How to Secure a Sponsorship that Achieves Real Results

So, you want to secure a sponsorship deal for your company/event/venue/Insta-famous pet? Not so fast – first it’s important to understand the difference between sponsorship rights and sponsorship activation.

Sponsorship rights are purchased benefits or assets, such as team branding on uniforms, contracted appearances and venue or festival naming, while sponsorship activation refers to what you do with the benefits you have purchased.

Sponsorship rights alone are not enough to achieve all of your brand outcomes – activation is equally as important. Simply put, if you purchase something and don’t use it, you lose the total value of that benefit.

Takeaway Tip: When you are negotiating your fee with the sponsorship rights holder, make sure you designate enough budget to activate the sponsorship.

Here are the four items to include in a sponsorship activation and budget plan:

1.????Marketing assets

While branding and naming rights get all the attention and dollars, make sure you set aside a budget for professionally designed creative assets, including signage, website/digital assets or an ad in a printed program and above-the-line advertising/mass media promotion.

2.????Staff engagement strategy

Getting your staff on board will create deeper connections and company-wide uptake for activations. Develop initiatives to engage your employees and partners in your sponsorship journey. Consider staff incentive programs and internal communications, exclusive offers and experiences and networking opportunities.

3.????Ticketing and hospitality plan

A few canapes and drinks won’t cut it anymore – you need to dedicate a decent budget towards creating a memorable activation with a high-quality food and beverage offering. A good ticketing and hospitality plan should include the design and sending of invitations, RSVP management, catering costs, transport to and from the venue and a B2B strategy for networking.

4.????Consumer experience

How can you elevate the customer experience through your sponsorship activation? It’s important to add value to both your sponsors and your audience. Social media campaigns and competitions are a great way to increase engagement and awareness among a wide or targeted audience. Also consider pop-up activations, branded merchandise and entertainment-based activities that are relevant to the brand and audience.

Without these activation benefits to bring your deal to life, your sponsorship will sit on a shelf without maximising its full potential and tapping into all the opportunities available.

If you buy the sponsorship rights and neglect the activation of those benefits, you will miss out on the full value and ROI of a sponsorship.

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