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194 how-to articles on doing sponsorship properly — for the people who sponsor, and the people who seek sponsorship. Free, ungated, and added to regularly.

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SponsorsMar 2026

The Ten Biggest Questions Brand Managers Ask about Sponsorship

Like most people, I’ve been working with AI across a lot of functions. I’m working out effective ways to use AI with sponsorship, and…

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RightsholdersFeb 2026

Rightsholders: This is How It FEELS to Do Sponsorship Right

I’ve created many dozens of blogs, white papers, tutorials, and more all about how to do best practice sponsorship, as well as the…

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RightsholdersFeb 2026

Sponsorship Leverage Workshop: The Easiest and Highest-Leverage Way to Add Value to Your Sponsors

When I talk to rightsholders about adding value to their sponsors – AKA sponsorship servicing – some rightsholders have no idea what I’m…

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SponsorsJan 2026

Diversified vs Non-Diversified Sponsorship Portfolios: A Guide for Sponsors

Over the years, I’ve had so many people ask whether it’s better to have a diversified or focused (non-diversified) sponsorship portfolio…

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SponsorsSept 2025

Sponsorship in a Recession: A Sponsor’s Guide

The sponsorship industry is staring down the possibility of serious economic crisis. Many economists are predicting a global recession,…

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RightsholdersAug 2025

Recession-Proofing Your Sponsorship Program: A Rightsholder’s Guide

This blog was originally written in January 2020, before COVID-19 brought recession down on the world. Since then, the economy has been…

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BothJuly 2025

Introducing the All-New Corporate Sponsorship Toolkit 2nd Edition

After a very long writing and publishing process, my brand new book is finally out and available to sponsorship professionals worldwide…

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SponsorsJune 2025

What is the Role of a Corporate Sponsorship Manager?

I’ve written blog after blog after article after book about the collaborative nature of sponsorship; how it requires both broad buy-in and a…

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RightsholdersMay 2025

Rightsholders: How to Spot a Sponsorship Lie (and What to Do about It)

Sponsorship lies are ubiquitous in our industry. It’s a temptation to call them “white lies” because they’re usually not intentionally…

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RightsholdersMay 2025

8 Must-Have Organisational Traits for Successful Rightsholders

I’ve spent a bit of time over the past few years covering the traits you want and don’t want in sponsorship managers, but as important as it…

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RightsholdersApr 2025

How Long Should You Follow Up on a Sponsorship Proposal?

This is a pretty common question in my inbox, with many rightsholders telling me that they’ve left “literally dozens” of voicemails or had…

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SponsorsApr 2025

Sponsors: How to Get the Right Sponsorship Consultant for the Job

Lots of sponsors hire sponsorship consultants or agencies, and I’d hazard a guess that most of them go pretty well. But if you’ve been in…

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RightsholdersMar 2025

How Do You Get a Fire-Sale Sponsor to Renew at a Realistic Level?

You shouldn’t have. You know you shouldn’t have. But you did. You sold a sponsorship at way below market value because time was getting…

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SponsorshipFeb 2025

What Artificial Intelligence Really Thinks of Sponsorship

A few days ago, I did a few updates on my white paper, Disruptive Sponsorship. One of the things that needed updating was the AI sponsorship…

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RightsholdersFeb 2025

Rightsholders: 7 Questions that will Transform Your Sponsorship Results

Being successful at selling and retaining sponsorship requires a sophisticated approach, a number of critical skills, and a replicable…

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BothFeb 2025

The Limitations of Data-Driven Marketing and Sponsorship

Data is a huge thing in marketing. From big data forecasting to person-level customer journeys, attribution models to unified marketing…

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BothJan 2025

New Podcast: For the Love of Sponsorship

A couple of months ago, I sat down for an interview about sponsorship with charming Irishman, Stephen Bradshaw, from the fantastic podcast,…

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SponsorsJan 2025

Sponsorship Selection for Smart Sponsors

Sponsorship is a lot of work. Getting a sponsorship from go-ahead to delivering measurable results against your objectives requires effort,…

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BothJan 2025

Do You Need a Sponsorship Expert for Your Podcast?

