Inside Sponsorship

Pat Gallagher boasts a career in sports that spans more than 40 years and takes us inside Super Bowl 50 and the San Francisco Giants. He spent 33 years at the San Francisco Giants which included the financing of a new stadium, without municipal assistance, and was at the forefront of income diversification for sporting teams. Later, he was invited to chair the development committee, responsible for putting together the successful Super Bowl 50 bid, and then later transitioned to Executive Vice President Marketing, Partnerships & Communications for the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Following the Super Bowl, Pat, and one of his colleagues, Stephanie Martin, authored a book, Big Game, Bigger Impact, about how the bay area redefined the super bowl experience. Pat joins us on the show to share some fascinating and insightful stories over his career. One thing Pat discusses is a fantastic activation, the Coca-Cola Fan Lot, which you can read more about here. Also, we couldn't help but share this vide

Recently, we read the article Here's How Snapchat Can Be Part of Your Sponsorship Inventory and thought, in the context of everything else going on, "Do sponsorship managers, on both sides, really need to try and wrangle another digital channel in their inventory?" To help answer that question, Carson McKee, from Direct Contact Marketing, the author of the article, joins us on the show to explore Snapchat, how it is relevant and how we can make best use of it in sponsorship. If you would like to connect with Carson, you can do so on LinkedIn, Snapchat (carson.mckee) and Twitter. Enjoy.

Right around the world, sponsorship is a key marketing strategy for airlines. We often see them sponsoring high profile sports, who have big and global TV audiences, but increasingly, we are seeing airlines add or increase non-sports properties to their portfolio. One of those airlines is Etihad Airways, a truly global airline not just in terms of status but also the way they approach their sponsorships. Joining me on the show to discuss Etihad Airway’s sponsorships is Simon Hawk, Manager, Sponsorship, who is responsible for leading the airline’s sponsorship program in Australia. It is a great chat and some interesting insights into how they structure and approach their sponsorships; particularly what Simon explains is their three Fs. We are playing catch up a little bit in this episode as we moved off schedule when we decided to release episode 45 and cut together some of the best bits of the show so far. So, to catch up, and make sure we get all the content in, we’ve recorded two of S

No doubt you have noticed that rights holders and venues across the world of sports are on a constant quest to enhance the spectator experience – at events and for those watching remotely – by adding entertainment elements, such as concerts, fan zones and enabling more access to star athletes. Taylor Swift’s pre-race concert at the 2016 United States Grand Prix, the theatre-style lighting deployed at the ATP World Tour Finals in London and, of course, the Super Bowl half-time show are all examples. There are also many examples of new entertainment events built around a sports element, including Andy Murray Live, an evening of music and exhibition tennis, and the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastic Champions, a 36-city tour of US Olympic gymnasts designed to capitalise on the team’s success at Rio 2016. The NFL and Cirque du Soleil, meanwhile, have partnered to create a major showcase installation in Times Square, due to open next month. Trend four in Nielsen Sports Commerc

Welcome to the Edition One of Best bits of Inside Sponsorship. We’ve gone back through the Inside Sponsorship archives, re-listened to some of the absolutely amazing guests that have so generously taken us inside their commercial programs, and picked out some of the gold that we think you should hear again. For edition one of the Best Bits of Inside Sponsorship, we’ve included: Jonathan Prosser, Group GM – Strategy & Growth at Cronulla Sharks Group, who spoke about the value of working with a variety of new business ideas and the establishment of an in-house creative arm of the business which focuses on business growth. Jonathan also spoke about fan engagement at the Sharks and shared some of the moving stories following their historic Grand final win in 2016. Kim McConnie, former Senior Director, Sports Marketing at PepsiCo, shared with us how Pepsi come up with their different activations as well as how much they monitor what their competitors are doing in the sponsorship space. Kim a

There's no doubt that the sponsorship industry is in a period of huge change. There’s a more laser-like focus on achieving ROI and ROO, new technologies are helping both rights holders and brands manage & measure their portfolios, women's sport is growing, as is eSports. Then there’s augmented reality, virtual reality and the list goes one with our access to so many properties, often on demand, now available 24/7. Add to that our recent shows discussing IP owners taking control of content, the huge opportunity that Asia presents and the changing attention spans of consumers we are all trying to reach. As sponsorship professionals, stakeholders just expect you to get on with it and be successful. What isn’t often talked about, however, is how the change is impacting the employment market, the skills required to be successful, ideal team structures and how to find and retain great talent. One person who has a deep understanding of the sponsorship employment market is Jonathan Harris, Manag

With so much access to so much content, the pressure on rights holders and brands to create great and engaging content, that holds an audience’s attention, is huge. One person who knows a lot about the space is Spencer Nolan, Head of Consulting, UK & Europe at Nielsen Sports. Spencer joins us on the show to discuss number three in Nielsen Sports' Commercial Trends in Sport 2017 and that is changing attention spans prompting rights holders to rethink. Also joining us on the podcast, as usual, is our MD, Mark Thompson, who outlines the opportunities that present themselves, for both rights holders and brands, because of changing attention spans. You can connect with Spencer on LinkedIn and you can download a copy of Nielsen Sports' Commercial Trends in Sport 2017 here. Enjoy.

