Smoothly”
Could you increase your revenue through sponsorship and just what is it sponsors are looking for? Continue reading “5 Signs You Could Be Making Money Through Sponsorship”
Social is soaring and it doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon. The majority of online users are moving away from computers in favour of smartphones. Figures released by OFCOM show 66% of the UK own a smartphone, as do 90% of 16-24 year olds. It’s the latter group that makes brand sponsorship on social platforms very profitable to those targeting their content at millennials. Social media sponsored content is fast becoming the best way to reach out and inform a digital generation.
Brands generally prefer the method of sponsored content as it differs from usual native advertising and its purpose is to inform and not necessarily convince its audience, keeping the brand message much more authentic.
A case study posted on the Instagram website claims that sponsored posts results in 2.8x higher ad recall than other online advertising. The soft nature of the posts and the tailored way in which Instagram integrates the posts are the likely reasons for the higher re-call rate. The company has also moved to close the gap between celebrity endorsements and sponsored posts by placing them under one umbrella. Snapchat has also introduced it’s sponsored filters campaign, where brands can sponsor a filter for a specific amount of time. With 150 million users daily it makes for a very lucrative opportunity.
Facebook has gone a slightly different way and created a unique sponsorship system, which is now in high demand. The company allows brands to sponsor user activity instead of posts. Partner’s simply pay to highlight an action that users have already taken on the social network or within a Facebook-connected app.
Social platforms have created great ways for brands to capitalise through sponsored content and thus far, audiences have been receptive to this influencing method due to sponsorship’s credibility to not be so intrusive. With social media continuously evolving and creating new opportunities for brands, rights holders must ensure that they are constantly up to date with changes so that they too can offer relevant opportunities for brands. It is not enough anymore to offer Facebook or Twitter posts as part of a sponsorship package. Rights holders need to understand how brands will want to use social platforms to ensure maximum cut through.
It’s that Cannes time of the year. A time where the focus is on excellent creative – what makes it, how to harness it, and who is doing it best. I am a huge fan of good creative. As I’m not particularly creative myself, great concepts executed phenomenally really drives inspiration. And who doesn’t want to be inspired?
Creative used to drive commercial. The best creative television ad had the capability to harness the purchase power of millions, dropping credit cards like flies for the latest milk chocolate or iPhone. However, as more channels are developed, more creators are surfacing and it’s now harder than ever to guarantee that great creative will drive the bottom line. With exceptional creative, this still exist (and perhaps stands out more than ever), but on the whole – it’s harder to get your ad to stand out.
And so the value of understanding commercial in view of the creative increases.
Commercial in the creative industries can be viewed in two ways:
Efficiency
Being more effective can be done in many ways now that brands have the capability to take more risks. Creative is no longer confined to pre-planned, locked-in billboard and television ads, creative now can be tested in real time with smaller markets producing immediate feedback. Furthermore, planners can now be more creative on how that spend is made. Efficiency can also be found through sponsorship. Purchasing assets that can have multi-purpose uses throughout the business; tickets for hospitality, brand ambassadors for influencer marketing, rights for reach. The value to broadening the historical isolated view of marketing and sales departments can produce even greater results than exceptional creative alone.
Multi-channel
Ads no longer work like they used to. And for that matter, the logo in sponsorship drives zero value. And yet, sponsorship is on the rise. The reason being is that sponsorship provides multi-channel marketing that is wrapped up to make it financially less risky than ‘putting all your eggs in one basket’. The cost to repurpose creative across these channels makes it easier to become more effective, whilst also saving money. Understanding how to leverage a sponsorship proposal’s multi-channel assets is incredible vital to the success of the sponsorship campaign – and yet most don’t even go into detail to what channels they are purchasing and how they can be used until after the deal is done.
By viewing creative in context of commercial at the outset, you can ensure that even so-so creative has the power to drive the bottom line. And whilst I wouldn’t want to champion average work, it is important to view this in light of the ever growing marketing industry shifting faster than most of us can truly keep up with.
