Properties: Never Make An Uninformed Offer!

Donald Dell, one of the forefathers of sports marketing, is out with a new book entitled "Never Make The First Offer." The most important lesson it discusses, as you might expect, is in how to present or accept a first offer. He should know, he's successfully negotiated deals for the likes of Arthur Ash, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Patrick Ewing and Andy Roddick and dozens of others. In a rec...

Value-in-Kind Sponsorship to the Masses

You don't have to convince us that long tail sponsorship can pay big dividends to creative marketers - or that video can bring a sponsorship opportunity to life in a way that gold, silver and bronze levels simply can't (shameless plug alert: we are the ONLY property/sponsor network that hosts pitch videos!). Thanks to creative shop, TBWA, fans of BC-based beer Okanagan Spring can submit a vide...

Bolt Feat/Feet Propel(s) Puma YAAMs

Last week Usain Bolt set both the 100m and 200m world sprint records at the World Championships in Berlin. The promotional blitz by Puma began with the bolt arms, the celebratory foam arms released by Puma prior to the games, kicked into full gear with Bolt hoisting the golden shoe like the Stanley Cup and is wrapping up with PUMA's very own cause-effect analysis. The result? The special ...

Sponsorship: Product or Service?

Someone asked me back in grad school whether sponsorship was a product or a service. At first glance, the obvious answer was a service. The benefits are often intangible, the value depended a lot on the servicing of a contract, and developing an appropriate solution for client needs requires a lot of custom research. But then I started to realize that many of the proposals I had received on beh...

How Long is Your Sponsorship Sales Cycle?

For some it can be up to a full year or even more. That's a long sales cycles for any product. But perhaps a better question is how frequent and with who is your sales cycle dealing with? As with many organizations, how you use your data can in many instances dictate the success of your sales pitch. Most hands-on sponsors crave real-time data and updates. But how often do we really engage tho...

An Agency with a Purpose

In 2007, Harrie Bakst was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, cancer of the salivary glands, at the age of 22. It was a life-changing diagnosis. Only five months removed from radiation treatment, he ran the NYC marathon, which inspired a clothing line and a book, and founded his own agency that helps companies build cause marketing platforms. Carnegie Sports and Entertainment uses cause ...

Deal Flow 8-21-2009

Clear Channel today launched a new digital radio station dedicated to live music drawing from the company’s cache of exclusive live artist performances and interviews. Available 24/7, stripped radio is presented by Visa Signature, the exclusive launch sponsor for the channel. Visa’s sponsorship also includes on-air talent endorsements, a “channel takeover” of both the iheartradio application av...

Writing the Perfect Pitch

There are a number of ways to craft a perfect sponsorship proposal but in every successful proposal, the following points are consistent: The Cover Letter I put a lot of emphasis on the Cover Letter for two reasons: 1. No matter how you cut it, a sponsorship sale must have value but it is still a “relationship sell.” The Cover Letter allows the presenting organization the opportunity to put ...

Sponsorship Isn't Just for Events

A lot of times, when I'm first talking to folks about the "Brought to you By…" sponsorship sales system, many will immediately jump to the conclusion that sponsorship is strictly something for companies that put on meetings and events. (After all – our event, the National Sports Forum, has sponsors and it's an event, right?!) Well, it is an event and it does have sponsors … but that's it as fa...

Activation Tactic of the Week: Belle Tire Hits a Home Run

Are you looking for new ways to reward fans based on team performance? Are you looking for ways to make your tunnel signage interactive? During the 2009 MLB season, Belle Tire and the Detroit Tigers teamed up to create a "Belle Tire Blast Contest" that ties an interactive promotion*to the corporate partner's tunnel signage at Comerica Park. Each time a Detroit Tiger hits a home run into the Be...