Don’t stare at bricks

Here’s one. Australia’s second favourite weekend pastime after sport is the property market. It’s an insight that led to Real Estate Australia’s ‘Other Saturday Game’ campaign for their AFL sponsorship. 

With that in mind, allow me to use a property analogy to spark a thought... 

Picture that dream home down the road you wished you owned. Yes it uses your favourite materials, has a unique design and the perfect aspect, but what you’re actually in awe of is a finished product that stands proudly and prominently in the street rather than the process undertaken to create it. The same can be said for the many sponsorship campaigns we see.  

The reason is this... Knowing what to do with the pile of bricks that led to the house requires deep knowledge of architecture, design sensibility and construction and fit-out knowhow not to mention the all important project plan and budget.

Well, imagine the assets you receive as part of your sponsorship contract are those very bricks. For many brands out there, there is quick and easy access to the expertise to build your dream campaign on your behalf. But what about those of you that don’t have that access?

Architects, designers and builders don’t come cheaply, but what if I told you that you could write the plans, mix the cement and lay the bricks yourself? 

I’ll leave the naff analogy there, but what I’m saying is this: regardless of your business, its challenge, the strategy or budget, ‘making’ something with your assets is vital to the success of your sponsorship and we’re here to help.

We started Super-Sub to enable more brands access to the expert knowledge needed to make a success of sponsorship in a way that gets you to stronger outcomes faster therefore saving budget for leverage. How? By subbing us in, you’re bringing on an expert to power your existing teams with the knowledge and skills needed to create a meaningful impact through your sponsorship and change the game for your business. 

If you’re staring at a stack of bricks and not a powerful solution, let us help you. It’s easier than you think.

Proof of Purpose

One of the tipping points in my journey to opening the doors at Super-Sub was a comment made to me by one of my clients who said “I knew I wanted to work with you when you told me the story about Nongshim and the Supercars”. I knew what they were referring to, but was unsure about what part of that story could have been so pivotal. 

On reflection, what made it valuable was ‘proof of purpose’; how my actions at the time became the reassurance someone would later need that sponsorship can work. So what happened? We need to wind the clocks back to November of 2014. 

I’d just signed a one-race deal in Formula 3 to contest the season finale event at Homebush as part of the Supercars support bill. I’d been doing some business coaching with a guy who was responsible for the AU distribution of a Korean noodle company called Nongshim. When he learned of the opportunity I had to race, he was quick to ask whether I could help him drive some visibility for his brand in their heartland area of Western Sydney.

I’ll spare you the detail but we landed an idea called the Nongshim Hot Lap. Happy with the campaign, we looked forward to the race until we learned from Supercars that they were cancelling the F3 event due to low grid numbers. The whole campaign was up in the air and relied on having a car on the grid for the Hot Lap to land. 

I was deviated at losing my drive in F3, but quickly moved focus to how I could help Nongshim press ahead and have a positive impression of sponsorship in general. I set about negotiating with other teams to see what inventory was available at the eleventh hour. We had little budget left, but a very friendly man at Erebus helped us with a windshield banner on the #9 Erebus car of Will Davison. 

Davison had struggled in his E63 AMG that season, but managed to get things to come together to make the Top 10 Shoot-out in quali and then went on to take Pole Position for the race. You couldn’t make it up. A noodle brand called Nongshim who only days earlier thought they’d be sponsoring me in F3 found their brand broadcast to thousands of fans around the country. 

The race was the race, but the lesson was clear to me. While racing was a huge part of my life, my purpose was helping brands see potential in sponsorship and hence why I put their needs above my own when it came to losing my ride.

I think back to this experience frequently. As practitioners in sponsorship it is our duty and responsibility to ensure brands have a positive experience and don’t merely just rock up with a logo somewhere. There is ALWAYS something that can be done to drive a positive outcome - it just takes passion, perseverance and purpose.

Super-Sub was established on this purpose and will stop at nothing to ensure clients maximise their returns through smart, fast, passionate solutions.