Budget is one of the hot topics when it comes to sports and companies often think they do not have the resources to get involved. “We have no budget” or “we do not have many resources” are the standard answers that industry professionals are used to receiving.
Having an important budget is an advantage but it is not essential to create successful sports marketing programs: there are many opportunities that do not require millions of investments. As always, everything starts with the company’s goals and the desire to find solutions. Having said that rest assured that there is the right sponsorship level for any company.
A tailored made service
For example: do you think it is better to sponsor an activity of great prestige and cost or act directly on the territory? (Obviously, it will depend on the objectives, you would say)
Let’s assume you are an energy producer operating only in one country. Is it preferable to partner with a sailing champion famous for his solo enterprises (sailing is “clean” and the energy we produce comes mostly from “renewable” sources “), or is it better to revamp sports facilities in the areas where our power plants are present, equipping them with solar panels and contextually giving away to nearby schools the essential equipment for physical education?
And, if among the implementation activities there was to contact all users of the aforementioned sports facilities and offer them special conditions? And what if we repeated the operation in some large cities? Are we then so sure that the capillary activities on the territory would give a commercial and image return lower than the highest profile -perfect as a mix of values but distant- partnership? Or are you sure that the story to tell is less interesting?
You always need a plan
Sponsorship can have low levels of access but you need to have a plan to exploit it, you have to think about all the activities instrumental to achieve your objectives. This is an exercise that has to be done before signing the contract, not after.
Obviously, if you have a lot of money operating is easier and you could intervene in more cities, maybe you can also get the partnership with the famous sailor and leverage on it, taking the testimonial to the schools, where he will tell the children that thinking about clean energy is essential.
So, before the budget, you need an idea, a vision and the will to put some effort, in the certainty that the ROI of well-designed operations is always very positive and followed by a good public perception of the brand. Who does not appreciate a brand giving free equipment to the school in which their children go to exercise?
I will not dwell on other examples, here I used a manifestation of great prestige and a basic activity directed to the territory. The list could be very long, if you want to tickle our creativity do not hesitate to call or to write at info@rtrsports.com