Over the years, I’ve been on a lot of podcasts talking about sponsorship. I’ve been on podcasts for brand marketers and rightsholders;…

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BothDec 2024

What Is the Real Driver for Sponsorship Leverage?

I talk a lot about sponsorship leverage, but it’s so critically important to sponsorship results that it warrants a lot of attention.…

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RightsholdersNov 2024

Rightsholders’ Guide to Using AI for Sponsorship

“Can I use artificial intelligence to write my sponsorship proposals?” I’m hearing this question a lot. And the answer is that you CAN use…

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RightsholdersOct 2024

How Many Times Do You Have to Miss Your Sponsorship Target before You Change Your Approach?

How many times will you miss your sponsorship target? How many times will you scramble for rats and mice sponsorship to make up a shortfall?…

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SponsorsOct 2024

“But Sponsorship Leverage Costs Money!”

For years, I’ve had the same protest at sponsor workshops. I go through the benefits of sponsorship leverage and a bunch of case studies,…

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RightsholdersSept 2024

What Time of Year Should I Seek Sponsorship?

I get this question a lot. The expectation is that there will be some magic window where the yesses will be plentiful. The good news is that…

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RightsholdersAug 2024

Can You Target Multiple Sponsors at the Same Time?

This is a question I get at least a couple of times a week. Generally, it refers to approaching multiple sponsors in the same category – ice…

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RightsholdersJuly 2024

How to Increase Sponsorship Revenue: Getting Creative with Benefits

You want more sponsorship revenue. Everyone does. The problem is that you only have so many benefits to offer, so if you want more money,…

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SponsorsJuly 2024

The Sponsorship Consistency Conundrum for CMOs

You’re the Chief Marketing Officer of a large multinational, or a Group Marketing Manager, overseeing multiple major brands. Whatever your…

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SponsorsJune 2024

Why You Should Never Use a Scorecard to Assess Sponsorships

If you read this blog with any frequency, it won’t come as any surprise that I have a few sponsorship-related pet peeves. One of my biggest…

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RightsholdersJune 2024

Why Associations Suck at Sponsorship, and How to Fix It

My normal approach is to write blogs and other materials that are centred on the various skills, strategies, and pitfalls around sponsorship…

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RightsholdersMay 2024

Should We Hire a Sponsorship Valuation Service?

Selling sponsorship is hard. Even if you do it perfectly, you’ll still hear “no” more than “yes”, and if your skills are less than best…

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RightsholdersApr 2024

How to Shift a Sponsor’s Mindset on Measurement

These days, sponsorship measurement is sophisticated, multi-faceted, and creates a holistic picture of the results achieved. Sponsors forego…

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RightsholdersMar 2024

The Bear Grylls Guide to Sponsorship Renewals

I loved Man vs Wild. I mean, who would have thought being a survivalist could be sexy? Thankfully, Bear Grylls is still at it, because I…

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SponsorsFeb 2024

How to Right-Size Your Sponsorship Leverage Activities

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I talk a lot about sponsorship being win-win-win. That third win is for the target markets, with…

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BothJan 2024

Tick Tock: The Most Precious Resource in Sponsorship is Time

If you asked one hundred sponsorship professionals what the most precious resource in our industry is, ninety-nine of them would say “money”…

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RightsholdersJan 2024

Rightsholder Sponsorship Strategies for a Great Year

It’s early in the year, the time when we look at twelve months stretching out in front of us, and the sponsorship possibilities seem…

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SponsorsJan 2024

Sponsor Strategies for a Great Year

Here we are, at the beginning of the year – 365 days where you can stick with the status quo, for more of the same uninspired approach…

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SponsorsNov 2023

What Every CMO Needs to Know about Sponsorship (Redux)

I write a lot about sponsorship – books, blogs, white papers – and virtually all of it is aimed at the frontline sponsorship and brand…

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RightsholdersNov 2023

How Not to Sell Sponsorship: A Guide for Charities

Organisations with charitable status often have enormous commercial potential, but more often than not, that potential goes unrealised.…

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BothOct 2023

6 Critical Strategies for Sponsorship Negotiation

In the past, I’ve tackled a lot of aspects of negotiation, but I haven’t really blogged about the basics of the whole negotiation process…

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RightsholdersOct 2023

What Should You Do When Your Board Sets Unrealistic Sponsorship Targets?

