Sponsorship Strategist

Paying attention to trends that impact sponsorship

Tonight when you watch the Academy Awards, you'll witness the end of an era. Eastman Kodak has given up its sponsorship of the famed Kodak Theatre as it contends with bankruptcy.

Since 2008 its motion picture stock film business, a significant form of revenue for the company, dropped in half, from $1.57 billion to the current $763 million, because more filmmakers are preferring digital media over film.

As you consider potential partners for your sponsorship program, pay attention to trends and their implications to help you anticipate industries on the upswing and the potential for companies, including your own sponsors, that may be struggling or on the downswing.

Here's hoping Eastman Kodak reinvents itself.

3 ways Steve Jobs may inspire you

We now live in a world without Steve Jobs, and an enormous void exists.

He leaves a legacy that will inspire millions of us for many reasons for generations. I offer three ways Mr. Jobs may inspire you:

• Experience of the brand. If you've never been in an Apple store, visit one soon. It's more like an attraction than a retail experience. The feel, the vibe, the overall experience of an Apple store should be your inspiration for your sponsorship program. For businesses that sponsor events, your onsite component should be so compelling that it becomes an attraction or an event in and of itself. Eventgoers should gravitate to your area and want to hang out there, playing around with your products or chatting it up with your staff, without fear of being surveiled or pounced on by overzealous sales people. Be generous. Let people experience your brand.

For sponsorship sellers, guide your sponsors and prospects by developing ideas and ways to participate in your events so that your audiences have this level of experience with your sponsors' brand.

• Speeches. Visit YouTube, search for "Steve Jobs," and spend some time watching his speeches, especially around product launches. Mr. Jobs clearly had a sense of humor, an eye for the dramatic, and a sincere way of drawing us in, expectantly. Do audiences at your events respond like this?

 

• Joy of Apple Products. I noticed in the days following the news of Mr. Jobs' passing a strong sensation of a void in my life. I did not know Mr. Jobs, and though I've been a customer since 1987, this connection still didn't account for this void and the quality of the sorrow.

Countless other technology and cultural writers have written about creativity, innovation, and why we love Apple products; however, it was not until I read Peter Shankman's blog post about why we love Apple that it all started to make sense for me. Shankman describes how such a deep level of customer service is woven into the products that we trust – we have complete confidence that our Macintosh or iPhone or iPad or Apple TV – or other product by Apple – is going to work, a confidence we don't have in most products and services.

I'd take it one step further. I realized the void I was aware of is not just counting on the products to work but relying heavily on Apple to take care of my technology needs. I don't need to spend time wondering what I need. The design team at Apple has done the work for me and creates products that are intuitive, effortless, elegant, and truly personal. They are products that live with me in my home, in my office, and in my travels.

This is no easy task, but your organization – through its products, services, brand reputation, relationships with customers, events – might hold these same aspirations.

To Mr. Jobs' family, friends, and colleagues, my deepest sympathies. To the team at Apple, we're counting on you, and we know you have big shoes to fill. Trust your intuition and your heart.

 

Parting ways, new beginnings

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer reports that PNC Bank will no longer sponsor the Philadelphia International Flower Show, a decision they'd made and informed the Flower Show of two years ago. The bank is looking to sponsor other opportunities, and new leadership at the Flower Show is positive about its ideas to partner with the corporate sector in 2012 and beyond, according to the article.

These will be tough shoes to fill, for both sides. From outward appearances, PNC Bank was a great partner, growing with the event, committed in all the right ways, and taking full advantage of the opportunity. A true partner.

The PA Horticulture Society, producer of the Flower Show, too, are a terrific partner. Its approach to meeting sponsor objectives, by bringing its partners' businesses to life artfully within the context of the event, never losing sight of its mission, set a high standard for future partners. I can imagine through this 20-year partnership, the two organizations learned a great deal about the sponsorship medium and about its own and each other's strengths.

