I go grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons almost religiously. I typically start at one grocery store whose prices are tough to beat, and then, despite the extra time and effort involved, make a second stop at another grocery store to gather my produce. Why the second stop, you ask? Truth is, they’re a bit pricier, but the experience is bar none. I walk in to a clean store, the produce is the highest quality in town, and the customer service is SUPERB – and since I’ve been experimenting with new meals, I often have questions about what to purchase or how to cook something, and I can honestly say I might be lost without their support. The employees are engaging; they actually know my name and give my son a balloon to play with as we’re shopping. I will never stop going there because they meet my needs in a way FAR beyond the price point of their produce. They have become the obvious selection for my shopping needs. I tell this story because sponsorship is also about an experience, and when it is done well, the end result should be that your brand is the obvious selection to your target audience.
As a sponsorship opportunity representative, when you pitch a sponsor, the answer to this question should be one of the first things to fall from your lips or your pen. Do you have access to a target audience that they want sway with? What ideas do you have about how they might activate a partnership that touches that audience in a unique and simple way? The message that the sponsor wants to send needs to be clear, and it needs to impact the experience of their target audience in a memorable and distinct way. Do you have access to assets that can help them do this? Now, in all honestly, I definitely believe that activation strategies are far from complete until the sponsor can enter into a dialogue with you about their priorities and brainstorm WITH you. But they won’t even go down that road until you’ve given them real insight into the potential you see as to how you can make their brand the obvious selection for their target audience at the end of the experience. Do your mission statements align/complement one another? Have you highlighted a unique need based on previous experience or clear research that this sponsor can answer/fill for the experience of your audience to get better? If you’re not asking these questions, you are probably in danger of falling into the category of caring more about your success than theirs. You do not want to be perceived as a selfish partner, or at best an ignorant partner; do yourself and your program/event a favor and know the answers to these questions before you start pitching your partnership.
As a sponsor, you also need to be asking this question in order to protect and get intentional about your investments. Fortunately, many sponsors are already there since the accountability piece with dollars spent has significantly increased with the economic climate. But there are still many partnerships made with poor motivators in mind – even subconsciously. Kim Skildum-Reid notes in one of her blogs, that corporate ego often gets in the way of smart investments. Her particular example is with naming rights – which can be used brilliantly when you’re all in, or it leaves wasted money on the table if you’re not. A great read, by the way… So as a sponsor, don’t even consider a partner unless they have the flexibility to activate your partnership in a meaningful way – it’ll be a waste of money if it’s not. Perhaps you’ve identified a potential partner you have interest in learning more from, maybe even dialoguing about activation strategies. Make sure that your efforts underscore the goal of becoming the obvious choice to your target audience as a result of your impact on their experience. Don’t get lazy with your partnership activation efforts or else your dollars are wasted, your message is lost, and you leave yourself open to being ambushed by other marketing/sponsorship efforts. Keep in mind that those negative results are more likely the more “unnatural” your fit is with your partner – another reason to have a complementary relationship, an easy fit, with your partners.
So, does your audience rave about the experience you provide? Are they as excited and loyal about what you offer them as I am about the grocery store I’m committed to on my Sunday afternoons? If not, it’s time to get some answers to the question of how to become the obvious selection. What do the people want??? How are you addressing that need? I can’t say I’ll one day be a famous cheff, but my husband’s palate definitely appreciates the support I get at the grocery store! What does your target audience say they need you for? Food for thought…