If you’re a rightsholder – particularly in the non-profit or charitable space – your board probably holds a lot of sway over…

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SponsorsSept 2023

Using Sponsorship to Support DEI and ESG Initiatives (and Not Just Pay Lip Service)

DEI and ESG have been percolating away in the corporate world for a while, but in the past few years, have exploded. The profile of these…

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BothAug 2023

Why I’m Not the Right Sponsorship Consultant for You

I’m a sponsorship consultant, undertaking sponsorship reviews, developing strategies, and building organisational sponsorship capacity. I…

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SponsorshipJuly 2023

No Excuses: It’s Time for Developing Sponsorship Markets to Grow Up

Sponsorship sophistication varies around the world. There are mature, sophisticated sponsorship markets, developing markets, and some…

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RightsholdersJuly 2023

Is It Better to Have Fewer, Bigger Sponsors or More, Smaller Sponsors?

I get this question quite a bit. Is it better to have fewer, larger sponsors, or more, smaller sponsors? The implication is that the choice…

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RightsholdersJune 2023

How to Ride Out a Bad Sponsorship (and Get Out Gracefully, when the Time is Right)

Just about every rightsholder in the world can run through their sponsorship portfolio, noting the great sponsors, the improving sponsors,…

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RightsholdersMay 2023

Should You Have Opt-Out Clauses in your Sponsorship Contracts?

I was recently involved in a debate about whether multi-year contracts are preferable to year-to-year deals. I make no bones about my…

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SponsorsMar 2023

Sponsorship and Emerging/Improving Technology: The Rules of Engagement

I’m a nerd, and I love technology. My office, home, and travel is peppered with ridiculously-specced gear, and I don’t know what I’d do…

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BothMar 2023

Why Great Sponsorship Requires Both Right- and Left-Brain Thinkers (and How to Get the Best out of Them)

Yeah, I know. The left/right brain thing has been largely debunked. But it’s still accepted shorthand for tasks and people that are more…

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RightsholdersFeb 2023

39 Ways to Ensure You Don’t Sell Sponsorship

My blog is full of advice on how to sell sponsorship – the strategies, angles, and pitfalls. But in order to find the right…

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SponsorshipFeb 2023

ChatGPT May Be New, but Its Views on Corporate Sponsorship Are Stuck in the Nineties

Like so many people in recent days, I’ve been giving ChatGPT a run. And like so many people, I’ve found it to be fun… and amazing… and…

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SponsorsJune 2022

A Sponsor’s Guide to Getting Buy-In (and Why It’s Crucial to Great Sponsorship)

Way back at the beginning of my career, I worked for an agency that leveraged mostly sports sponsorships for Fortune 500 companies. My…

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RightsholdersMay 2022

How to Build Sponsor Relationships

There are people in this industry who will tell you that sponsorship is all about relationships, and that building personal relationships…

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RightsholdersMay 2022

Why You May Be Better Off Without a Sponsorship Broker

Every week, my various inboxes overflow with questions from around the world, and the two things I’m asked most are whether I will sell…

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SponsorsFeb 2022

5 Bad Habits Sponsors Need to Leave Behind

COVID had a big impact on the sponsorship industry. The negative impacts were readily apparent, but there were also a lot of positive…

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RightsholdersJan 2022

Most Important Post-COVID Sponsorship Strategies for Rightsholders

A few days ago, I wrote a similar blog for corporate sponsors, listing the sponsorship strategies that have emanated from, and been…

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SponsorsJan 2022

Most Important Post-COVID Sponsorship Strategies for Sponsors

I know, I know… COVID isn’t over. But what we are seeing is what public health experts are calling a shift into the “new normal”, and with…

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SponsorsNov 2021

Why Sponsorship Leverage is Like Boxing

After four months of lockdown, I was finally back in the boxing gym yesterday and wow, am I sore today. Actually, it’s not the muscles I use…

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SponsorshipOct 2021

Sponsorship Industry Scammer, Matthew Delmore, Sentenced to Federal Prison

Matthew Delmore was sentenced in US Federal Court today, 29 October 2021, for his role as the leader and primary beneficiary of a…

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SponsorsAug 2021

Should We Bother Measuring Sponsorship Awareness or Exposure at All?

