Sponsorship Measurement 26th August, 2010

Measuring sponsorship is one of the most important services a sponsorship agency or property partner can provide.  With innumerable ways to measure marketing ROI, it is important that sponsorship provides the same value.  It is also one of the crucial points that will decide whether or not sponsors renew.

A sponsorship agency should not only help you deliver value, but it should also measure it.

Three key tips to measuring sponsorship

1.      Understand the audience

This should go beyond standard demographic information and include insight on how the audience you are targeting engages with the brand.  In order to build a brand relationship through a sponsorship platform, you need to understand where the current relationship sits.  This will act as a baseline for measurement as well as informing the brand and activation teams in order to help leverage the sponsorship.

2.     Lay the groundwork

In any type of collaboration, it is very important that each party understands the roles they will undertake to achieve their objectives.  It is also very important that all parties understand the other’s business – the better understanding of the partner and nature of the relationship, the easier it will be to understand where synergy can be achieved.

This should be discussed right from the beginning of the contract negotiation.  Once signed, both parties should walk away knowing exactly what they will be bringing to the relationship.  By encouraging this, measurement goals can be set against achievables.

3.  Provide valuable data

Data capture during the entire sponsorship campaign – include post-event, is incredibly valuable for assessing the success of the sponsorship.  Measuring a sponsor’s impact can be done through fulfilment surveys, surveying social media buzz, interviews, focus groups and third party research.

Surveys and feedback forms can be an easy way to not only measure the success of the sponsorship programme, but also can add value to the sponsor by providing them a few sponsor-related questions.  In addition, feedback can provide both parties with insight needed to make the next event even better.

These tips are just some of the ways you can work together to ensure that the sponsorship relationship you build is tangible, which will be key in creating sustainable partnerships.