Sponsorship has always separated itself from alternative promotional mediums by allowing brands to establish an effortless connection with self-selected fans at a specific time and place.  The thought process being that the association alone can provide enough of a branding play to justify the investment.  However, as rights fees started to increase and demand for measurable ROI became more of a fixture brands started looking for additional ways to bring a sponsorship to life.  Sweepstakes, experiential areas, street teams and the likes have all become increasingly more common as they allow the brand to become more ingrained with the consumer experience and get credit for it.  But why stop there when one can initiate an even more powerful and specific two-way dialogue with the consumer?  It’s 2010 and the next wave of sponsorship activation involves a device that nearly every consumer has on them at all times – the mobile phone. 

First, consider some of the facts.  At the end of 2008, the number of mobile subscribers had reach 270 million, reaching 87% of U.S. households.  In 2009, U.S. consumers sent over 110.4 billion SMS messages per month.  That is more than 3.5 billion per day!  The numbers continue to grow rapidly, fueled by the emergence of smart phones and easier and cheaper access to unlimited data and text messaging plans.

But the numbers alone do not justify the attention when it comes to integrating mobile marketing into a sponsorship.  A mobile phone is also one of the most personal devices that we have.  They are literally attached to our hips at all times as they hold our schedules, our contacts and our connection to almost anyone anywhere.  It can be used for media, navigation, commerce and more recently, boarding a flight.  The uses are never-ending as the technology continues to evolve.  What does this all mean to sponsors then?

If you are investing money with the intention of reaching a specific target, why not go the extra step to have the chance to communicate with them on the most pervasive and convenient device that they have?  Mobile applications can be varied, but the objectives at hand should determine the appropriate tactics.  But just consider some of these simple tactics:

• If you have a sign, why not include a mobile call-to-action such as “text [BRAND NAME] to 55333”
• Create a compelling txt-to-win promotion where consumers can send a text message for a chance to win seat upgrades, tickets, merchandise, etc
• Display a custom game or a voting application so fans can have a voice and become part of the action

The potential for the initial consumer hook is vast, but the most important piece to the brand is the direct marketing that can unfold after the initial engagement.  Whenever a text message is submitted, that consumer receives an automated reply message back to his or her phone. This initial message is extremely valuable as it serves as a direct and personal connection.  Again, the content and the direction that the messaging takes should completely be determined by the objectives of each individual campaign but some common and effective examples include:

• Include a link to a mobile website to allow for a more rich content experience.  Content can be viewed and downloaded, information exchanged and databases can be gathered
• Provide a mobile coupon or discount code to be redeemed online or at a retail outlet
• Opt-in consumers to an ongoing text club/alerts program.
• Promote a custom-built mobile application for download or purchase

Each of the above tactics extends the interaction and if they provide value to the consumer, then the brand is portrayed in a positive light.  More importantly, each can be measured and have a specific value tied to it, whether it be impressions, redemptions, leads, etc.  The barriers for implementation are minimal and the costs are low relative to comparable marketing tactics and the overall sponsorship investment. 

In sum, mobile is everywhere and it is not going away any time soon.  When applied to sponsorship it offers brands the ability to personalize, be relevant and immediate and measure the overall impact.  It cannot and should not be ignored when one is putting together their sponsorship strategy. 

Brad Dolian is the VP of Client Services at Txtstation.  If you're interested in this insight into effective and relevant activation, feel free to contact him by visiting their website.  Brad works with their clients to identify their objectives and consult with them on how to best utilize mobile to achieve them.  From there, Txtstation works with you to execute, implement, and then follow up with reporting to recap results.  At SponsorPark we're very interested in referring our site users to trusted and experienced sponsorship professionals who will impact your efforts as a complement to the services we provide.  Feel free to post questions and comments!

So we submitted last week that it’s a good idea to build a strong network.  One way of taking the same concept of making valuable connections and networking to the next level is to work with an agency or sponsorship resource.  When you build a house you don't leave without your tools - there are resources that equip you with the best tools for your sponsorship toolbelt too! We’ll talk about why a sponsorship agency is valuable, what to consider when pursuing an agency for support, and then we’ll move on to other sponsorship resources.

The connections that a sponsorship agency has are typically some of the highest quality (considering their job puts them in contact with key players in the sponsorship world on a daily basis).  They know intimately the needs of the sponsors they are in contact with, and it’s their job to research others that might be a good fit for your opportunity.  Sponsorship sales is typically one of many tasks a property owner manages – someone who sells sponsorship as for a living obviously has an advantage.  Why?  Because it’s their full time job to do that, and experience matters.  They have access to decision makers that the average person might not be able to reach so easily.  The best part is, typically they are paid much better when they place a sponsorship, so they’re truly “singing for their supper” right now in such a competitive sponsorship environment.  They have very good incentive (commissions) to get your opportunity a sponsor; and unless you are a full time sponsorship sales employee, an agency rep will likely better know the ins and outs of what’s happening in the sponsorship world, what’s popular and what is not, how to communicate value and how to get their foot in the door better than you do. The truth is that it’s a tough economy and sponsorship is as competitive as ever.  People that make it in this era are those who are resourceful and innovative.  But you don’t want to use just any agency at any time – there are some good questions to ask before taking the next step:

• What kind of sponsorships do you typically place?  Sports, entertainment, arts, cause-related, etc.  If you are an athlete looking for sponsors you shouldn’t reach to agencies who place sponsorships for Broadway musicals.  It’s not their area of expertise.
• What kind of success have you seen?  It’s good to know their success rate, their testimonials, and their activation examples.  Don’t move forward with an agency if they can’t tell you these things.  You should be able to take a look at an old proposal as an example of their direct efforts. 
• What is your fee structure? Since agencies vary so much in their rates, it’s very smart to ask this question before assuming too much.  This obviously has the potential to be a deal or no deal kind of a question.  Most agencies do ask for a retainer of some sort which is nonrefundable – don’t be surprised by this; as well as some kind of commissions for the deals they place. 

The clear fact about working with a sponsorship resource is that there are specialists in a particular focus of sponsorship that can add value to the sponsorship partnership in some way.  The question is to do your research on what’s out there, and then determine based on your unique opportunity what would give you affordable value that you couldn’t implement without them.  There are resources that help with determining your target audience information at an event (like txtstation) which improves ROI information, there are resources which assist with activation efforts and hospitality, resources that help with sponsorship connection (like SponsorPark), and there are companies that focus on Valuation or reporting (like SponsorshipPRO+).  Regarding the topic of targeted networking – if you’re not a member of Sponsorship Insights Group (SIG) on LinkedIn, and you’re involved in sponsorship in some way, you’re missing out.  An entire community interacting with one another, asking and answering questions as well as connecting is what SIG offers – a smart place to be.  Obviously when doing your homework on sponsorship resources you’ll cater the same questions as above to their specific focuses.  We do have several great resources listed on our website for reference in case you are curious and want to know more.  Some of the resources might have long term value to consider – for example, if you provide sophisticated reporting on the value of a partnership, it’s possible you’ll have a long term partner as a result. 

Like most of life, there are resources that can take something we start with and make it better.  It’s about determining affordability, asking the right questions, and managing multiple relationships that make you better able to grasp great results vs. a mediocre effort.  Sponsorship really has transitioned into more of an event planning role, lots to manage but lots to gain.  You can’t be an expert at everything, but you can harness the knowledge and influence of others so your sponsorship experience is well rounded and well done.