I’ve been getting this question often, of late. The good news is that most of the sponsors that ask have moved on from visibility-based…

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RightsholdersJuly 2021

What Is the Role of a Sponsorship Sales Manager?

A little while back, I wrote a blog about the role of a corporate sponsorship manager, which should be a much broader role than it’s usually…

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BothJune 2021

Ronaldo and Coca-Cola Make It Clear: It’s Time for Major Rightsholders to Grow Up

“Cristiano Ronaldo snub wipes billions off Coca-Cola’s market value.” That was the 16 June headline in The Guardian. But they were hardly…

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SponsorsMay 2021

How to Manage (or Get Rid of) a Senior Executive’s Pet Sponsorship

In many ways, the Global Financial Crisis of 07-08 was one of the best things that ever happened to the sponsorship industry. As the level…

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RightsholdersMay 2021

Can Sponsors Help Teams Sell Tickets?

That was the question I had to address at a conference a while back. My opinion? Of course sponsors can help teams sell tickets. Great…

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RightsholdersApr 2021

Top 11 Sponsorship Proposal Killers

I see a lot of sponsorship proposals, and most of them are terrible. Your property may be amazing, but if your proposal is awful, you’re not…

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SponsorsApr 2021

My Top Five Priorities for Sponsorship Selection

This is another total rewrite of a very popular blog from a few years ago, and while the advice from back then still holds, my top five…

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SponsorsApr 2021

How to Structure a Sponsorship Portfolio

Most of my blogs address issues and opportunities presented by individual sponsorships or overall approaches. It isn’t often that I address…

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BothMar 2021

The One Critical Skill Most Sponsorship Professionals Lack

Sponsorship isn’t easy. It’s complex and sophisticated and it requires many very specific skills to do it well. But there is one skill that…

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SponsorsMar 2021

Sponsors: What If You Could Start Over?

It’s still early in the year – the time when people wipe the slate, make resolutions, and dedicate themselves to doing better. It’s when…

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RightsholdersMar 2021

Sponsorship is Unallocated Funds, End of Story

I recently had an interesting question. A charitable organisation was advised by their lawyers that they were obliged to spend sponsorship…

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BothFeb 2021

Last Generation Sponsorship Redux

It’s been over two decades, and a million downloads, since I first wrote “Last Generation Sponsorship”. I’ve done…

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BothFeb 2021

The Most and Least Powerful Sponsorship Benefits

Back when I started in this industry, visibility ruled, and the most powerful thing any sponsor could get was lots of logo exposure –…

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SponsorsJan 2021

How Much Should You Budget for Sponsorship Leverage?

This is a big rewrite of one of my most popular blogs for sponsors. It’s actually the second full rewrite, since I first wrote it…

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SponsorsJan 2021

6 Ways Sponsors Can Be Jerks, Without Even Knowing

This blog is for all the sponsors out there. And no, I don’t think you’re a bunch of jerks. Not at all. But there are some things that a lot…

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SponsorsDec 2020

Can’t Keep Up? 3 Ways to Better Manage Sponsorship Proposal Assessment

Some sponsors receive dozens of unsolicited proposals a month. Some receive hundreds. Others, thousands. It’s a relentless firehose of…

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SponsorsDec 2020

How to Exit a Sponsorship

Looking at the title, I think I probably should have been more specific. I mean, there are dozens of ways to exit a sponsorship, including…

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RightsholdersDec 2020

The Zero Guilt Trip Guide to Raising More Cultural Sponsorship

A few years ago, I came across an article entitled, “Sponsorship is Dead! Long Live Corporate Cultural Responsibility”. This article is a…