Creative brand activation is crucial to captivate an audience and create long-lasting, memorable experiences. Here, we reveal the future direction of brand activation in sponsorship and provide a case study of a perfect execution of this by Vitaminwater at the WayHome Music & Arts Festival.
Sponsorship has rapidly moved away from being just about planting a logo somewhere visible for crowds to walk past and occasionally acknowledge. The now and future lies very much in brand activation and consumer engagement.
Executing this new method of brand activation effectively benefits both sponsors and rights-holders. By tapping into audiences’ personal journeys, you ensure that an emotional connection can be created, with memorable experiences – in turn creating a strong loyalty to the brand.
This rise in creativity and innovative ideas provides a platform for brand associations with popular public passions, such as music festivals and sport events. Areas such as these capture fans in a positive environment, producing golden opportunities for sponsors to develop deep personal connections with audiences.
Simple as the theory may sound, there is a definite art to cultivating creative ideas from inception right through to effective delivery. And it’s something, for example, Vitaminwater achieved in style at the WayHome Music and Arts Festival.
Case Study: Vitaminwater and WayHome Music and Arts Festival
Vitaminwater’s Hydration Station at the WayHome Music and Arts Festival is a fantastic example of how brand activation in sponsorship can be achieved extremely effectively.
Amid the sweltering Canadian summer heat, Vitaminwater’s idea of creating a “human car wash” proved enormously popular. Festival goers immersed themselves in cool mists at their branded area and – coupled with bottled drink handouts – instantly felt refreshed and rehydrated. These feelings link directly to the core values of Vitaminwater’s brand.
Furthermore, guests had the opportunity to have their photograph taken at the Hydration Station with their festival wristband. These pictures were sent directly to their email address for ease of sharing on social media and, with little extra effort, Vitaminwater and WayHome were soon being promoted across guests’ newsfeeds with native, shareable content.
Unsurprisingly, Vitaminwater’s Hydration Station proved to be a hugely popular addition to the festival. It was unique, playful, served a valuable purpose and ensured guests genuinely engaged with the product, adding a new dimension to their experience at the event.
Key takeaways
Creating ways in which audiences can be actively involved with a product experience will generate a strong, long-term emotional connection to the brand.
Consider it objectively: fresh, innovative ideas drive the commercial world – and it’s no different with brand activation in sponsorship. Doing this creatively entices consumers in to discover more and you will be able to connect with them on a deeper, personal level.
Slingshot has been selected by the Army’s national charity to provide valuation and long-term commercial direction for The Cateran Yomp.
Entering its 7th year, The Cateran Yomp is an epic trek where teams of 3-6 people take on 54 miles in 24 hours across the rugged terrain of the Scottish wilderness, pushing both mind and body to the limit. The Yomp brings together unsung heroes from the UK and overseas, with participants ranging from elite athletes to first timers, the young and the old in a unique environment fostering terrific camaraderie.
The event has raised over £2.4m and has been sponsored by the likes of Sainsburys, Alliance Trust, HSBC, Thomson Reuters, PWC and notable others since its inception in 2011.
Bernie Critchley, Events Manager – Bespoke Events & Sponsorship states:
“It was really useful getting Slingshot Sponsorship to do a valuation on the Cateran Yomp, and give us advice on sponsorship packages, so we knew that we were pitching it at the right level. The proposal that they designed for us was excellent, and was perfect to send to our prospects. The team were very friendly, professional and easy to work with throughout the whole process.”
Sam Howell, Head of New Business, Slingshot Sponsorship said:
“We’re delighted to provide sponsorship support to such an inspiring charity and a team of passionate individuals to help them make the most of the commercial potential of The Cateran Yomp”
The Cateran Yomp takes place this weekend, 10 -11 June 2017.
Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) is proud to announce the return of Zoom Video Communications, Inc. to the 2018 XTC Sponsorship Series. Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with a secure, easy platform for video and audio conferencing, messaging, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is their original software-based conference room solution used around the world in conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Zoom is proud to be the official sponsor and judge of the Productivity Vertical for XTC 2018.
