How Much Revenue Could My Project Earn Through Sponsorship? 9th March, 2018

One of the most common questions people looking for sponsorship ask us is, ‘what could my property be worth?’

It’s an obvious question to ask, but without knowing exactly what’s being offered to a sponsor it’s almost impossible to answer. Therefore, before you approach a brand or agency about sponsorship, it’s worth taking a bit of time to consider exactly what you have to offer.

When creating a sponsorship package and working out sponsorship value here are three key things to take into account.

How is a sponsorship package valued?

To be able to value a platform correctly, all the sponsorship assets – such as inclusion in newsletters, social media posts, logo integration and hospitality tickets – need to have been considered and packages created detailing the frequency an asset can be used. These details are measured against the reach your project will have – how many people are going to see it and, more importantly, how valuable is that audience to a brand. The value of each asset can then be calculated to provide an overall price.

Nail down the details

We often find that people coming to us with a new venture have a good grasp on the fundamentals of their projects, such as where and when it’s going to be, but they may not have the specifics nailed down – and the specifics are everything when it comes to the value.

For example, claiming an event will be shown on TV is not enough to be able to value an opportunity and, likewise, probably won’t be enough for a brand to sponsor. Instead, make sure you know the specifics, including what channel it will be shown on and how often the sponsor can be featured – the latter is where the real value lies. The same goes for any media partner whether it be TV, radio, magazines or blogs. You need to be sure that agreements have been finalised before approaching sponsors.

Don’t approach sponsors too early

Sponsorship deals can take many months to get across the line so it can be tempting to approach potential sponsors before you have the complete sponsorship toolkit confirmed. It may seem like a good idea to get the ball rolling as soon as possible but it can lead to you coming unstuck in the boardroom as the brand can’t justify the value of the deal without knowing exactly what they’re going to get. This can lead to delays or even end the hope of any potential agreement.

Therefore, to understand the sponsorship revenue your project could receive you need to turn your ideas into serious realities by confirming the specifics of your offering. You may be pleasantly surprised by the value at your fingertips.

Our Top 4 Tips for Uncovering Sponsorship Assets 11th July, 2018

Over the years we have helped countless rights holders and sponsors come together effectively to great mutual benefit. However, that road isn’t always as smooth as it should be – particularly when it comes to sponsorship assets.

There have been many instances where we have witnessed rights holders only offering basic assets to potential sponsors, as opposed to its full armoury of options. Most commonly this translates into a focus around a logo and whilst this still does hold importance to a would-be sponsor, to get real value out of a partnership it is crucially important to ensure all potential assets are made available.

Allow us to put this into context for you. Imagine a fully-stocked supermarket that only sells items in the very first aisle to customers and blocks off the rest of the store. This will inevitably reduce the supermarket’s revenue and narrow the customer’s shopping potential. The same logic applies in the world of sponsorship.

The major problem with only offering some of the potential assets to a sponsor is that it’s impossible to know exactly what a brand requires to make the most of their sponsorship when reaching out before qualifying the lead.

As you may imagine, the chances of understanding exactly what a sponsor desires is increased simply by doing your homework and regular research, but there is still no better way to truly understand a brand’s approach than by speaking with them directly.

However, it is admittedly difficult to uncover all possible assets without previous sponsorship knowledge when you’re fully immersed in your own day-to-day tasks. So Slingshot is here to help with our top four quick tips for uncovering sponsorship assets…

1) Get into the brand’s mindset
Figure out exactly why a brand would want to be a sponsor and work out what you can specifically offer them that they’d simply be unable to get elsewhere.

2) Brainstorm with colleagues
Never tackle this sponsorship conundrum on your own! The more minds the better because, as with any ideas session, everyone thinks differently – which can be key to thinking outside of the box and uncovering assets which aren’t just a bog standard logo placement.

3) Travel the customer journey
Remember that sponsors ultimately want access to your audience. So travelling through the customer journey and understanding all possible touchpoints a sponsor can utilise to engage with your audience will showcase multiple key assets.

4) Check out the competition
Last but not least, try and get hold of your competitor’s sponsorship proposals to see what they are offering and how it differs to you. It may just spark a new idea or illustrate ways for you to improve your own platform for sponsors both now and in the future.

Case Study: Outlook Festival Knowledge Area

Back in 2015, we utilised our expertise of uncovering sponsorship assets to continue pushing the boundaries of the traditional festival model. We created something which added to the consumer experience and attracted brand integration at the Outlook Festival.

Named the Knowledge Arena, it was here we created workshops led by artists where guests could create their own music at the festival. This forward-thinking rights holder maintained focus on the consumer, leading to greater engagement and sparking brands’ interest in being involved with connecting to the audience in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Key takeaways

Any rights holders looking for sponsorship must think strategically before approaching a brand. Think carefully about the plethora of assets you can offer, particularly ones which resonate with certain target brands.

Once all assets have been uncovered, the goal then becomes ensuring these are effectively and aesthetically communicated in the best way possible to potential sponsors – and at the right price.