We’re about to buy a minivan.  Ugh.  For various reasons finally decided it was probably the smartest decision for our family; clearly the practical side of me is winning out over image.  Or so I thought… We have test driven a couple of different models now, and the first experience was about what I expected it to be.  I left feeling very dutiful, informed, and let out a lengthy sigh over the “wheeling and dealing” process I knew was imminent before we could sign the papers and lug the thing home.  And then we went to our second car dealership and test drove the Toyota Sienna.  I’ll be honest, I’ve never owned a Toyota, but they’re currently in first place with me right now.  Their sales team was on fire.  We walked in rather late – they’d all be off in about half an hour.  My son was a bit tired and restless, and instead of being frustrated with our little distraction to their sales pitch, one of their staff came over to us with a big balloon and asked if it was OK with us for him to have it.  Uh… yes!!!  Their facility was impeccable.  Even the décor on the walls seemed to calm me, seduce me into “let’s do this” mode.  And then we saw the car.  I will tell you now that I’m in no way gaining from this promotion, but I have to say, I was really impressed.  These people know how to make you feel luxurious in a minivan.  So not only am I a practical driver, I’m VIP baby!  Now, I know that buying a car is way more than your experience; you have to get a good product, but I’d be lying if I said they didn’t make a really good impression.  And their marketing really resonates – they’ve really got their target audience down.  They’re not marketing the same way the Mercedes folks are; it’s sort of realistic in a funny way - hillarous videos (at least to you parents out there). I went to their website to look up the van and saw the “Daddy Like” slogan next to the vehicle which really did make me smile.  I liked their brand before I ever walked into the dealership.

Now, I’ve been talking for a long time about a car. About an experience that would seem to be really far from sponsorship.  But here’s the deal – Identifying with your target audience and impacting their experience with you is NOT rocket science.  You see it all over the world of sales, and you’d be out of touch with reality if you didn’t admit that an experience sets a mood.  You form typically strong opinions on brands, people, products, places, airlines, restaurants… the list goes on; based on your experience with them!  My Grandmother made a shrimp casserole for us when I was about 8 years old.  I hated it.  I told her… mistake.  I was told I had to eat it or no dessert – and it was a really good dessert.  I did the best I could; and despite my efforts, I ended up throwing it all up.  Yep, it was not a good experience.  I grew up assuming I hated shrimp, and never tried it again until I was on a date with my now husband; who was sort of a food snob and assured me EVERYONE liked good shrimp.  Turns out, he was right – it’s amazing.  But I had such a bad experience with it the first time; I lost a good 15 years or so of enjoying it.  This leads me to my next point – experience impacting is also important because it leaves a lasting impression.  Practically speaking we know that a lot of variables can affect our take on an experience, but our emotions tell us differently.  We have so many options for a good time, that if one experience doesn’t work, we won’t likely try it a second time.  So when as a sponsorship professional, you’re trying to impact an experience at say a program or event, you need to do a really good job – or your target audience WILL go somewhere else to do better. 

So, keep in mind, this is not a new thought – but it may be a new priority.   If your number one goal as a sponsor is not to impact your audience’s experience, you might consider changing your perspective on a successful effort/investment. 

When discussing our brand’s quarterly results, my old boss used to always ask: what behavior did you promote that drove this result?  I was expected to be able to intelligently speak, not only to what kind of numbers we were seeing, where our successes and opportunities were, but what behavior drove such a result and how did I promote the behavior.  If any one of us managers were unable to speak to the behavior we were focusing on, she would then ask: “so, are you talented or are you lucky?”  This was one instance you never wanted to be “lucky.”  And rightly so, because luck tends to be rather inconsistent and undependable!

In the context of sponsorship partners, you HAVE to be a purposeful partner if you want to drive behaviors that get results.  A few questions I think are really important to ask are:

Is there agreement in the message you’re going to send as partners?  As a brand, what message do you want your audience to receive?  Are your creative efforts in alignment with the message your partner is willing for their audience to receive?  It can be easy to come up with a great message that casts you in a great light without considering whether or not it’s still an attractive message for your partner. And if it is attractive, is it in line with their other marketing efforts?  Both sides need to be able to leverage this strategy in a way that touches their organization as a whole, and if there are too many messages, they land on deaf ears.  It can be a little trickier to actually come up with a theme or message that complements both party’s interests – but it can be done – intentionally. 

I read a new paper posted on IEG’s website which you can download for free; and I highly recommend it. There’s a section where they are comparing a sponsorship buyer to a partnership investor, and they point out a couple of comparisons that caught my eye:

• A sponsorship buyer treats partner like vendors, whereas partnership investors establishes link to partners’ brand values.
• A sponsorship buyer separates sponsorships from other activity, whereas partnership investors integrate with core creative ideas.

