Generate: 10 years, 10 Lessons in Sponsorship
February 15, 2013
10 YEARS, allergist 10 LESSONS
10 years, apoplectic 10 lessons in sponsorship
Generate is ten this year, sildenafil citrate uk price so we figured it was a good a reason as any to boil the kettle, sit back with a cuppa and think about what we have learnt in the ever changing world of sponsorship during our journey so far…
1. Digital Digital Digital ? social media arrived and has taken up a permanent space in everything we do – it?s a challenging journey and one that keeps all businesses on their toes ? particularly rights holders, who are losing ground in this space and will eventually lose control of the ultimate commodity from a sponsorship perspective – the fan
2. Sponsorship remained in rude health during the recession?.. but brands are working much harder to make a bigger impact with less budget
3. It?s an ambush! Brands got smarter and there are great examples of those who have received a higher return on ambush activity than the official sponsors – think ?Paddy Power?, the Tongan rugby player in the RWC 2007 or Bavaria in the FIFA World Cup 2010
4. Personality sponsorships are risky but will always play a part ? Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong damaged the image of their respective sports, but interestingly the brands they were associated with have come away unscathed ? Nike sales/image were not damaged
5. Increased Clutter (i.e. insurance and rugby) means the industry has had to come up with clever ways of creatively engaging with target audiences and brands (no longer just a badging exercise)
6. A shift in power has evolved from rights holder to sponsor ? in a tough economic climate brands are pushing to get more rights for less money ? branding alone is not enough
7. Polarisation of rights holders?the big get bigger, whilst the rest fight it out in the battlegrounds?.apart from the niche, who are prepared to take a different approach ? think darts and hockey
8. The move away from a pure transactional model of rights holders selling / brokering sponsorship deals. The process is more flexible and consultative, centred around both parties? objectives and mutual gain ? this also includes measurement and a move away from justifying spend via Equivalent Media Values
9. The UK witnessed a second coming of American sport?they tried in the 80?s and early 90?s and now they are back?NFL, NBA, MLB
10. Having a meaningful relationship with your fan base became even more crucial?CSR is increasingly important?it is no longer all about the number of logo?s or indeed the size of the logo? it?s also about what you give back