How close are we to Sponsorship’s ‘Tipping Point’?
Here’s one… Would you believe me if I told you that you’re 7x heavier when you engage in your passions than at any other point in your life?
Like many millions of you, I’ve been glued to Netflix taking in Sir David Attenborough's latest attempt to get the world to take climate change seriously. Like many millions of you, I’ve been equally as touched and concerned at the realities facing all of us and our individual and collective obligations in helping to reverse some of the ‘boundaries’ highlighted in ‘Breaking Boundaries’.
So what does this mean to us - primarily those in the sponsorship industry? Well, back to that reference to your weight… Clearly I’m not suggesting your waistline ballooning, but I am telling you that your carbon footprint is on average 7x greater when consuming a passion of yours than at any other point in your life. Take that in. Your impact on the environment is 7 times as great just by doing something that makes you, you.
Over time fans have demanded an increase in the levels of sophistication, attention to detail, ‘raising-of-the-bar’ and overall ‘thrills and spills’ when it comes to measuring their value for money. As an example in the space of only a few short years, the Australian Open has catapulted into the best sporting spectacle in the southern hemisphere from what was a great tennis tournament into a fully blown culture, sport and lifestyle festival. But at what cost?
I remember going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK when I was a kid. Loads of cars roaring up the hill of Lord March’s land. Back then there was the odd 3x3 marquee offering refreshments and give-aways etc. Fast forward a decade and you’ll find what we see today; rows and rows of extravagant one-off builds displaying the very best cars from every auto brand known to humankind. What we find at today's event is a something-for-everyone solution that gives fans little choice but to put the festival on the annual calendar.
What these brands and events are adding to our lives as fans brings an inordinate amount of value and experience that we’re all the better for it, but heeding the insights from Prof. Johan Rockstrom would convince us we need to reset our expectations.
This is a pure supply and demand situation; fans demand greater value for money, rights holders supply it.
It’s a rarely reported outcome of the Olympics that the venues created to host them turn into white elephants pretty quickly. We saw Olympic greatness in Brazil when Schooling beat his childhood hero Phelps to the gold in butterfly claiming Singapore’s only ever medal. Just 12 months later, the scene of the triumph looks somewhat different…
In Sir David Attenborough’s documentary it called for our collective contribution in reversing the boundaries or ‘tipping points’ in our everyday lives, so what can we and should we be doing through sponsorship?
From a sponsors point of view:
Expectation - quite often, glitz and glam is requested to appease the ‘powers that be’ about the merits of a sponsorship. Having the C-Suite and Board rock up for a cheese sandwich and lukewarm mug of tea doesn’t cut the mustard nor leave the best impression. It’s the Sponsorship Directors responsibility to set the expectations up the chain in order to avoid unnecessary expense in execution.
The brief - the task being set for the agency needs to recognise the requirement for the solution to be ‘lighter’ and more sustainable. Bigger is not better. It’s certainly going to garner attention, but don’t be fooled by it. Attention to detail, strong insight and sharp execution will win the race.
KPI’s - challenge your partners to deliver concepts that are carbon neutral or at the least have a reuse or recycled factor to them. I’ve walked around warehouses full of builds that ‘will be used next year’ that never were… What Waste Management does with the WM Phoenix Open in Arizona is top class - 99.9% reused or recycled.
From a rights-holder point of view:
Set the guidelines - great focus is given by rights-holders on ensuring sponsor activity does something for the fans and not just the sponsors ExCo, but ensuring activities fit into a stringent set of guidelines around environmental impact is critical.
Publicise progress - own your destiny and path to sustainability. Nobody expects there to be no environmental impact in what you do, but don’t let the positive impact you create become invisible. Help fans know you’re on a journey to sustainability and promote it. If you need inspiration, look to Forest Green Rovers and the journey Dale Vance and his team have been on (more in this in next week's feature)
Standardised spaces - as much as I don’t like the one-size-fits all approach to the US Open, the standardisation of the fan environments takes the opportunity for brands to ‘peacock’ out of the question. The retail precinct around Show Court 3 at Melbourne Park is a brilliant example of standardisation that still enables creativity. Having attended US sports events in consecutive years I can tell you they roll out the exact same activations year on year. Not only is this cheaper, it also gives fans a chance to register messages, recognise activity and gain that year on year familiarity to the event.
We’re all in on this one together. We have to be. If we all set ourselves the same challenge of reducing our carbon footprint at events year on year, we’ll be doing our part. It doesn’t need to impact sponsorship value or creativity either. If anything it can help to drive it further forward.
If you need convincing of the merit of marketing your purpose, pop the kettle on and get comfy for a google session on the topic. Or I could save you the time and tell you it’s bloody powerful.
Sir David Attenborough and his cohort of scientists haven’t relented in their efforts to get us all to pay more attention to the devastating impacts we’re creating to the environment, so let’s not overlook our opportunity to play our part.
