For sponsorships, frequently described as "the invited guest in the home", to become more successful in communicating messages to their target audiences, sponsors must get them to sparkle through innovative and creative leveraging.
This is the view of marketing strategist Ruth Coggin (CM), a partner at marketing communications consultancy, Quo Vadis.
"Many sponsorship managers seem to believe that sponsorship ends with the signing of the contract, and perhaps the planning of some branding. Leveraging is at the heart of a sponsorship and thus requires an application of creativity and innovation to really make the sponsorship sparkle. Not properly leveraging a sponsorship is analogous to flushing money down the drain", she said.
Coggin lamented the fact that sponsors appear to be trapped in the traditional modes of leveraging, focused mainly around branding and signage. "The truth is that if a sponsorship is to stand out from the rest, it must make people sit up and notice it. Companies must wake to the fact that merely "being there" in the form of a giant logo isn't good enough anymore. Successful brands seek to improve the experience of those exposed to the sponsorship, thus building a bond with them."
In addition to the target audience, Coggin advised the delegates, mostly marketing and sponsorship executives from across industries, to start making a concerted effort to gain a better understanding of the sponsored party. She said that after sponsors have determined the brand 'fit' with the sponsored property, they must carefully consider whether the property can deliver on its promises. This can be achieved by looking at the sponsored property's financial position, personnel capacity, make-up of the organisation, including its corporate governance, and whether it has other sponsors, and what its commitments are to them.
"Like it or not, a poorly run event, or an organisation that is plagued by corruption and misappropriation of funds reflects poorly on its sponsors", added Coggin.
Coggin, a passionate supporter and advocate of the arts, made a plea to more sponsors to look further than sports sponsorship.
"Arts sponsorships have the ability to reach more a niched audience than sports, through specialist media, with a niched and focused message. A BMI study found that companies are definitely missing out on very good opportunities by not sponsoring arts and culture. Among its key findings, the study found that there is greater interest in the arts among South African audiences than is generally acknowledged. An added bonus is that arts and culture sponsorships are far less costly than their counterparts in the sporting arena".
Respected ambush marketing commentator, Dr Owen Dean, a partner at law firm Spoor and Fischer, was also present to share his expert views on the subject with the delegates. Dr Dean cautioned sponsors to be wary of unscrupulous ambush marketers, whom he says deploy many underhand tactics to get exposure without forking out a dime.
As part of the workshop, delegates were asked to prepare sponsorship plans based on a simulated sponsorship scenario. These were evaluated by a panel of experts, among them Dr Ivan May, a highly experienced and respected marketer. Presentations of the proposals generated stimulating debates between the delegates and members of the panel, especially on the future of sponsorships and corporate social investments. Delegates were urged to start looking at ways to marry the two.
Dr May advised delegates to purchase the King II report, and familiarise themselves with the concept of the triple bottom-line i.e. profit, community and environment. Both he and Coggin urged marketers to ensure that their sponsorships are sustainable, socially responsible and earn a return on investment.
Among the underlying benefits of a sponsorship discussed at the workshop was the fact that, unlike advertising, sponsorship is the "invited guest" in the home.
