1.11 Manage promotional activities to 1.11 Manage promotional activities to maximize return on promotional maximize return on promotional

investmentsinvestments

Direct sponsorship objectives – have a short

term impact on consumer behavior and are focused on increasing sales

Indirect sponsorship objectives – lead to the long-term growth of the sponsor by generating product awareness and image before people buy the product

Types of Sponsorship Objectives

Establish or improve their image Promote their products (and increase sales) Display goodwill Obtain access and exposure to the events’

target markets Outpace competition (become a sponsor

before your competitor “blocks” your competitor out)

Corporate Sponsorships

Sponsorships gives the sports marketer

the resources to: Package their product Promote their product Deliver their product

How do Sponsorships help the sports

marketer?

Media exposure

Evaluating the number of stories and mentions in the media

Sales figures pre- and post-event Surveys and in-depth interviews

Gauging the image, attitudes, and awareness of events, sponsors, and products

Methods to Evaluate Effectiveness of

Sponsorship

How can a particular sport/event achieve my

marketing and organizational goals? What is the financial cost of the sponsorship? What is the length of the contract? What are the sponsorship benefits? What type of media coverage will there be? What is the fan attendance at the event, and

what are the fans’ demographics? Is it my target market?

Potential Sponsors Must Ask…

Consists of employees responsible for evaluating and

selecting sponsorship options Four roles in this “buying center” consist of:• Gatekeepers – Control the flow of information to others

and act as a filtering device• Influencers – Have input into the decision, usually based

on their connections with the sports entity• Decision-makers – Ultimately responsible for

accepting/rejecting proposals• Purchasers – Responsible for negotiating contracts and

carrying out the terms of the sponsorship once the decision is made

A “Buying Center”