Future corporate partners of the event will benefit from that accumulated knowledge. Rise to the occasion. Be bold. Explore all the possibilities that one of Philadelphia's best events has to offer you. One of the greatest failings I see corporations make is investing in sponsorship and not fully leveraging that investment. It's like paying for TV advertising and not giving the stations the TV spot. Take advantage of the full value of sponsorship.

And to future partners of PNC Bank, you have a sophisticated client. Deepen your understanding and creativity with sponsorship so that you meet the bank's needs and your organization, too, benefits fully.

It's spring, time of renewal, new beginnings, and I, for one, am eager to see what's ahead for both organizations. At the same time, I'm always fascinated by businesses' decisions to end long-term sponsorship, forgoing the brand equity invested over time. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you experienced this type of parting? Corporate readers, have you made these decisions? Please share your thinking and strategizing.

 

Another sponsorship nightmare

No matter whether we are sponsoring an event or initiative or working with the sponsors of our events or initiatives, we want things to go well. Really well. Yet some things are out of our control. . . or are they?

The other day a group of protestors led a demonstration against PNC Bank, the presenting sponsor of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's Philadelphia International Flower Show, which runs through this weekend. Besides the event being an exceptional one, The Flower Show is one of the best examples of event sponsorship in Philadelphia. Check it out if you're in town.

PNC Bank has been a sponsor for many years and, from what I can see, enjoys the brand equity they've invested in this long partnership. You can see a few photos of their participation in my post from 2010.

Having a protest break out at its slice of an event has got to be a corporation's worst fear, and on the event side, I can tell you, it's also nausea-triggering. But, lucky for we Americans that we have the right to free speech and assembly.

It's difficult to understand what's what about the issues the protestors, the Earth Quaker Action Team, have with PNC and what PNC's position is. EQAT's goal was to raise awareness for and have PNC claim responsibility for their investment in mountaintop removal (MTR) practices for coal mining, which you can read more about and see images of at their site. 

According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a PNC representative declined comment. I found nothing about the protest at PNC's web site, nor anything about its MTR practices, except a very brief comment in their corporate social responsibility report (see the bottom of page 4). A wider search online pulled up an Associated Press story from November 2010 in which PNC said they would stop financing mountaintop removal projects. AP was unable to determine whether PNC "was moving to dissolve its current investments in mountaintop removal companies or applying the policy only to future projects." A PNC spokesperson at the time declined further comment.

So here's the thing. I am looking for a statement, for information, and cannot find anything that balances out the picture. What are consumers supposed to think and wonder, especially in our sound bite culture?

Corporations benefit enormously from aligning their branding, CSR, community relations, and other initiatives with organizations and events that will enhance it, and that affiliation provides tremendous credibility. However that credibility is gone in an instant when cognitive dissonance occurs. 

Our shifting values as a culture coupled with technology's openness require – impose – transparency and integrity on our business practices. I don't know what the truth is in this PNC Bank story, but I do know they invest a lot in education and the arts and do a lot of good in Philadelphia and beyond. I also know that if businesses want to be trusted they must act in trustworthy manners. Similarly, sponsorship seekers must use integrity about the businesses with which they align.

In Pennsylvania natural gas drilling in Marcellus Shale areas is the new gold rush. Energy and gas companies are eager to earn the good graces of legislators, community leaders, and residents, and Pennsylvania is eager to have these companies. Gov. Corbett announced Tuesday that he was slicing and dicing the budget, but not taxing natural gas extraction, even though he says he wants Pennsylvania to be "more like Texas." Actually this is exactly the opposite of what Texas did. Congress there set aside land in West Texas where they eventually found oil that endowed the state university system as well as elementary and secondary public schools.

Natural gas drilling companies may seem likely prospects for sponsorship. "The People of America's Oil and Natural Gas Industries" ran a full-page ad in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer touting jobs. But meanwhile, environmentalists and legislators continue to debate the environmental impact to both the air and water of fracking, the technique used for extracting natural gas. A big gap exists between the two sides.

