I recently read that as an interesting fact, “a detailed study of telephone conversations found that the most frequently used word is the pronoun ‘I’.” It’s generally agreed upon that people like to talk about themselves, they like to be seen and heard, or at the bare minimum – noticed. It makes us feel good, it makes us feel relevant. The problem is our name in lights mostly affects… us.
Personally, I would love to attend a sporting event where logos on banners were banned. Can you imagine how incredible creative a sponsor would have to be if they weren’t relying on their little logo represented on left field to hit home with their target audience? I’d love to walk into a baseball game (the College World Series is hosted here in Omaha – it’s one of our claims to fun around here), breath in the fresh air, look out at a clean field with whitewashed borders and NO logos. Sponsors can still touch my experience by valet parking my car, or offering a beverage, perhaps impacting a half time show ( I know, that’s football…), taking pictures with key players, etc. I want to go home and say – wow, that was a blast, my feet don’t hurt from walking a mile due to bad parking, my stomach is full and thanks a million XYZ companies for making that happen for me and my family! Wishful thinking? Maybe part of it…
In sponsorship, the go-to offering is to give brand exposure. Your logo up on a banner, your name in lights. I would personally argue that this is the cherry on the cake, but it shouldn’t be the cake itself – it’s just not that impactful. An audience’s experience isn’t altered for good or for bad when they see the sponsor’s logo on a sign, jersey, banner, etc. And it’s arguable how many of that audience even remembers the sponsor’s presence at the end of the day.
In the same breath, I don’t think this type of effort is bad – it just shouldn’t be by itself, and it definitely should be considered on a case by case basis. Audiences are becoming more and more wary of sponsor involvement – they don’t like flashy, over the top, “look at me” tactics. They like the laid back, relatable, distinguished experience builder. Word to the wise – sponsors, if you want your name in lights and are willing to pay for it, a property is probably not going to tell you no. Properties, if you want your sponsor to stick around for longer than a “one and done” experience, it’s to your best interest and that of your sponsor to put your heads together and come up with a dynamic activation strategy. Memorable and impactful is what you’re going for, and the subtle efforts very well may be more effective than the grossly overrated banner.