Sponsorship

Choosing the Right Event to Sponsor – A Strategic Guide!

Eventually Learning Team

"Sponsorship can come to you in different ways. You never know who is watching you. So be sponsor-ready, at all times!" – Millette Granville


Sponsorship is as effective a solution for marketing problems as any. Moreover, it’s an advantageous opportunity for brands. Marketers around the globe are constantly on the lookout for significant events to sponsor to upscale their brand reach. So let us look at how marketers can rope in ROI by finding the right event to sponsor!

Value-Centric Options Are the Way Forward!

Sponsorship is all about value, as marketers are looking to extract maximum brand value from sponsoring an event. This means that a sponsor’s investment should reflect positively on the goals they had envisaged before deciding to sponsor the event. Event organizers offering insufficient value-added exposure in return for a sizeable amount should be avoided. Ideally, the event should align with the sponsor’s budget and the sponsorship strategies should be designed to ensure your brand gets enough exposure for its investment.

Seek to Match Your Brand Interests and Target Audience

The target audience at an event that you are considering to sponsor should match your brand and its products. According to a study, 74% of people attending events are more likely to buy products from event sponsors. A sports good manufacturer like Adidas cannot be sponsoring at a medical summit. This showcases why target audience alignment should be a key element and an absolute priority for prospective sponsors.

Look Out for Competitor Presence!

Suppose you find that some of your competitors already have their presence at an event you are considering to sponsor or any of your competitors are vying for sponsorship spots. In that case, you’re heading in the right direction. Identifying and analyzing their brand strategy will also help you find new, relevant event leads to pursue for sponsorship.

Exposure – the More, the Merrier!

Arguably, sponsorship at events is singlehandedly dependent on one key element – Exposure. Gaining exposure through sponsorship is not as easy as it sounds. It mainly depends on how effectively the event attendees are not just aligned but also relate with your brand’s presence at the event. Contrary to popular belief, a significant event size doesn’t equate to higher exposure at events.

Often, organizers can design sponsorship packages to target a certain segment of attendees, exclusively for a particular brand that could benefit from the event.

Evaluate Sponsorship Packages!

Event Organizers offer brands opportunities to become a sponsor at their event formally by extending sponsorship packages. These packages have differences explicitly outlined based on the investment capacity and willingness of an interested sponsor. Brands should evaluate these packages and should not hesitate to ask for further alterations if the default characteristics are not sufficient from their perspective.

Branding

Great event branding instantly makes your brand stand out from the rest. The key to achieving effective branding is a brand's ability to communicate and showcase their message in a clearly distinctive manner. This can be done through fun activities, interviews, photo booths, product giveaways and even decisive recommendations from the event organizers!

Twitter Beach at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity serves as a great example of remarkable branding. Twitter created spaces to lay back, work and connect throughout the festival. It used data to great effect by featuring latest music and TV shows at the event. As a result, attendees were impressed after enjoying the ultimate brand experience at the festival!

Survey the Event’s Sponsorship History

If the event you are considering sponsoring has been successful in the past, old sponsors would be lining up for another edition too! Try to ask brands how their experience was at that particular event in the past and, more importantly, was the sponsorship worth pursuing? Surveying an event’s sponsorship history, the brands involved, and how successful they were in the past can be an extremely useful parameter to aid your decision-making.

It would portray what works and what doesn’t. This results in a well-informed decision from the perspective of a prospective sponsor.

Try to Negotiate Reasonable Terms

Sponsorship negotiation is the final and most critical step in acquiring event sponsorship. These negotiations should be inclined towards a bargain that helps your brand achieve its goals. If done right, organizers may choose to include some benefits that other sponsors at the same event may not get in the original package.

Remember, everything can be negotiated!

Conclusion

Given how fruitful event sponsorship can be for a brand’s marketing efforts, finding a suitable event to sponsor can genuinely make a mark when achieving ROI through event sponsorship. The above-mentioned points will help brands successfully identify the ideal events to invest in!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 3 types of sponsorships?

Three types of events sponsorships are:
  • Branding – Opportunities that enable the sponsors to portray their logos at the event.
  • Lead opportunities – Opportunities that give sponsors a way to gather leads
  • Networking – Through these opportunities, sponsors connect with the attendees one-to-one


What is a successful example of a sponsorship?

The sponsorship of the NFL's Super Bowl half-time show not only assisted PepsiCo in promoting its brand but also helped the NLF in extending the reach of its show by further extending the half-time break show.

What are some common goals of sponsorship?

Brands have their own goals and objectives when offering sponsorship like:
  • Lead generation
  • Enhancing brand awareness.
  • Gaining exposure in the media.
  • Expanding their reach.
  • Standing out from direct competitors.

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