Power to the People: Democratic Sponsorship
Posted: 11/3/2009 2:15:29 PM by
Shelley Fasulko | with 0 comments
If you read my posts often enough, you know I’m constantly waxing poetic about how important integrating the consumer into the sponsorship experience is. So it should be no surprise that upon hearing about Stephen Colbert’s, “Colbert Nation” top sponsorship of the U.S. Speed Skating team (if you haven’t already, check out my colleague Rob Campbell’s blog post here) and FanCar’s unique sponsorship opportunities around Sprint NASCAR cars; that I am ready to hand out two big, fat gold stars for fan integration.
The Colbert sponsorship capitalizes on Stephen Colbert’s ability to motivate his “Nation” to make things happen. In this instance, the U.S. Speed Skating team was left in the lurch when its top sponsor pulled out. After some dialogue between Colbert, Dan Jansen and the U.S. Speed Skating Executive Director (and of course the Colbert legion) the Colbert Nation is now slated to fill that spot. How? Well, members of the “Nation” simply donate funds online and voila!, they are “sponsors” of the U.S. Speed Skating team and will happily be reminded of that fact every time they see the team sporting their uniforms with “Colbert Nation” screaming across the front of ‘em.
As for FanCar, it’s offering NASCAR fans a chance to “sponsor” Sprint Cup Series Cars for a mere $20. What does twenty bucks get you? In this case, sponsorship status that comes replete with your name on a car (of an established team that has a driver in place); a vote to determine the design and messaging on the side of the car; an e-certificate confirming one’s “Official Sponsor” status and exclusive insider content about what’s happening with the car.
Both of these opportunities have handed over control to fans carte blanche and I LOVE IT. Sure, sure, I can hear the cynics out there now – maybe these two will tank, maybe it’s a novelty, maybe it’s a “silly idea,” etc. etc. But, I prefer to be a glass half full kind of gal and maybe, just maybe, these two will kill it, generate some serious bank and become a new model for sponsors to begin considering? You never know… pigs did fly this year (get it? Swine Flu?).
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