5 Tips to Activate Your Sponsorships with Experiential Marketing

blog - 5 tips for sponsorship activationSponsorships are a great way to get the word out about your brand, but you need to do more than just pay for sponsorship rights to spread your message.  Be sure that you are fully activating your sponsorships to take advantage of all of your opportunities.

  1. Sponsorships provide a great opportunity for face-to-face experiential marketing engagement with consumers.  Whether you are sponsoring a sporting event, a concert or any other event it’s important to do more than just signage.  Take advantage of the built in audience of consumers.  Set-up a display, activate street teams or launch a sampling program.  Use this opportunity to meet consumers face-to-face at the event to introduce them to your brand.
  2. When designing your engagement be sure to keep the event’s target demographic in mind and develop an activity that will resonate with them.   A photo opportunity with a star from the event or a game to engage the target demographic will catch consumers’ attention and increase the length of engagement with your brand.  Create an event within the event such as hosting a competition on the stage or field during intermission or half-time.
  3. Spread your presence throughout the venue.  Leverage all signage and banner opportunities and be sure to take advantage of all available real estate by stationing your Brand Ambassadors throughout the venue.  If possible set-up more than one footprint to engage consumers at multiple touch-points.  If space is limited then set street teams throughout the event to drive traffic back to your display.  Don’t forget to engage consumers before and after the event both outside and inside the venue to make sure that you have an opportunity to interact with everyone.
  4. Leverage your sponsorship by providing co-branded premiums to the audience.  You have a group of built in fans of the event at your disposal.  Play into their passion and co-brand a premium with the name of the sponsorship entity and your brand.  Fans are likely to hang on to this valuable piece and it will serve to further remind them of their experience with your brand.
  5. Try to get a mailing list with your sponsorship and send VIP invitations in advance to pre-promote your attendance at the event.  Provide a coupon, game piece or other incentive for consumers stop by and interact with your brand.

By activating your sponsorships with a face-to-face presence for your brand you are sure to maximize the return on your investment and make a greater impact on consumers.