The first of these pointers I love because it shows the importance of a smart partnership where messages match.  The mission of the two parties should be a seamless match, a complementary relationship, and coming together makes their messages explosive.  The second point excites me because it underscores the fact that sponsorship isn’t a little pet you mind from time to time; it should touch and integrate with all aspects of your business when effectively implemented.  These are two brilliant distinguishers that are clear examples of intentional partnerships.

What experiences are these audience members engaging for?  Are you tapping into the opportunity to really impact this experience and leave an impression that can’t be forgotten?  If something your audience appreciates is a casual, laid back experience with a taste of culture and sophistication, you’re not going to plaster your brand in an obnoxious way across the culture that they love; you just become annoying. Consider the issue that television advertisements are facing – now that DVR exists, people can bypass the commercials that are making them wait for the climax – they’re interruptions in the enjoyment an audience is experiencing in entertainment.  Sponsors should not be the equivalent frustration. 

Word to the wise – if a sponsor asks you about your target audience, and you can’t speak clearly about who they are, or what they want, don’t be surprised when they run the other way from your partnership request.  How are they going promote a behavior when they don’t even know who they’re marketing to? 

I know there are about a million other ways you can be an intentional partner – feel free to offer your insights to our readers!

My parents are pretty wise.  Didn’t know it when I was a kid – just thought they were toughies.  For example, if we were caught in wrong behavior we were required to make an apology.  But this wasn’t an ordinary apology – we didn’t get away with the “sorry” flippantly tossed in the direction of the victim of our behavior.  We were taught that kind of “sorry,” only meant “I’m sorry I got caught.” Here’s what it might have looked like:
“I’m sorry for calling you a name.  I was wrong to do that and I’m sure it hurt your feelings.  Would you please forgive me?”
And then of course, the apology needed to be accepted, hugs given, etc. 

In the business world, nothing, I repeat, nothing will defuse a situation faster than a heartfelt apology.  Sincere and genuine ownership of a mistake coupled with a real attempt to correct the wrong in whatever way possible is a good way… no, the ONLY way to respond when you’re at fault.    People tend to get very defensive of their behaviors, right or wrong, and when you are able to offer the humility of ownership of your actions – relationships can be restored.

In sponsorship, there are times when things don’t go the way we expected them to.  Perhaps someone doesn’t activate the way they were supposed to, something got left out.  Maybe your intern was in charge of stocking the drinks (from the sponsors) offered in the VIP tent (of their most elite target audience) and it didn’t get done.  In fact, you found her sunbathing on the deck of the VIP yacht instead… completely unaware of the misunderstanding… interesting story I heard at a meeting once.  Those sponsors were paying for a partnership that didn’t get leveraged the way all parties had agreed upon.  Truth is, we can all work pretty hard to cover our bases, set up overlapping accountability, check points, double check points, but in all reality, if you’re in sponsorship activation for any real length of time, you have to allow for a little human error.  This side of Heaven, we’re not perfect yet. 

So what do you do when that time comes and you miss the mark?

Own it; but as with anything, respond intentionally.

1. Acknowledge the error without making excuses or pointing fingers.  People don’t like to play games; they like direct and they like honest.  And it’s going to be accepted better when it comes from you vs. someone else. 
2. Offer a solution – being direct and honest is appreciated, but a solution oriented response is respected.  What steps have you put into place to ensure it won’t happen again?  It’s really wise to capitalize on this (carefully).  If the issue comes up in a renewal conversation, you can really paint a picture for how things went well in the previous effort and how it’s going to be even better in the next effort.  What were the opportunities you’re going to take and run with in the next activation effort?  Showing how things can go from good to great will offer incentive to stick around.
3. Do something extra.  Whenever you can do something above and beyond for a sponsor, it’s always a good idea.  When you miss the mark in some way, this is a great way to show them you’re willing to do whatever you can to make it right, since going back in time is out. 
4. Don’t overdramatize it.  It’s dangerous to ignore a mistake, but it’s just as bad to blow it out of the water.  You want to maintain your respectability as a partner, so your reaction should match the result of the mistake.  When you do this, you risk losing your sponsor’s confidence in you (hard to have confidence in someone unsure of themselves); which ultimately risks their loyalty.  Appropriate remorse and solution oriented responses are the way to go.

Any interesting stories on impressively handled “situations?”  Or perhaps the opposite?  What have you learned in your sponsorship activation efforts?