Sponsorship activation nowadays is all about upgrading and what I call the “Triple Win” scenario. Think from the perspective of the organization, the sponsor and the public. The third win is for the target markets (fans), with the goal being meaningful benefits that reach the most amount of people as possible.
The question is, then, what do you do with benefits or leverage activities that are, by their very nature, limited in size? How do you make that a win for everyone… and should you even try? Here are the answers…
Know how the third win functions
Providing that third win is about adding real value to a visitor’s experience with an event (or whatever it is you’re sponsoring). This is in stark contrast to most sponsorship, which at best wallpapers the event with branding and signage in many cases. The win doesn’t need to be huge; it just needs to be meaningful. It needs to say, “We understand this experience and how much you care about it, and this is how we’re making that experience better for you.” This could include:
Access to exclusive content
Fixing or reducing some of the worst things about the experience.
Amplifying some of the best things about the experience.
Making people feel like they are more a part of the experience – participating, not just spectating.
Understand the size of the markets
Every market you are trying to influence will have a different size. Before you can right-size the wins, you need to understand the size of your markets. These could include markets, such as:
Your end-users (all)
Intermediary markets, such as retailers, resellers, brokers, etc
Major, VIP, or institutional customers
Fans who actively participate in the sponsored property (attendees, members, donors, volunteers, etc)
Fans of the sponsored property
Negotiate for benefits that can be “spread around”
If you want to create wins, you need to have some raw materials that can be leveraged into those wins. There are a million ways to do this, but a few of them are below. Exclusive content is one of the hottest ways to create wins, and that generally requires that you negotiate for access to intellectual property, celebrities, players, and/or inner sanctum insights. For specifics, you’re only limited by your imagination.
So in order to achieve a “Triple Win” you have to focus more intently on the experience of the visitor, you must understand in-depth the end user and you have to identify tools that can be spread around and shared easily. This will equate to sponsorship success!
The question is, then, what do you do with benefits or leverage activities that are, by their very nature, limited in size? How do you make that a win for everyone… and should you even try? Here are the answers…
Know how the third win functions
Providing that third win is about adding real value to a visitor’s experience with an event (or whatever it is you’re sponsoring). This is in stark contrast to most sponsorship, which at best wallpapers the event with branding and signage in many cases. The win doesn’t need to be huge; it just needs to be meaningful. It needs to say, “We understand this experience and how much you care about it, and this is how we’re making that experience better for you.” This could include:
Access to exclusive content
Fixing or reducing some of the worst things about the experience.
Amplifying some of the best things about the experience.
Making people feel like they are more a part of the experience – participating, not just spectating.
Understand the size of the markets
Every market you are trying to influence will have a different size. Before you can right-size the wins, you need to understand the size of your markets. These could include markets, such as:
Your end-users (all)
Intermediary markets, such as retailers, resellers, brokers, etc
Major, VIP, or institutional customers
Fans who actively participate in the sponsored property (attendees, members, donors, volunteers, etc)
Fans of the sponsored property
Negotiate for benefits that can be “spread around”
If you want to create wins, you need to have some raw materials that can be leveraged into those wins. There are a million ways to do this, but a few of them are below. Exclusive content is one of the hottest ways to create wins, and that generally requires that you negotiate for access to intellectual property, celebrities, players, and/or inner sanctum insights. For specifics, you’re only limited by your imagination.
So in order to achieve a “Triple Win” you have to focus more intently on the experience of the visitor, you must understand in-depth the end user and you have to identify tools that can be spread around and shared easily. This will equate to sponsorship success!
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