So, corporations, as you develop guidelines and policies to support your strategies and business operations, they must be aligned with the values you pledge are at the heart of your practices. Sponsorship seekers, you, too, must use discretion about the businesses you select as partners. When situations – or protests – crop up, as they sometimes do, your responses can more easily and truthfully be delivered.

Saluting Dunkin' Donuts and the Troops

My friend and colleague Joe Brooks, president & COO of the USO of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey, writes in with details of a great partnership his organization has with Dunkin' Donuts. If you're in Philadelphia, tune in to Fox tomorrow morning, Veteran's Day, at 7:15 to see Joe in action. In the meantime, here's what Joe has to say:

Today and tomorrow the USO of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey (Liberty USO) and Dunkin Donuts (DD) call attention to their “November is USO Month” promotion.

With 6 ABC covering the event this morning, DD’s Louis Conte, left, presented [Joe Brooks of] Liberty USO with an initial donation of 250 pounds of coffee. Today’s donation is a small gesture towards a much larger donation to come at the conclusion of the promotion.

The event, held at their 1500 Spring Garden St. location, also generated dozens of “Thank You” cards signed by customers appreciative of the protection our armed forces provide to us. The cards will be shipped to troops as part of a holiday care package program we’re undertaking with the support of Lockheed Martin.

The same scene will play out again tomorrow morning outside of Fox 29’s studios as Liberty USO and Dunkin Donuts will ask the general public to again sign the cards. In addition, I will be interviewed at 7:15 a.m. to talk about the DD promotion and of course the USO!

As a reminder the program offers a wonderful benefit to our troops:

• November is Free Medium Coffee for the Military Month! Yes, every Tuesday in November active duty military & our veterans (with ID) will receive one free cup of medium coffee at participating Dunkin Donuts.

• Buy 2 Pounds of Coffee and 1 Pound gets donated to the USO! Yes, between November 1 – 14 (just 4 days left) the purchase of 2 pounds of delicious Dunkin Donuts coffee triggers the 1 pound donation for our troops. Nationwide DD has committed to donating 100,000 pounds of coffee to our men & women in uniform. Let’s make sure the patriotic communities in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey participate in force

The promotion has generated awareness of Liberty USO, will raise the morale of our troops via the Thank You cards, provide care to these same troops from the coffee donation and further advances Liberty USO as a strong promotional partner.

The tie engages Dunkin' Donuts customers, drives traffic to area (and national) stores, encourages sales, generates publicity for both organizations, fulfills Liberty USO's mission, and provides a bit of home to soldiers far from American soil.

Inspired?

What to look for when you're looking for sponsors

Need some ideas about potential new sponsors? Think opportunities or situations.

Here are 10 ideas on how to jump-start your prospecting. These are situations corporations or businesses may be facing that your sponsorship may address, offering value and improving their situation.

1. Opportunities that align with your goals or the value you offer, for example, if you're trying to reach a new market or expand a capability. One client in the legal arena was in contact with a company trying to reach law students. The client realized that an outreach to this segment would be advantageous to its mission.
2. Low or poor sales. A good reason to read the business media is to stay abreast of which companies need a boast with sales. Probably in today's climate that's about 90 percent of companies that exist!
3. Need to enhance repute. Your organization may have a great opportunity to enhance a company's green reputation, for example, or build their reputation among  a new audience. Avoid companies recently slung through the mud, especially if the situation involves your mission. You don't wan this strategy to backfire.
4. New products/services. Sponsorship is an excellent way for companies to encourage product trial, create an incentive for usage, and to launch new relationships that may result in service development.
5. Expansions into new markets, geographic, demographic, or psychographic. Can your organization help a business reach this new market?
6. Mergers and acquisitions. These economic times have created opportunities for companies to purchase and merge with others. The new companies may have good reason to partner with your organization.
7. New strategies. Volatility is a thread running through today's business climate. Responding – and reacting – to this new condition, companies are developing new strategies. Where do you see a fit?
8. Refreshing old strategies. Besides developing new strategies companies may be update old strategies, including marketing strategies, which may be good news for you.
9. Mission fit. Your mission may be more important than ever, given the flux in the marketplace. Which companies seem to provide a good fit as a partner to help you accomplish your mission?
10. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important piece of shareholders' and senior leadership agendas. Do you offer opportunities for corporations to highlight their best practices?

