To Sponsor or Not To Sponsor?
With all the request for sponsorship theese days Jon takes a look at how it may benefit you and your company.
Watching television over the weekend, I couldn’t help but notice “Saturday evening television on ITV is brought to you by Coca-cola” Really? How nice of them.
It got better on the Sunday, as I found myself watching the Marriott World Touring Car Championship from Brands Hatch, Marriott must have been really chuffed to bits when a car sponsored by Crowne Plaza Hotels came in first!
Keeping with the car theme, Santander, the Spanish bank giant, not only are sponsoring the Ferrari team in F1 this year, but are the main sponsors of three of the Grand Prix – including our own Silverstone. You may have noticed a couple of advertising boards on the television (more like a couple of dozen!) Will this encourage me to move my account or savings to Santander? What do you think?
Now I can understand some sponsorship deals, where the product has a direct relationship to the programme, or even when a household name is promoting itself, but I do wonder at times if they have got it right.
I mean just what is the purpose of sponsorship? Is it that the Directors actually support the product, as in the case of charities, or is it that they feel they can use it to use corporate hospitality, or – perish the thought – that they use it as a ‘jolly’ to entertain themselves?
Some of these deals are massive. Liverpool Football club has just changed from Carlsberg to The Standard Chartered Bank – for a reported £80m over four years! Now I can see the relationship with the beer and fans, but a bank? That figure – if correct – would put me off having anything to do with the bank, not draw me towards it. Then again, maybe I wasn’t the target.
It gets even better with Manchester United, for they not only have a shirt sponsor – AON, but a car sponsor, wine sponsor, beer sponsor, destination sponsor, and even an official timekeeper sponsor – amongst others.
AON are pleased to be associated as they see the worldwide coverage of a winning team as a good association. OK, I get that, but unless they can recoup their outlay, is it good business? Clearly they think so.
But what can be done on a more local level, and what could a coach or holiday operator gain from it.
There are some differences to explain here, as sponsorship is very different from having a ‘pet’ charity, or providing team coaches – which hopefully will lead to providing the supporters coaches too. In the latter’s case you are clearly getting your name out these to hundreds if not thousands of supporters, but are they the ones who will book your holidays or coaches? As you are being paid a going rate in any case, this might be construed as a nice bonus in any case, but is it as good as supporting a charity? There is good press to be gained from this, especially if you ensure the local press is aware of your special promotions and events, and don’t forget to put it on your website too! Several companies use this to both aid a worthwhile cause, be seen as a caring local operator, and to aid something close to both your own and the community’s heart. Johnson’s of Henley in Arden use this to great effect in their support of their local Air Ambulance. Then again, in this writers opinion Johnsons lead the field in so many ways, this is perhaps not too surprising.
Here’s a thought – why not get sponsors to cover some of your cost of running the coaches! Joe Bloggs coaches of Cheam, with the suppliers of the fuel, oil, insurance, glazing, printers, and accountants all having their logo’s slapped down the side of your coach? Yeah, right. Maybe a move too far – or is it? As long as it didn’t detract from the overall message that it is your coach and doesn’t ruin the colour scheme..... After all, the engine and bodywork manufacture have their names on – and that is free of charge!
Sponsorship, on the whole, is a very personal thing, especially with regard to charities. It has been suggested that be including some, you will be excluding others, and this could have the opposite effect to the one you were wanting.
Johnsons supporting the local Air Ambulance is great as it is something that benefits all in the area, but what if they had chosen to go a different way? What if it had been a national or international charity, would that have the same effect? Joe Bloggs Supports UNESCO. Nothing wrong with the idea, but is it suitable for a coach holiday company? Perhaps not – but if Santander did it......(or BP, or any other multinational operation)??
Being seen as the caring, local coach operator is surely a good thing, but you have not only to commit the time to it, but to ensure it is the right one for you. Any kind of sponsorship, both inward and outward has clearly to be carefully thought through, and you have to decide at the outset just who it will benefit – and who you wish it to benefit. This could be seen as a way of promoting your company, or promoting the charity, both, or neither. I say neither, as some I know raise money for charity and expect nothing in return whatsoever. They don’t advertise or brag about what they do, as they see it as a duty or calling to assist and help those not as well off in health or living standards as they are. Are these the silent majority, who support flag days, poppy days, charity fun days, mini marathons (as well as the big events), hospices, and Heaven knows what else with a quid here and a fiver there? Isn’t that the majority of us?
In this big, bad world of ours, all we appear to see on the news or in newspapers are the bad things. The good things also occur – and good people are there too, and perhaps you are one of them. When you deal with the public on a day to day basis you cannot fail to see the differing bunch that make up our clients. Great aren’t they? All have hidden secrets, all totally different, all with different problems. In the end only you can make the decision that is right for your company and you personally.
Good luck!