We’ve all done it. We hear the news that a company has entered into a new sponsorship with a rights holder. Company A has sponsored Rights Holder B, and, in a split second, we think to ourselves “Of course, that partnership makes sense” or, we think “What? How the hell do those brands go together?” Interestingly, while there will most likely be a whole bunch of well thought out benefits, messages and activations in the partnership, it is your answer to the question of “Do they go together?” that communicates so much. That’s why, the communication impact of a deal should not be underestimated by either rights holders or brands. In sports, fans are connected deeply with and are invested heavily in the rights holder and sponsorship deals can fuel either greater loyalty and connection, and that can be transferred to the sponsoring brand, or, it can fuel distaste. “What? How the hell do those brands go together?”, was a common reaction

Content is King. It’s almost a worn out saying but since it was first coined it has grown into an absolute truth. Whether you are trying to attract customers, or retain customers, content has become an integral part of a lot of businesses. For the majority of rights holders, however, it’s been a very slow process. Even those that are doing it well are still lagging behind the general marketing community in other sectors. There is no doubting that there is a trend in IP Owners taking control of content and the conversation and it makes Nielsen’s Commercial Trends in Sports 2017. That’s because social media and other digital channels offer the opportunity to reach audiences more easily even if they are geographically dispersed. Yet, what is social media and what is broadcast media is very blurred. Is YouTube a social media platform? Or is it a broadcaster? Does it even matter? To help understand the trend of IP owners taking control of content and conversations, Max Barnett, Gl

Mistakes. We all make them and, sometimes, we make the same mistake over and over. Maybe it’s because we get excited about an opportunity and rush even though it’s against our better judgment; “Oh, it’ll be different this time around!”. Maybe we just don’t know how to do it better. The thing is, we can learn from mistakes but most of us don’t really want to talk about them too much or seek advice. Then there are the mistakes that we haven’t made yet but which others have made and we can learn from. Luckily, Abby Clemence, from Infinity Sponsorship, is willing to talk about her mistakes and what she’s learned. A while back, we received an email from Abby with the subject 7 Sponsorship Mistakes I Will Never Make Again. It was an insightful read and, as an international speaker and one of Australasia's leading corporate partnership advisors to the Not-For-Profit Sector, we thought it was a great opportunity to invite Abby on the show and share

In recent years we’ve heard a lot about the potential of emerging markets, across all industries, and it is easy to see that emerging markets will have an impact on the global sponsorship industry. Emerging markets are increasingly engaging with and investing in top-level sport: the next three Olympic Games will be staged in Asia while Russia and Qatar are the next two FIFA World Cup hosts and Japan will host the Rugby World Cup. Of huge significance, and leading the way, is China. With 1.38 billion people, it represents a significant and mostly untapped market. Further, the Government has targeted a US$813 billion sports industry by 2025 and that will be fuelled by major investment across all aspects of sports – in events, facilities, teams, leagues and grassroots programs. The mind boggles! To help us understand the emerging Chinese market, and as part of our series exploring Nielsen’s commercial trends in sports, of which #1 is the emergence of new sporting powers, led by China, Claude Ri

You don’t often come across brand’s, or their staff, who are vocal about sponsorship on social media. Sure, there are those that are vocal about promoting or activating their sponsorships but not many that share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on sponsorship in a way that contributes to the industry. Dan Frystak, Senior Manager, Brand and Sponsorship at CDW, is different. Not only does Dan post on LinkedIn about things others don’t, he does so in a way that generates discussion and the sharing of other people’s ideas. That’s really valuable and that’s why we invited him on the show. It is an insightful chat, with someone on the brand side, who is willing to share their thoughts, views and experiences in an open way. You are going to love it. In the show, Dan talks about CDW's sponsorship of the PGA and how they've integrated it with their support of Operation Homefront. Check out the video here. You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn and find out more about CD

How do you measure and report on sponsorships when there are so many moving parts? If you are a brand, measuring what you are receiving, and the ROI and ROO, is imperative. It’s at the pointy end of your marketing activities and, no doubt, you need to report internally on how you are achieving success with spending company budget. If you are a rights holder, you need to be measuring and reporting to your sponsors so that you can show you are an important part of that marketing budget. At a bare minimum, if you are both following good goal setting process, and setting SMART objectives for the sponsorship, then measuring those objectives is a non-negotiable. That’s the M part of SMART! No surprises there but, again, how do you measure and report when you have so many moving parts? The answer is Unified Measurement and it isn’t just more industry jargon. Instead, it is something that you cannot ignore anymore. Recently, Nielsen Sports produced a whitepaper, Unified Meas