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RightsholdersNov 2020

Why Having a Strong Marketing Plan is Critical for Sponsorship Sales Success

I can hear you. You’re asking yourself what a marketing plan has to do with sponsorship sales. And I’m here to tell you that it has…

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RightsholdersNov 2020

Diary of a Sponsorship Loser

I hear a lot of stories from rightsholders. Stories filled with frustration, anguish, and sheer desperation. Most of the time, all of that…

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RightsholdersOct 2020

Action Plan: What to Do when a Big Sponsor Exits

This is the nightmare for much of our industry. I’m guessing some of you may develop a facial tic just thinking about it! And yet, it…

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SponsorsOct 2020

How to Create a “Balanced” Sponsorship Portfolio

The other day, I had someone ask me how to ensure a sponsor’s sponsorship portfolio was “balanced” across sponsorship categories. Her…

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SponsorsSept 2020

Favourite Sponsorship Leverage Hack: Don’t Sponsor the Property, Sponsor the Fans

I’ve published a few sponsorship hacks over the years. Most of them have to do with a process shortcut – something to streamline or speed up…

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RightsholdersSept 2020

4 Warning Signs that a Sponsor is Planning to Exit

Have you ever been blindsided by a sponsor exiting? Thought a renewal was a sure thing, or at least a strong probability, only to get a…

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RightsholdersSept 2020

Sponsorship Proposal Hack: The Invention Test

I love Masterchef, and one of my favourite challenges is the invention test. If you’re not a cooking nerd, like I am, the invention test is…

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RightsholdersSept 2020

4 Warning Signs that Your Sponsorship Proposals Suck

I’ve lamented on a few occasions about the bad news I often have to give to rightsholders. A lot of it has to do with the quality of the…

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RightsholdersAug 2020

Are Sponsors Worth the Headache?

This was a question I came across a while back. To be fair, the person who asked wasn’t that blunt, but had definitely seen a lot of…

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SponsorsAug 2020

Five Reasons Sponsors Should Consider an Umbrella Sponsorship Portfolio

I love umbrella portfolios. I make no bones about it. They’re powerful, flexible, and super-efficient – what’s not to…

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SponsorsAug 2020

The Dos and Don’ts of Sponsorship Research

While there are lots of ways to measure sponsorship, how to conduct sponsorship research is often the most vexing. The thing is, sponsorship…

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SponsorsAug 2020

The Enemy of Effective Sponsorship Measurement

I’ve written at length about sponsorship measurement in books and blogs, but I’ve never really addressed why sponsorship measurement so…

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BothJuly 2020

It’s Not the Size of the Sponsorship, It’s What You Do with It

“We sponsor a great little organisation, but their reach is so small, how do we make this work for our brand?” “Our event is smallish and…

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SponsorsJuly 2020

Sponsorship Measurement: How to Measure What’s Important

A while back, I read a blog by Seth Godin. In it, he asked a question that has stuck in my head ever since: Do you measure it because it’s…

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SponsorsJuly 2020

Dos and Don’ts of Sponsorship Proposal Assessment [Infographic]

How complicated can sponsorship proposal assessment be? I mean, you just look at the back page for the price, and if you don’t fall…

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BothJune 2020

Should Sports Uniforms Carry Sponsor Logos?

I speak at a lot of conferences, and one question that comes up in North America – and nowhere else – is whether sports uniforms…

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SponsorsJune 2020

Sponsorship Multi-Tools: The Holy Grail for Sponsors

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say almost all of us has at least one multi-tool. I’ve got a much-loved, 20-year old Gerber that lives in…

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SponsorsJune 2020

What Should a Sponsor Do If a Rightsholder Doesn’t Deliver Contracted Benefits?

I recently worked with a sponsor that had a major sponsorship with a professional sporting body, but when the rightsholder failed to deliver…

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RightsholdersMay 2020

How Do You Sell Sponsorship to an Old-School Sponsor?

