Being a Good Sport

How to Plan, Activate, Measure, and Evaluate

Sports Sponsorship Programs

Adrian Stores

Abstract: This article is intended to be an informative

guide based on the authors experience in leading sports
sponsorships with regional, national, and global brands.
The article demystifies the subject to benchmark the
best practice and highlight the pitfalls.

Keywords: sports, sponsorship, marketing, segmenta-

tion, activation, planning, strategy, measurement.

Dedicated to Bilge, Kaya, and Erin

Introduction
There should be an understanding of what sponsorship
actually means. The terminology and definitions range
from stereotypical one-dimensional outlooks to that of a
holistic approach to a complicated marketing tactic.
One definition given in a sporting context is provided
by the New South Wales (Australia), Office of Sport
(2017):

Sponsorship is when a business provides funds,

Adrian Stores is author, lecturer, and resources or services to a club, in return for some
CEO of ACROBAT FCSM. He was former
chairman of Chartered Institute of
form of rights and/or associations with the club
Marketing for its specialist consultants that may be used to help the business commer-
group for sports and leisure. Having cially. This could be in the form of a logo on a
advised 15 percent of professional football, signs at an oval or free advertising in the
football clubs in English Premier and
newsletter.
Football Leagues, he is now taking
expertise to some of the largest clubs
in the world. The reference to club could read organization, ath-
lete, facility, or alternative recipient as sponsorship has
no boundaries.
The latter definition is one that we favor, and about
which Meenaghan (1991) states: an investment, in cash
or in kind, in an activity, in return for access, to the
commercial exploitable potential, associated with that

Expert Insights 1
 Being a Good Sport

activity. This is succinct but brings to the of restriction or confidentiality. However,

forefront of readers minds the concepts of
commercial returns and/or benefit in kind.
From an early appreciation, sponsor-
ship in our recognition is a strategic action
within a coherent decision-making pro-
cess, which is a prudent investment and
action to adopt, aligned to other corporate
or brand objectives.
This article has been written based on
the authors 30 years in creating and manag-
ing sponsorship in sports and experiences
including having worked on projects with
a focus in the main around sponsorship
and licensing including for some of the top
brand names as defined in the Deloittes
Football Finance Report (2016) and Brand
Finances Sporting Brands (2012).
The Sponsorship Model
The case studies that are referenced are
those for which the author has no liability
in our careers we have confirmed that the
principles and practice of sponsorship have
some common facets, whether it is Mr. and
Mrs. Jones and their childs community
football team through to one of the soccer
teams that we have represented that fea-
ture in the Champions League.
So commonality in approaches irrespec-
tive of scale, recognizing money talks,
and so larger budgets determine more
comprehensive planning and evaluation.
In proposing that this common ground
prevails, we have devised a management
and academic model that portrays some
key considerations. This is represented in
Figure 1.
The diagram is prepared to educate and
share knowledge on sponsorship tips but
could equally be applied and appreciated
in other marketing activities. For example,
we use it in the context of fundraising

Figure 1: The 7 Cs sponsorship paradigm

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 Being a Good Sport
appeals and crowdfunding campaigns, with
the same seven steps.
Community is the starta prerequi-
site to any project is to gather information
on the marketplace of focus. Quickly, we
learn that there is no such thing as a ho-
mogenous community where everyone is
the same, but in fact, preferences and ap-
preciation toward propensity to spend, be
they sponsors or donors, an understanding
of their giving DNA and personality, is a
must. There is a myriad of data sources,
desk-based, original primary research,
technological, computerized modeling
the more we know, the more accurate our
assumptions and more solid the basis of
the proposition.
In essence, this is the protocol of any
good approach to selling, where the sales-
person maximizes chances through prepa-
ration. In marketing, terminology, what we
are doing understands the community,
which in turn allows us to differentiate and
undertake market segmentation, clas-
sifying like-minded people and/or orga-
nizations that fit our target profile. These
become our niche Crowd.
So, we now know who we are aiming
at and can collate data of targets to ap-
proach. Of course, as with any modeling or
theoretical calculation, there must be flex-
ibility at each stage. Next, a Campaign or
Appeal should be Created. Often we have
multifaceted sponsorship packages with
items from low to higher unit costings.
This we like, as it offers options, which can
fit with most budgets. My colleagues and I
strive to leave every meeting with revenue
generated and of course, an idea on suit-
able packages on this continuum can be
predicted beforehand by the research that
we understand in the two earlier stages:
Community and Crowd.
Under Create, most sports assignments
that we are requested to advise on have
multifacts unless a Client is prescriptive
and just seeks our attention on one as-
pect (e.g., stadium naming rights, one cat-
egory of supplier (e.g., white goods, banks,
Expert Insights
airlines etc.). Figure 2 shows a simple, in-
dicative continuum of options.
This is a shopping list of options for
any sponsor to consider. The pricing is
common and a discussion at the later
stages of a first meeting. You will notice
we refer to meeting. This is because cer-
tainly higher priced items will be closed
face-to-face, whereas lower ticket items can
be progressed through alternative direct
marketing that could include: telephone,
letter, email, or direct mail. The principles
on selection of marketing approach mirror
the theory of AIDA (Brassington and Pet-
titt 2006). Choose the methodology most
suited. This stage is creating the campaign,
but then we must actually start Campaign-
ing.. That is, telling our market segment or
microcosm of the world.
Campaigning is exactly that, we shout
from the proverbial rooftops that this/
these sponsorship options are available.
Again, to avoid wasted efforts and costs,
these communication channels should be
targeted and focused on. We are actually
advocating that a marketing plan be cre-
ated and implemented adopting below
the line and above the line collateral, as
applicable (Investopedia 2017). Digital
and social media mechanisms are popular
choices.
Convert follows as we get to that hand-
shake moment and clinch a deal. A sale
has resulted at some positioning along the
sponsorship options continuum. The hard
work is paying off. Most commissioned as-
signments have either a portfolio to sell or
an overall appeal targeted figure we need
to reach in a given time period, normally
12 months. Such commitments require
management intelligence and measure-
ment of performance against targets.
Rarely are campaigns delivered exactly
as per planning. We can be ahead of the
game or behind schedule, and in instances
of the latter, reviews and corrective action
are neededand if necessary descent back
down to the Create level on the paradigm.
This is what we refer to as Compass level.
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