A Personal Touch: Using sponsorship to engage consumers locally 13th December, 2013

The increase in the number of communication channels between consumer and brand has brought with it a greater amount of choice for the public when purchasing products and services. In order to cater towards this, brands have looked to put the consumer first, engaging them on a personal level to retain their loyalty. Here are four key criteria that brands have built into their sponsorship strategy to develop customer loyalty, and where it has been done effectively.

Limited Edition Offers: O2 have set the standard for this over the past five years with their Priority Moments, which was initiated to increase customer retention and reduce churn. They’ve achieved this thorough giving customers a more personalised bespoke service, offering VIP tickets and first refusal on anything from music to rugby tickets. Having recently teamed up with Nike, they now offer a comprehensive range of perks to reward the loyalty of their customers.

Tapping into Passions: Tapping into people’s passions can propel brands into the hearts and minds of the consumer. However associating with specific fans is a risky business, because you can easily alienate groups by associating with their rivals. McDonald’s avoided this with their sponsorship of Euro 2012; this was geared around harnessing people’s passions for their individual team, where they then competed against one another through an online app. By staying completely bipartisan but engaging with each fan made this app the most downloaded throughout the tournament, building a strong rapport amongst followers of Euro 2012.

Regionalising the Model: The football club Manchester United have developed an unprecedented regional sponsorship campaign whereby they have developed regional partners in order to promote their brand overseas. Associating with more local companies has allowed them to engage with fans on a local level, creating greater recognition.

Second-Screen Engagement: Having consumers directly interact with brands content can provide lasting exposure which could either cost millions to build, or years to develop. Coca-Cola created the Coca-Cola Polar Bowl which provided a second screen experience game during the Super Bowl, where fans from either side would tune in to watch two bears live reactions in relation to what was happening on the pitch. This generated nine million views with an annual watch time of 28 minutes, systematically giving Coke unparalleled exposure, and kudos amongst fans.

With brands such as Vodafone who announced this week a shift in their sponsorship strategy from a corporate badging exercise to a locally engaged model, it shows consumers are driving the need to be listened to and engaged with. Keeping brands on their toes and opening the door to more versatile partnerships.

Community Sponsorship Done Well – TMD Properties Sponsors St Michael’s School Association 17th July, 2013

I recently came across the following sign in Highgate the other day. It was pretty impressive upon first glance; however, after more research, I was so impressed by TMD’s sponsorship that I’ve dedicated a whole blog to it.

Community sponsorship is often overlooked, assumed by companies that it is merely a fundraising portion of their CSR. However, if managed and promoted well, sponsorship of the community you work in can provide significant value for very little cost. In the case of TMD Properties, they were able to generate enormous goodwill amongst their audience – young families looking to rent or purchase properties in Highgate. Sponsoring St Michael’s School Association not only got them directly in front of their target audience, but also enabled them to showcase their support to the wider community on all the sales and letting boards throughout the borough. Although their boards would have been up anyways – sponsorship has made them stand out from the crowd, cleverly using contrasting colours to ensure that the signs resonate.

The sponsorship has even gone further to include social media and press releases. TMD include all their involvement with St Michael’s School Association within their Facebook page and Twitter feed – ensuring their involvement is recognised by communities further afield.

Following TMD Properties’ great example, I have put together my top 5 tips for brands looking to get involved with community sponsorship:

Think of your audience: Although sponsorship of your community generates goodwill, it is important to remember who your customers are. Although it probably would have been a great thing to sponsor the old folks home in Highgate, it would unlikely generate a return on their investment.
Utilise your channels: Small sponsorship can make a big impact if you ensure that your sponsorship is integrated within all your marketing and communication. Social media is an easy win because it is free; however, think one step beyond this and integrate your involvement internally as well in order to create staff affinity for your company.
Get involved: Don’t just give money and expect an immediate return. TMD Properties actively got involved and attended the events that St Michael’s School Association put on – highlighting that their sponsorship wasn’t purely whitewash.
Think beyond money: Financial investment is typical the request from community sponsorships; however, what they likely don’t realise is how you might be able to help them further in ways that don’t cost you anything. For example, the local craft fair may need a venue on Saturday to work on projects that they are selling on Sunday – if your office is available (and doesn’t mind a bit of glitter), this could be a great partnership and a huge benefit to them.
Have fun: Community sponsorship is all about your community – so get out there, have fun, and create relationships that last!