The sophistication level of sponsors increased dramatically in the aftermath of the global recession of 2007-2008, as sponsors had to deal…

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SponsorsMay 2020

Sponsorship Benefits Every Sponsor Should Want

Sponsorship is an amazingly creative medium. Unfortunately, most sponsors still lack the imagination to really harness it. Either that or…

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RightsholdersMay 2020

Sponsorship Beginners Can’t Get a Break (nor Should They)

I get emails all the time from people who read my blogs or watch my tutorials. Most have specific questions or just want to thank me for the…

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BothApr 2020

Corporate Sponsorship SAQ (Should-Ask Questions)

A while back, I wrote a blog entitled “If the Answer is a Sponsorship Formula, You’re Asking the Wrong Question”. Ever since, I have…

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RightsholdersApr 2020

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Send Your Sponsorship Proposals to Consultants

I had a very typical situation today that took an almost surreal turn. I was on television being interviewed about sponsorship one night. By…

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BothMar 2020

Should a Sponsor Pay for Extended Benefits?

You’re a sponsor. You sponsor a team that has just got into the finals/playoffs. The team enacts the contract clause that states you either…

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SponsorsMar 2020

Should a Sponsor Exit if an Event is Cancelled?

“Social distance.” As COVID-19 takes hold around the world, this is our lives now. To mitigate the virus’ spread, we’re being…

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SponsorsMar 2020

Sponsors: 4 Renewal Strategies for Reinventing Your Sponsorship

You’ve been sponsoring a property for a while and renewal time is coming up. Sometimes, what you need to do is a no-brainer; the experience…

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SponsorsFeb 2020

Is It Ever Okay to Invest in Sponsorship for Defensive Reasons?

When it comes to sponsorship selection, there are a number of great reasons to commit to a sponsorship. There are also a few bad reasons…

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SponsorsFeb 2020

Why Be a Sponsor?

That’s a good question, and one I get more than you would think. Over the past decade or so, sponsors all over the world have looked at the…

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SponsorsJan 2020

4 Minor Changes That Could Create Major Improvements in Your Sponsorship Results

When it comes to annual sponsorship plans, many sponsors simply pull out last year’s plans, update a few figures, and do the same thing…

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SponsorsDec 2019

How to Manage Regional Sponsorship Management

You’re a brand or sponsorship manager, working in your corporate headquarters. You’re handling the national and/or global sponsorship…

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RightsholdersDec 2019

Sponsorship Pricing Basics

I get more questions about sponsorship pricing than any other aspect of sponsorship. I wish there were an easy answer – a magic wand I could…

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RightsholdersDec 2019

Psychographics: An Overlooked Building Block for Sponsorship Sales

So, you target women 18-34, living in your geographic catchment area. That seems specific enough. So, how are you going to entice them to…

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BothNov 2019

Sponsorship Leverage vs Activation: The Difference and Why It Matters

I recently wrote a blog about the longstanding issue around whether to call what we do “sponsorship” or “partnership”. So you know, the…

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BothNov 2019

Sponsorship vs Partnership: Will This Argument Ever End?

Air New Zealand recently posted an amazing video, featuring their staff welcoming the All Blacks home from the Rugby World Cup with a haka.…

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SponsorsOct 2019

8 Toxic Traits a Corporate Sponsorship Manager Shouldn’t Have

A while back, I wrote a blog entitled, “8 Traits of a Great Corporate Sponsorship Manager”. I think that gives a good rundown on the type of…

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RightsholdersOct 2019

5 Ways Rightsholders Need to Get Over Themselves

You’re great. No, really… you, your organisation, your properties, are all wonderful. I wish I could meet you all, and I could happily go to…

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BothOct 2019

How to Hire a Corporate Sponsorship Consultant

Sponsorship consultants are a dime a dozen – I’m one – but we are far from a homogenous group. When it comes to hiring one to assist with…

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SponsorsSept 2019

What Esports Fans Can Teach Brands about Sponsorship

Esports are exploding. That’s not news. Unsurprisingly, esports sponsorship is also exploding, and there is some great sponsorship happening…

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SponsorsSept 2019

11 Good Reasons to Exit a Sponsorship (and 5 Bad Ones)

I was inspired by a great question I got recently, and am writing a couple of blogs on exiting sponsorships. This one is about why you…

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RightsholdersSept 2019

The Number One Job of a Sponsorship Proposal (and It’s Not What You Think)

You spend a lot of time crafting your pitch – what you are going to say to pique a sponsor’s interest and the proposal you leave behind. I…

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RightsholdersAug 2019

How to Spot a Sponsorship Broker Scam (and One Broker You Should Avoid)

Really good sponsorship brokers are rare. They have extensive connections, strong skills, and a good work ethic. They’ll represent your…

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BothAug 2019

Do You Really Need a Sponsorship Policy?