Some people are sales naturals while some have worked hard to be good at it, some struggle with it and some hate that part of sponsorship. However, if you aren’t involved in upfront sales then your delivery and management elements will most likely flow into renewal discussions and so sales come into play then. There are many traps to fall into in sales and we all have areas we could be better at or even just benefit from some fresh, non-sponsorship industry, views. Besides, there aren’t too many people in the sponsorship industry that can call themselves sales experts and have nothing left to learn. One person who is an expert, is Trent Leyshan, Founder of Boom! Sales and Trent joins us on the show to provide advice so you can sell effectively. If you want to find out more about Trent, BOOM! Sales or his books, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.boomsales.com.au Also on this episode, our MD, Mark Thompson, joins us to discuss the key to sponsorship relationships. Of course, it is

Most of us will never know the horrors of combat. Many servicemen and women suffer life-changing injuries, both visible and invisible, while serving their countries. How do they find the motivation to move on and to not be defined by their injuries? How can they be recognized for their achievements? Prince Harry asked these questions. Following a visit in 2013 to the US-based Warrior Games for wounded, ill and injured military personnel and veterans, he was inspired to create an expanded international version. The first Invictus Games took place in London in 2014 and attracted more than 400 competitors from 13 nations. The second Invictus Games took place in 2016 in Orlando, Florida, and built on the excitement of the London Games with more than 500 competitors from 14 nations. The Invictus Games demonstrate soldiers’ and veterans’ tireless drive to overcome and the power of sport on their journey to recovery. The Invictus Games is about much more than just sport – it captures hearts, challe

While there are lots of things that go into making a partnership successful, there is probably one element that is more important than others – ensuring that the benefits you offer a sponsor are done so in a way that will help them meet their marketing objectives. We all know that sponsorship is really just one element of a brand’s marketing and that brand’s will cut marketing that isn’t delivering results. That makes sense. Yet, we also that the industry, by and large, still struggles somewhat in ensuring that partnerships kick off on a strong foundation in the sense that the benefits being delivered are the right ones. That’s why we developed a step-by-step guide to help you uncover a potential sponsor’s objectives, position suitable benefits, achieve buy-in and ownership from the sponsor and then set agreed goals around the partnership’s objectives. That’s what this episode is all about. You’ll walk through, in detail, the steps on how to do all of that

Banks have big budgets and there aren’t many that don’t utilise sponsorship as part of their marketing plan. In New Zealand, in 1906, after many years of lobbying the government, a Special Bill was passed enabling excess funds to be directed to community projects. Since that time ASB has been recognised and respected for the support it gives to the communities in which they operate. ASB's Corporate Responsibility Report talks ASB’s values and the work they are doing to build and support sustainable New Zealand communities. ASB has a wide-ranging sponsorship approach, from involvement in community-based events right through to the all-conquering New Zealand All Blacks and in this episode, Mike Wotton, Sponsorship Manager takes us inside sponsorship at ASB. You can connect with Mike on LinkedIn and find out more about ASB at www.asb.co.nz/about-us Mark Thompson also joins us to talk about his latest blog which examines the areas that, as sponsorship managers, you might consider enlisting

The English Premier League commands a worldwide audience. Current values of shirt sponsors, across the 20 teams, totals £233.6M per season. It’s clearly big business and attracts big brands and especially international ones.However, it is a market that is crowded, and for some clubs, it’s not just about saying “We are a Premier League team; sponsor us” and brands just saying “Yes”. As such, some clubs are building sustainable commercial programs including alternative sources of revenue. Southampton FC is one of those clubs and Stuart Ramsey, Head of Sponsorship, joins us in this episode to take you inside their commercial program. You can connect with Stuart on LinkedIn and find out more about the club at https://southamptonfc.com Mark Thompson also joins us to build on last episode’s chat about reporting and the four key principles that you need to follow for good reporting. This time around, Mark talks about the key ingredients for a good report. You can

Gambling sponsorship has grown significantly; especially in the sports sector. It creates a lot of debate both within the industry and the general public. Increasing legislation and controls means that both rights holders and gambling brands need to ensure they work more closely together to maintain the integrity of both brands. As such, gambling brands are increasingly looking to blend their sponsorship with their wider corporate social responsibility. So, in this episode, we speak with Ed Owens, Chief Marketing Officer at CrownBet.  You can connect with Ed on LinkedIn and find out more about CrownBet at www.crownbet.com.au Mark also joins us to discuss the foundations of good reporting and provides four principles to follow. You can read Mark’s detailed blog here. Enjoy.

In this Inside Sponsorship episode, we speak to Jason Cornell and go inside a wide range of sponsorship programs including the Hong Kong 7s and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Jason has over 15 years’ leadership experience initiating, negotiating and maintaining multi-year sponsorship agreements with leading international brands. His career pinnacle has been introducing commercial sponsorships to the Hong Kong Jockey club for the first time in history. Through conceiving, negotiating and activating multi-year and multi-million dollar agreements with top brands such as Cathay Pacific, HSBC, Mercedes Benz, Citibank and Audemars Piquet, Jason was able to establish the Cathay Pacific HK International Races, the HSBC Premier Series and the Citi Triple Crown elevating the club to being one of the largest and most respected in the world. Leveraging an extensive background in sport, before moving into sports management and organisational leadership positions, Jason understands exactly how to maximise the c