Your virtual chief marketing officer. FLORENCIA PYKE
TODAY…
We will cover… • What is sponsorship?
• Benefits
• Steps to creating a sponsorship program
> Understanding your audience
> What you need to know to design a sponsorship program
> Sponsorship format options to consider
> The proposal
• Tips to getting a prospective sponsor across the line
What is sponsorship? • It’s a form of marketing
• Done for promotional purposes
• To generate publicity or to obtain access to a wider audience than your budget can afford
• It’s a booming $11 billion industry*
• The key to success: matching the correct brand with the people who want to interact with it!!
*according to Independent Evaluation Group
Benefits of sponsorship
FOR THE BRAND
• Raise brand awareness and create preference
• Positive PR
• Build brand position through association
• Support a sales promotion
• Establish credibility
• Highly targeted marketing
• Media exposure via event/ team
• Community involvement and giving back
• Networking opportunity
FOR YOUR ASSOCIATION
• $$/ contra
• Profile building
• Reach a greater audience and expand your membership base
• Networking
Steps to creating a sponsorship program
> Understanding your audience
> What you need to know to design a sponsorship program
> Sponsorship format options to consider
> The proposal
> Understanding your audience • Demographics: age, sex,
education level, income level, marital status, occupation, religion, average family size, average age at marriage, race
+
• Psychographics: lifestyles, behaviours, attitudes, what do they like to read/ do, etc..
=
• Customer profile
How to find out all this information about your customers/ viewers?
• Survey… you will get answers quickly but not everyone will answer
• Outsource this… reliable information but can be expensive
> What you need to know to design a sponsorship program
• Cost estimates across different sponsorship options
• Time and skills required to set up sponsorship format (can someone within the club do this?)
• Number of certain formats available/ exclusivity
• Viewing – provide traffic and stats
> Sponsorship format options… numerous, creative and varied…
• Website • Ground • Score board • Overall naming rights • Naming rights to an event-based award or trophy • Preferred supplier status • Use of logos, images, trademarks • Merchandising rights • On-site product sampling opportunities • Demonstration or display opportunities • Event signage • VIP ticket access prior to public • Loyalty benefits – access to event/ specific area • EDM sponsorship piece • Access to discounts/ merchandise • Advertising on the reverse side of tickets • Support of the sponsor’s worthy cause – involve sponsor’s nominated charity in the event • Contra opportunity ….
Examples of creative sponsorship formats
Examples of creative sponsorship ideas
http://youtu.be/yIfa5UQo4Hk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6IGudzO8As
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwbMRC8sSmM
More examples of unique format ideas…
• Event app
• Mobile phone charging station
• Wi-Fi
• Activity zone/ play station at an event
• Lunchtime/ game break sponsor
> The Proposal… what not to do
• Concentrate on your needs, not the sponsor’s
• Make the sponsor do the work
• Don’t make a business case
• Offer the same benefits as everyone else
• Hard to read
> The Proposal: set the stage
• Page 1: Title page… date + copy write wording – Naming rights: The brand x Armidale District Netball Association
– Presenting sponsorship: Armidale District Netball Association presented by Brand x
– All other types sponsorship: Brand x and Armidale District Netball Association
• Page 2: Set the stage… photo, quote, compelling statistic
> The Proposal: paint the picture
• Page 3: Overview the opportunity – Use descriptive words, what your target market loves about you,
provide some background about the association/ team
• Page 4: Fact sheet – Date of event, location, cost of participation, endorsements/
affiliations, membership base size
> The Proposal: the marketing plan
• Page 5: Describe your target markets – Segment according to psychographics (motivations,
priorities, lifestyle). Include indicators and target markets that are most important to the sponsor – list these first
• Page 6-7: Overview your marketing plan – What marketing messages will you be using about your
association/ team? How are you going to get these messages to your target markets?
> The Proposal: very very important section!
• Page 8-9: Creative ideas for leverage – Give the potential sponsor creative ideas for leverage; this will help to
sell the proposal internally – Look to your sponsorship format options and select opportunities that
will be most compelling for the sponsor
• Pages 10-11: Benefits list – Emphasise creative benefits that support the interesting ideas you
have provided; also list the sponsorship opportunities i.e. Naming rights to an event-based award or trophy, preferred supplier status
> The Proposal: the numbers
• Page 12: Investment offer – Money support? Contra support? Commitment
support? Outline what your are seeking; include a draft payment schedule
> The Proposal: give that something extra!
• Page 13: Case studies – How other companies have made the most of similar types of
sponsorship/ how your other sponsors have achieved a commercial return
>Tips to getting a prospective sponsor across the line
• Do your homework. Get to know your sponsor/ their needs/ their sales and marketing promotions
• Customise your proposals to suit the sponsor… how will you help your sponsor connect with their target market?
• Contact the right person. If there’s a brand manager – that will usually be your go, unless you have a relationship with the CEO
• Patience… • Create a business case that is easy to sell internally • Submit fewer, better proposals • Showcase your professionalism and commercial orientation
Thank you for your time!
Questions??