Sponsorship is an exciting, vibrant, creative, and ever-changing industry. We’re lucky to be a part of it. But like all jobs, there are…

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SponsorsJuly 2019

Sponsors: 8 Ways to Ensure Your Sponsorship Portfolio Underperforms

I’ve blogged on and on about the big issues that affect our industry; about the critical factors that drive sponsorship results. But…

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RightsholdersJuly 2019

You’ve Got the Big Sponsor, Here’s How Not to Screw It Up

The sponsorship industry is rife with advice on how to sell sponsorship. A quick search of the web will net you literally thousands of…

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RightsholdersJuly 2019

6 Reasons You’re Better Off without That Sponsor

Sponsors mean money, so it makes perfect sense to try to retain all of the sponsors you possibly can. Honestly, though, there are times when…

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SponsorsJune 2019

5 Ways Sponsors Abuse the Privilege

A few years ago, I started using a new word around sponsorship – “privilege”. At one point, I was trying to convey the critical importance…

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RightsholdersJune 2019

How to Find Out Who to Contact for Corporate Sponsorship

This now fully updated blog has been the most popular blog on this website since it was first posted. Meeting with, and getting your offer…

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SponsorsMay 2019

8 Traits of a Great Corporate Sponsorship Manager

I’m often asked by clients to assist in writing the job description for hiring and managing sponsorship staff. What I come up with is…

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SponsorsMay 2019

The Best Sponsorship is Process-Driven Sponsorship

For most sponsors, decisions to invest in or renew a sponsorship are based primarily on analysis against a set of criteria. This may seem…

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BothMay 2019

Does Sponsorship Affect Share Price?

A few years back, I read an article entitled, “The Impact of Sponsorship on Share Price Brand Value”. The main assertion is that companies…

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RightsholdersApr 2019

How to Save a Sponsorship in 5 Minutes

We’ve all been there. You start negotiating a sponsorship that you thought was a dead cert to renew, and it’s suddenly looking…

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RightsholdersApr 2019

Is First Right of Refusal the Sponsorship Equivalent of a Ball and Chain?

First right of refusal is a valuable defensive benefit for a sponsor, guaranteeing them the opportunity to review and take up a new…

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RightsholdersMar 2019

The First Sponsor Meeting (and How Not to Make an Idiot of Yourself)

The first meeting with a sponsor is both the most important, and the easiest to screw up. Sponsors know what they want to hear, they know…

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RightsholdersFeb 2019

What to Do if a Sponsor Says, “Just Send Me a Sponsorship Proposal”

When you hear that, what do you think? Some rightsholders are delighted that they’ve been asked to submit a proposal. The more astute…

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BothFeb 2019

Four Other Reasons You Might Need a Sponsorship Consultant

The normal role of a sponsorship consultant is to offer expert strategic advice, generally based on a reasonably long history of doing good…

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SponsorsJan 2019

Sponsors’ Guide to Avoiding Mediocrity

Sponsors all over the world are embracing best practice sponsorship – adding value to the fan experience, aligning with fan and customer…

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SponsorsJan 2019

The Sponsors’ Guide to Breaking Sponsorship Rules and Changing the Game

I can admit it: I’m a nerd. I love science fiction, hate JarJar Binks, and have stood in my back garden waving at the International Space…

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SponsorsJan 2019

Should Your Community Sponsorships Be Managed Separately from Other Sponsorships?

