connecting people,opportunities and ideas

With Halloween nearly upon us, I was thinking about the risk/reward of the major Halloween activity – Trick or Treating and thought of its application to use of social media. Some offer tricks (gimmicks) and other provide treats (value).  Do you dress up, participate, connect with others and have fun or sit back and watch or hope it will end soon?

I am pleased that we have built the most dynamic, interactive, objective forum for sponsorship professionals via our LinkedIN Group – Sponsorship Insights.  The keys to success in social media are simple:  interact, provide value and don’t be overly self-promotional (provide a treat for readers/subscribers).  As you’ll see from my blog postings and group discussions, we promote good ideas and people and question bad ones.  We try to stay positive and be helpful.  We encourage you to use our tools and information to connect and become more efficient.  We encourage you to share resources and challenge each other to think deeper and be more productive.  Here’s a challenge, read this blog by Kim Skildum-Reid and share your thoughts.  I shared mine.

So, when reading/writing blogs and participating in social media, ask yourself, am I a tricker/being tricked (sold to or selling), or treater by participating, learning, growing and sharing.

Think about it and join in the fun!

Although I missed the Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas last week, I got a good sense of what was discussed from a blog that was written by Jason Peck and videos found the front page of their site.  I especially enjoyed the perspective on what Ford is doing with social media.  Check out the video here.

Ford Social Media Expert

Guy Kawasaki also launched a really cool aggregator site of great bloggers and blogs according to categories

Were you there?  what did you get out of it?

I often re-post links to blogs by Jason.   He articulates the keys to social media success in such a simple, clear way.  If you apply just these principles consistently, you’ll have great success no matter what your objective or discipline.

Read it here

How does this relate to sponsorship?  Keep you eye here for some exciting announcements about alliances we are developing in this space and webinars we will be giving on social media and sponsorship.

Love this photo and great sponsorship integration of Safeway.  They get huge, national exposure from a local event and also drive traffic to retail – big win!  The banner-hangers were also pretty strategic in getting this angle and the publicist was good at getting photographers to take the pictures from the best location.  Also, note the integration of the American Flag – subtle yet prominent and increases the earned equity for sponsors and the festival as All-American.  Lastly, enjoy the exuberance of the winner.  They gotta get him in the pumpkin pie-eating contest.  He is a sure winner.  Just a snapshot, but says it all.  Check out event details at www.miramarevents.com

HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA (October 13, 2009) — Iowa grower Don Young blew out a tire in Wyoming en route from Des Moines but fortunately his burly 1,658-pound gourd made it safely to yesterday’s 36th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California where he obliterated the field and (more…)

Here is the Tuesday Morning briefing e-newsletter from my friend Brent Barootes and his take on sponsorship management.

I once heard the term (and have since used it on many occasions) that sponsorship is like babysitting. As a property (someone who sells sponsorship) you really become a “babysitter” for your sponsors. The longer I am in this business, the more I agree. But recently I have felt the term may better be “mentor” or “consultant”.

I do believe it is the role of the property to educate, to advise and to work with a sponsor to truly understand sponsorship. No one knows the property better than the property owner. The property must hold the hand of the sponsor and walk them through, show them what they can provide within their organization to help the sponsor achieve their goals. (Or for those of you that read this commentary last week, to ‘take away the hurt’.) Sponsors are busy. On average according to the 2009 Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study, sponsors have investments in 12 properties and receive hundreds of submissions. The property that can “help” the sponsor to better understand how they can assist; who can hold their hand to give them ideas on activation; show them unique opportunities that will WOW their target audience and watch over their budgets for them will be successful.

Perhaps when we start out with a property we need to babysit our sponsors. But as we grow our role changes from babysitter to mentor or consultant. Properties are not there to “sell” product to sponsor. In the best of all worlds, they are there to consult, mentor and advise sponsors and prospective sponsors on how to “take away the hurt” and gain results that matter.

This is one person’s thoughts. Yours are welcomed as well so email me at brent@partnershipgroup.ca or visit our web site for more information by clicking on Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists and thank you for reading.

Brent Barootes
President
Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists

I few weeks ago we did a blog about top sponsorship-related websites.  This week, Kim Skildum-Reid did it one better.  She lists her favorite resources and it is a much more detailed and comprehensive list.

Thanks to Kim for including us and providing our new guide to sponsorship resources, much appreciated!  Read it here