XTC 2018 marks the fourth year of this exciting and innovating competition that brings together the world’s brightest entrepreneurial minds to compete for the chance to pitch their budding business ventures to an all-star panel of judges on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island. Zoom will be returning for it’s second year as an invaluable member to the team of global sponsors who will be on hand to guide and support this year’s applicants as they compete in the Tech Challenge of their lives.
“Zoom is proud to be a second-time partner of XTC. We had a great experience sponsoring the Productivity vertical last year, and we’re excited to support this group of world-changing entrepreneurs again. Zoom helps teams be more productive with high quality video meetings and powerful collaboration tools, and it’s a pleasure to support other productivity innovations by promising startups.”
– Eric S. Yuan, Founder & CEO, Zoom Video Communications
As part of their sponsorship, Zoom will offer free accounts to lauded competitors in the contest, with Head of Marketing Janine Pelosi representing Zoom as an XTC 2018 judge for the Productivity Vertical. First place in the Productivity category will receive five free Zoom Pro accounts for one year, while second through fifth place will each earn one free Zoom Pro account for one year. Additionally, the overall Top 10 Semi-Finalists moving onto CES this January 2018 will each get one free Zoom Pro account for one year.
The Final Champion of XTC 2017 will be awarded with the most sought after prize from Zoom—ten free Business accounts for one year. Over 600,000 companies trust Zoom and 94% of their IT organizations recommend Zoom to colleagues, a testament to the high caliber of Zoom’s sponsorship of XTC 2018.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available – contact Slingshot Sponsorship should you wish to discuss the potential of inclusion.
The issue around equality and diversity seems to be heating up. Whilst I normally steer clear of these discussions, having recently attended a presentation at Canada House on diversity with the Ottawa Minister and later speaking on the ‘The Role of Business in Driving Towards Equality’ panel recently at the Salesforce World Tour – it’s clearly a topic that is on everyone’s minds (I’d encourage you to watch the Role of Business in Driving Towards Equality video here).
My life has been filled with diversity. As a child I was one of the few people I knew who was mixed race (Canadian and Chinese). In adulthood I moved to London without knowing a single soul and found it difficult to relate with experiences very dissimilar to my peer group. Now working in a male-dominated industry, I’m struck being painted again as the odd one out.
Ironically, there is nowhere else I’d rather be. Being the odd one out has enabled me to bring a different perspective to whatever I do. Professionally my young age and the fact that I am a female has been more of an asset to the agency’s strength then to its detriment, which is why I wholly believe in diversity for business. I believe that diversity creates opportunity – because I have experienced it first-hand.
There are a lot of variables at play with this argument and it will likely be debated for eternity; however, I feel that action says more than stats. Only by being actively committed to being diverse within the workplace will you begin to realise the value it can drive to your bottom line.
Women’s sports accounts for 5.4% of the value of all sponsorship deals and just 0.4% in the UK.
This percentage is mirrored in the number of women CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies: 5.4%, and though not one is a sports company, women are rising through the corporate ranks to become decision-makers. The underlying cultural attitudes around women and women’s sports are slowly changing and organisations such as Women in Sport and This Girl Can are just two examples of movements working to change perceptions.
Effective communication is the key for athletes to promote themselves and their sport and to increase their share of the sponsorship pie. By becoming part of the conversation in social media and thus becoming more relevant, potential sponsors can see the value of the athlete to their brand and the business plan becomes clear. Ultimately, they need to know they will get a return on their money as well as activation avenues. Sponsoring female athletes creates a potential new audience and revenue stream as women today have huge buying power.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has been able to translate the popularity of the sport into large sponsorship and media deals. Last year, it signed a 10-year, $525 million media rights deal with PERFORM, the largest media rights and production deal in the history of women’s sports. Tennis is leading the way for gender equality with equal prize money for the four Grand Slams. Only a few female stars outside of Tennis such as Mia Hamm & Ronda Rousey attract the huge deals that the men so easily do.
Creating sponsorship for female athletes is no different to men: athletes need to be ambassadors for the brand and communicate well the brand’s culture. By using female athletes, brands could not only access a wider audience but also create opportunities to activate in new and creative ways. Sponsors who integrate into women centric platforms showcase their support for gender equality and diversity.
