Sponsorship is not Advertising
Here’s one… How do you view sponsorship in the context of your brand communications? As in, what communications message do you assign to sponsorship channels vs. other channels?
A common error in sponsorship is to apply advertising to sponsorship touch points. It’s an easy one to make, as more often than not a sponsorship is part of a broader campaign and therefore logic suggests that all touch points need to land the same message.
So why do we fall into this trap? Well, there are some common themes to be aware of:
Fans not Consumers - When you’re using a sponsorship to reach your audience, you have to remember at that moment in time they are a fan, and not a consumer. They aren’t at the event to engage in advertising, but to engage in their passion.
Emotional vs. Rational - Advertising typically lands a rational message around product, promise or promotion. Sponsorship is the only channel at your disposal that purely exists in the emotional reality. I’m not saying it can’t ‘sell’, but it’s what you say to sell that counts.
Lack of Thinking - Most sponsorships are typically acquired as part of some sort of promotion or engagement hook. As such, it doesn’t receive the depth of thinking and strategic approach it should.
Path to Purchase - Finally, depending on your product category, a sponsorship interaction is likely quite far away from actual purchase. If you sell instant gratification then you can ‘advertise’, but the majority of consumer products require quite the effort which is not what fans are there to do.
Now we’re aware of where we go wrong, what things do we need to be thinking about? Simple:
Think about the Frequency Illusion (that phenomena which explains why we always notice the same things once we’ve engaged in them). Expose fans to your brand in a provocative and persuasive way, then plan media outside the event to land the sales message…
Think about context. Fans' mood is guaranteed on approach to the event, but unknown on the way out. How will you adjust messaging to account for this?
Leverage the exclusivity. One huge benefit of sponsorship is to be able to engage an audience outside of your competitors. Think about what this means or adds to your overall communications challenge and leverage the heck out of it.
Think psychographics not demographics. As a sponsor, you’re engaging in emotions, not rational truths. Understand what makes the fan a fan and how that differs from other aspects of their life. Play to this nuance.
Have some balls. If you’re a sponsor brand, have the belief in the power of sponsorship and don’t just default to an advertising message “because at least it’s consistent”. Fans don’t give a monkeys about brands at the point of consuming their passions, so be provocative and value adding.
Sponsorship is not advertising. Advertising shouts at consumers while sponsorship engages with fans.
