- A sponsorship without focus becomes an expense
- Both sponsor and property drive success
- Clear goals and dialogue make impact possible
“Our sponsorship isn’t working. My return is only $0.50 for every dollar invested.”
In this real story, the sponsor claimed that the property wasn’t generating enough return.
Until then, the company’s activation had been sporadic and focused only on the big moments of the calendar.
In addition, the formula used to measure return was based on media value — even though awareness wasn’t the brand’s main objective.
In the end, the company’s real goal was to use that data to try to negotiate the inclusion of more rights in the contract.
For the property, the worry about ROI motivated more investment in marketing actions for partners.
On one hand, there was the sponsor’s frustration over the failed negotiation. On the other, the property saw an opportunity to allocate more resources to better care for its sponsors.
This real example leads us to a question: who is responsible for a sponsorship’s success?
It depends:
- If the sponsor doesn’t allocate the necessary budget for activation, there’s no way it can work.
- If they try to solve a business challenge with the wrong property, the project won’t succeed.
- If the property sells unrealistic expectations, the sponsorship is born with a tendency to fail.
- If the contract isn’t managed day-to-day, the sponsor won’t be able to activate.
Responsibility is shared — that’s why we call it a partnership.
But CEOs of clubs, federations, events, or sponsors don’t always see it that way.
That’s why it’s essential to start a sponsorship with a well-defined strategy. This is the hardest — and also the most valuable — work for anyone involved in sponsorships.
Questions to ask at the start:
- Is the sponsorship designed to meet the brand’s real objectives?
- What are the key indicators, and how will they be measured?
- How will we describe success at the end of the contract?
- What will the day-to-day activation effort in the partnership look like?
A failed partnership isn’t only the property’s responsibility.
A sponsorship that doesn’t deliver also weakens the credibility of the sponsor’s marketing team.
In marketing, there’s work focused on long-term brand building and performance marketing, oriented toward short-term measurable business results. Both are necessary.
One of the most common mistakes is evaluating one type of marketing with the other’s metrics. The same happens with sponsorships.
That’s why, and to have the chance to adjust course, it’s essential to maintain frequent communication about the partnership’s goals and expectations.
Without strategy and commitment, even the best contract turns into an expense — not an investment.
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