Kibbe on Marketing: Gimme Something, Mister

Working for a well-known media company in New England, we were often approached for sponsorships, only what the organization really wanted was a flat-out donation in the guise of a business deal. Unfortunately, more times than not, the answer was a polite “No.”

There actually is a big difference between sponsorships and donations, and often new organizations – and new marketers – confuse the two.

Sponsorships are really business arrangements, plain and simple. They typically involve putting up some form of compensation, either money or in services, for an event. The big catch is the event or whatever the project is has to be appropriate for the media firm. It sounds obvious, but many miss this point entirely.

Say you are a marketer looking for sponsorships for an area business expo. A business pub will likely want a piece of the action and will often insert ads in upcoming issues for no or little cost to the hosting firm. If it’s really spot-on, it may pony up and be a title sponsor, even co-branding the event.

Now, if a marketer is looking for donations to a ham-and-bean supper, a business pub is running far afield. (It seems bloody obvious, but I would get some of these pitches, honest to God.)

What’s key here is the audience. The publication is looking for advertisers. What better way to reach a targeted audience that is looking to increase business themselves by virtue of the fact that they’re partaking in the expo? It’s a win-win-win: The hosting company gets free ads and support, the pub gets exposure, and the attendees might find a partner in their own marketing efforts.

Donations are just that – giving out of the good and kindness of the company’s heart. More or less. Typically, the name of the donating company will be printed someplace. There’s still a big hope that the good will and notoriety that will turn into revenue at some point as potential customers will make note. Corporate donations are good and they work. They can also be strategic as the audience can be more general, thereby giving exposure to folks the publication might not normally market to.

In my point of view, some sponsorships are much closer to donations. You know the ones -- a big financial firm sponsors a concert series and the like. This, too, is good for everyone involved. The difference here is more subtle. The donating company gets its name out there, increasing exposure, but, again, the audience is much less targeted. The result hoped for is closer to a donation – being nice will result in profit as opposed to having much more skin in the game like a sponsorship.

Whatever form of corporate giving marketers and their companies consider, know that it almost always reflects well. Almost always. Being title sponsor of an event that goes horribly wrong can have disastrous results that may take a long time to correct. We've probably all been on at least one side of this calamity at some point. It's not pretty for anyone.

So marketers need to consider a couple of things when approaching a publication for giving:
•    What is your intended audience?
•    What is the audience of the publication?
•    Is the audience a match for you?
•    What form of giving are you seeking?

Well-matched sponsorships are some of the best ways to do business and they can bring success to all involved if done right.


Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at cindykibbe@comcast.net.