This list will get you started. What else is inspiring you?

Sponsorship in cartoon

You know your sponsorship program is either really good or has taken over your organization when the cartoonist at your daily newspaper weighs in.

Thanks to Lynne Popash,Executive Director of Partnership Development at VisitPittsburgh, for sharing Post-Gazette cartoonist Rob Rogers' commentary on the Pittsburgh Penguins' success at the Consol Energy Center. 

Sponsorship sales: Out with the consultative approach and in with bidding?

About 10 years ago, I took up ceramics. The first class I took at one of the country's premier institutions, Philadelphia's The Clay Studio, host to the upcoming NCECA conference, was a hand-building course. I learned all sorts of techniques for creating pots, and the one I loved the most was using slabs of clay. Eventually, I began making tiles.

To make a slab, you flatten a chunk of clay to a desired thickness, using either a slab roller or a rolling pin, the same type more commonly used in kitchens to make dough. Because I'd done some woodworking earlier in my life, I gravitated to slabs because it's possible to create similar kinds of pieces using both media. However, the trickiest thing for me about slabs was reminding myself that this smooth, evenly thick material wasn't wood. It was not solid, it had memory, and it became more fragile as it dried. On the other hand, because it was malleable, it was often more forgiving, allowing me to repair mistakes or change course when I had new ideas. I had to learn new skills appropriate for my new medium.

When you take up a new hobby, learn a new skill, or launch a new initiative, you're bound to uncover new techniques and new ways of doing things that are necessary for your success. When we insist on approaching this new initiative using our old skills, probably we're not going to be successful. If I insisted that drying clay not be delicate, I'd have had lots of frustrating moments at The Clay Studio.

What does this have to do with sponsorship?

In the last week, I've read two articles about government officials attempting to launch sponsorship using old techniques. Colorado Springs has introduced a sponsorship program to "help bail the city out," and the New Jersey Department of Transportation is considering naming rights to its Turnpike stops "to help Gov. Christie overcome an $11 billion budget deficit."

The old skill? Bidding. Both government entities are looking at putting their sponsorship opportunities up for bid. Sounds like one part wishful thinking and a major part not understanding the nature of corporate sponsorship development. Wouldn't it be great if it were that easy?

Nonprofit organizations often get stuck in an old skill set, too. They try to sell sponsorship using the tactics of the annual appeal: mail out a bunch of letters and wait for the checks to come sailing back in. Unfortunately that's not how it works either.

If your organization or governmental office plans to launch a sponsorship program as a way of generating new revenue, and you're clear that you have great value to offer the corporate sector, you're going to need to learn new skills. Sales skills.

You're also going to have to develop a better strategy and more compelling marketing messages than the bailout, deficit recovery messages of Colorado Springs and NJDOT.

The art-making of this year's Olympic medals and torch

Thanks to my friend and colleague Myriam Siftar, president of LinguaSoft, for sending me this article from Innovation Philadelphia's newsletter about design showcased at the Olympics. I encourage you to have a look.

Here is a video that I also highly encourage you to watch (it's a great way to spend about 7 minutes) on the story behind the beautiful design and creation of this year's gold, silver, and bronze medals. Works of art with an incredible story.

You can be an Olympics Sponsor, too

When Dutch bank DBS went bankrupt and left the U.S. Speedskating team without a corporate sponsor, Stephen Colbert, the comedian-mock news anchor, and fans jumped in. You can get in on the action and be part of the Colbert Nation: click on Colbert Nation (bottom right) and donate.