Latest Thinking from IEG

For Sponsorship Sellers, Time = Money

It is amazing how spoiled we have become. We get instant information through texting, social media and the Internet. We can have dinner ready in five minutes or less in the microwave and then we can watch our favorite TV show in record time as we zip through the recorded version. In some cases, we can accomplish a task that used to take two hours perhaps, such as shopping for clothes at the mall, in less than 30 minutes sitting at home online. And all of this without ever having to speak with a single soul.

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Filed under: selling

Half A Million On A Web Site To Sell Sponsorship?

The folks that run the business side of Roush Fenway Racing have built a great organization and have done some very smart and innovative things when it comes to sponsorship.

But if the stories out of Concord, N.C. are accurate, I have to question the team’s latest move. In short, news accounts say the team is spending close to $500,000 on redesigning its Web site, with the intention of using the site as a way to attract more corporate marketing dollars through sales videos, upgraded case studies and display of available inventory.

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Filed under: motorsports, NASCAR, prospecting, selling, trends, how to get sponsorship

Kick Ass(et) Sponsorship – BP Crosstown Cup

I’ve got nothing but big ups to send out to BP, the Cubbies and the Sox today on their announcement of the BP Crosstown Cup. In a phrase, this kicks ass. The annual Chi-town Crosstown Shoot Out is one of those experiences of legend and lore – every year passions flare, lines are drawn, Old Styles are drunk and if you’re anywhere in the city of Chicago you’re “calling in sick.” In short, it’s the equivalent of an unofficially sanctioned city-wide holiday.

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Filed under: assets, selling, sports, activation

Selling Sponsorship is Different from Fundraising! (And Why That is Total Bunk.)

I had always thought of fundraising and selling sponsorship as dramatically different disciplines. Even when my title included the word “Development” at one point in my career, and even when I ran a small annual giving campaign for an association, I never considered myself a fundraiser. Instead, I “sold sponsorship and marketing relationships,” and I “marketed a [pin] campaign.” I never “asked;” I “sold.” It wasn’t a judgment on either profession; I just put myself in one bucket and stayed there. And I had a lot of company in seeing the nonprofit world as a bucketed, black-and-white place when it comes to corporate relationships.

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Filed under: associations, cause marketing, hospitals and healthcare, how to get sponsorship, museums/zoos/aquariums, nonprofit, selling, servicing, strategic philanthropy, arts

I Pity the (April) Fool!

As a newshound, I can’t wait for April 2. April 1 seems like a constant cycle of clicking on a link to an interesting article and realizing within a paragraph it’s all a self-indulgent joke—and generally not a very funny one. Note to editors everywhere: The Onion’s on Line 1—you didn’t get the job.

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Filed under: selling, social media, backlash

The Doctor Is In: Advice for Blissful Sponsorship Unions

In the past 24 hours I’ve had two conversations that revolved around romantic entanglements and what one should do when they find themselves in one of two conundrums (keep reading, I swear this takes a sponsorship turn):

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Filed under: selling, activation

Shelley’s Number One Lesson from IEG 2010: You Are Not an Island

For a long time I’ve prided myself on being an independent gal, a true “Single Lady” that even Beyonce would give a head nod to in the club. Not surprisingly, I value this quality in others. I like the ballsy, brashness it takes to pack up your car, drive cross country with no idea what awaits you, or to start your own business on a whim and a prayer. However, as I reach the ripe old age of thirty, I’ve learned that this independence does not serve one well in all situations. In fact, if anything, it can be downright detrimental to tapping in to a greatness that you have to offer that lies on the other side of independent bad-ass-itude.

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Filed under: IEG 2010, IEG conference, selling, activation

Three Reasons Your Sponsorship Programs Are in the Losers Bracket

1. Gold.
2. Silver.
3. Bronze.

I know, I know. It may be one of the most long-lasting, beat-to-death sponsorship arguments out there: what's wrong with organizing a corporate sponsorship program using monikers derived from precious metals? Why don’t I just give it up already, as some out there seem to be saying, "heck, why stop at gold, silver, and bronze when there are so many metals?” I've seen it go as far down as pewter. (What's next, wood and paper?!)

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Filed under: nonprofit, selling, how to get sponsorship

Would You Price A Sponsorship Like You’d Price A Steak?

Would You Price A Sponsorship Like You’d Price A Steak?

If you know IEG, you know we generally advise against selling sponsorship with an a la carte menu. Surprisingly enough, this idea was affirmed for me this weekend while listening to The Splendid Table, American Public Media’s outstanding weekly food show.

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Filed under: packaging, selling, activation

Leading with Activation

A property’s typical, linear approach to developing a sponsorship program is to gather assets, allocate those assets, create packages at various levels, solicit sponsors that seem to fit with the property and then hopefully sign a few sponsors at each level. Ultimately, the package may be slightly tweaked to offer benefits that are a better fit for the sponsor, but overall, it is still a pretty standard package. The activation of the sponsorship is left to the sponsor, possibly with some assistance from the property. There isn’t really anything wrong with this process, it makes sense, it follows a well-worn path and it has often proved successful. It makes allocating assets easier, it is easier to price and manage, and initially it is a lot easier and quicker to take to market.

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Filed under: selling, activation