Tag: sponsorship benefits


Need Sponsorship? Our top tips will show you how! part I 10th September, 2010

With the recent surge in corporate sponsorship in the UK, sponsorship proposals are coming in faster than ever.  However, with so many new organisations and events trying their hand at sponsorship funding, not all of these sponsorship proposals are maximising the total funding available.  This is due to the lack of specific knowledge in this area as sponsorship professionals can be hard to come by and are rarely located within an organisation.  Most often sponsorship is championed by the Marketing Director who rarely has the time and resource to make the most of their sponsorship opportunities. 
To save some time and money take note of Slingshot Sponsorship’s top tips for organisations requesting sponsorship:

Tip: Sponsorship isn’t about you!

Sponsorship happens because you can provide an audience, which helps sponsors reach their objectives.  Sponsorship is not simply about someone helping you fund your opportunity or great idea.  You need to look at sponsorship as a product you are selling.  Most people do not like to pay for something and leave the store empty handed.

Tip: Sponsorship proposals should focus on benefits

Your sponsorship proposal should focus on the benefits you can help them realise.  Although there are sponsorship programmes that are for corporate social responsibility, the majority are not, and even if they are, they still need to see ROI.  Make sure to focus on these commercial benefits rather than the event itself in the sponsorship proposal.

Tip: Get the right fit

Prospects should be approached who share the same target audience and values.  This will not only ensure that the prospect is marketing to their key audience, but also creates an associated brand experience.

Keep following our blog – part II is coming up next!


Turkish Airlines Sponsorship Article Sparks Debate 3rd September, 2010

After reading Mark Ritson’s article in Marketing Week “Sponsorship Should Not Be A Random Act” I was inspired to comment.  Mostly because I thought he was completely off the mark, but also because through the eloquent writing, there really seemed to be no point made.

Ritson argues that Turkish Airlines sponsorship platforms – Barcelona Football Club and Manchester United – caused confusion, whilst Kevin Costner was a badly chosen spokesperson. 

Ritson goes on to state:

Whatever the process by which Turkish Airlines chooses these sponsorship targets, these decisions are symptomatic of an industry that no longer understands or even respects brand equity. Costner, Barcelona or Manchester United certainly confer global brand awareness, but beyond this simple goal, what of the more complex challenge of building brand associations? Is there even a sliver of brand heritage or genuine patronage in any of this?

Although I definitely agree with the title of the article, I think the article itself misses the objective of sponsorship.  My comment sparked further debate amongst the sponsorship industry and I invite you to join in.  Click here to check out the article and join the debate!


Sponsorship for Professional Associations 1st September, 2010

 Sponsorship revenue for professional associations in the UK is a booming business.

With marketing budgets being scruitinised, value for membership in professional associations is fierce.  Professional associations have had no other option, but to start thinking outside the box through mergers, partnerships, and shared expenses.  However, one emerging trend is the value and integration of sponsorship departments being led internally or outsourced by specialist agencies.

As sponsorship takes on many different forms, it requires professional associations to think more about integration and relationships for their members rather than monetary expectations, which have been the ways of the past. 

By maximising their current assets through sponsorship, professional associations have the ability to create value for their members, their bottom line, and prospective members who attend the events.  In this type of relationship – sponsorship is exceedingly successful.

A great example is the Direct Marketing Association UK.  With over 50 current sponsors, the DMA has been able to successful help its members get in front of a niche audience of marketing professionals. Some companies have also taken advantage of larger packages which encompass the sponsorship of the DMA’s entire activities in a specific sector.

One such company is consumer credit and business information specialist, Equifax, which provides a range of services to support companies marketing to consumers and businesses.  Reflecting its influence and authority in the marketing data arena, Equifax has become the DMA’s Overall Data Sponsor which includes sponsorship of DataSeal, the DMA Awards, regional activity, and the Data Tracking Study.

Laura Marlow, Marketing Manager for Equifax Marketing Services, says that becoming the DMA’s overall data sponsor was the perfect way for promoting Equifax as The Heart of Data Intelligence:

“Marketers have faced some real challenges this year, making it more important than ever that they have access to properly targeted, good quality data.  Our role as overall data sponsor of the DMA has put us in an excellent position to make marketers aware of the services we offer, enhancing our brand and reputation in this important sector.  We look forward to continuing to work with the DMA and its members to maximise the full potential of marketing data to create the most impactful and cost-effective campaigns.”

Chris Combemale, the DMA’s executive director, states that sponsorship is crucial to the mission of the DMA:

“Through the additional revenue of sponsorship, we can expand the number of professional services we provide, as well the number of insight and networking events we offer.  These activities are integral to our purpose of promoting the business interests of our members and driving the growth of the direct marketing industry.  Of course, through pairing our sponsor partners with suitably themed platforms we ensure maximum relevance and mutual benefit to their target market.”

Sponsorship agencies have an integral part to play in helping professional associations harness this revenue and creating successful partnerships.  By creating a sustainable revenue stream to supplement event and membership fees, sponsorship can help your organisation continue creating value for the industry.


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.


Sponsorship Sales: Selling the Benefit 25th August, 2010

I recently saw a sponsorship tweet tip that said, “Think about how you can benefit the sponsors business, before you make an approach.”  My immediate reaction to this tweet was that it was absolutely ridiculous (sorry tweeter!) – OF COURSE the sponsorship proposal should be about how the opportunity should benefit the sponsor’s business; it would be ridiculous to think otherwise.  If you did think otherwise, you’d just be asking for money, free money at that.  And no one wants to give away free money.

However, upon further consideration, this tip may not be as ridiculous as it immediately seemed.  Slingshot Sponsorship helps brands and rights owners create sponsorship proposals for their assets and it is true that we stress this in every training session – the proposal needs to highlight the benefit not the event, platform, inspiration, etc.  The more specific the tailored benefit, the more likely that you will get your prospects attention.

The first stage in this process is to understand your prospect’s brand and really understand what drives their business. Thankfully, we live in a world where this information is at our fingertips, so there is no excuse for poor sponsorship proposals.  If you have the time, we’d also recommend that you meet with your prospect or at least speak with them over the phone so you can get a real understanding about what their marketing objectives are. 

One of the benefits of using sponsorship as a marketing platform to build brand relationships is that it can be incredibly flexible and tailored.  Sponsorship can be used across all media channels and all media sectors.  For this reason, you should be able to create an engaging campaign tailored to your prospect.  Benefits will arise from these tailored sponsorship proposals and will be the only way to successfully sell sponsorship.

Make sure to keep following our blog as we will be putting out tips on writing sponsorship proposals throughout the year!

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