I’ve lost count of the number of sponsors I’ve worked with who managed their community sponsorship portfolio separately from their other…

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SponsorsDec 2018

6 Warning Signs Your Sponsorship Has Passed Its Use-By Date

Sponsorships get stale. And when they get stale, they don’t work. What was a great sponsorship or an awesome leverage idea several years…

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BothDec 2018

What Should a Rightsholder Include in a Year-End Sponsorship ROI Report?

Nothing. Measuring sponsorship is not your job. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “If I can’t prove what the…

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SponsorsDec 2018

How to Create Sponsorship Vision

Best practice sponsorship is strategic. It’s creative. It’s amazingly multifaceted, measurable, and just bloody amazing. But it’s also very…

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RightsholdersNov 2018

How Do Sponsors Evaluate Sponsorship Proposals?

Sponsorship proposal evaluation comes down to two major factors: What you offer; and who you submit it to. These are the factors that will…

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RightsholdersNov 2018

Why You Shouldn’t Sell Sponsor Mentions as a Sponsorship Benefit

It used to be that 99% of sponsorship proposals were made up of the following four or five benefits: Logos on things Tickets to things Some…

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RightsholdersOct 2018

Herding Cats: Getting Your Regions to Deliver a National Sponsorship

I have worked with a lot of big rightsholders, and one of their biggest challenges is how to get the regional offices to deliver national…

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SponsorsOct 2018

Ambush Marketing has Never Been Easier… or More Pointless

I was recently discussing sponsorship with a brand manager, when she said that she didn’t understand why brands would bother with…

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BothSept 2018

Valuing Contra vs Cash Sponsorship

How to value contra, otherwise known as in-kind, sponsorship is a question I get almost every day. What is most interesting is how…

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SponsorsSept 2018

5 Things Your Sponsorship Consultant Probably Won’t Tell You

Over the past few years, I’ve had several consulting jobs where I’ve been the second consultant hired in less than a year. Either the…

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RightsholdersSept 2018

The Problem with Sponsorship Levels

This is a total rewrite of one of my most popular blogs. For years, this blog has sat squarely in the top five, and according to analytics,…

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BothAug 2018

Rightsholder Research that Really Benefits the Sponsors

“Can you name any of the sponsors of this event?” If that question is never asked again, our industry would be better for it. It’s…

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BothAug 2018

Disruptive Sponsorship: Like Disruptive Marketing, Only Better (white paper)

My latest white paper is all about how sponsorship broke the ground that Disruptive Marketing is now claiming, and how we’re going to…

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SponsorsAug 2018

Sponsorship, Data, and Maximising Brand Returns [Infographic]

With the huge, new focus on developing giant data sets – for analytics, for micro-targeting – some sponsors have lost their way on…

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SponsorsJuly 2018

The New Swear Words of Sponsorship: Sponsor Edition

I recently wrote a blog on The New Swear Words of Sponsorship for rightsholders. But rightsholders aren’t alone in this sponsorship…

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RightsholdersJuly 2018

The New Swear Words of Sponsorship: Rightsholder Edition

Years ago – like, seriously, twenty-five years ago – I did a presentation at a major conference where I called “exposure” and “awareness”…

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RightsholdersJuly 2018

Attention Non-Profits: Your Mission Statement is Irrelevant

I have lost count of the number of sponsorship proposals that feature – even open with – a non-profit’s mission statement. These are the…

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RightsholdersJuly 2018

Don’t Send a Sponsorship Proposal Until You Read This

Most sponsorship proposals are total crap. They are all about the rightsholder, not taking the sponsor’s needs or markets into consideration…

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RightsholdersJune 2018

Can’t Keep Up? 5 Ways to Simplify Sponsorship Servicing

Back when I started in this business, sponsor servicing was almost non-existent. Properties (usually) delivered the benefits, then the next…

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SponsorsJune 2018

Think an Online Form Will Make Sponsorship Selection Easier? Think Again!

Over the years, I’ve been involved in several lively discussions about the value of online sponsorship submission forms. The response…

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RightsholdersJune 2018

Should We Break Up Sponsorship Sales and Servicing Roles?

This is a question I’ve had with increasing frequency the past few years from (usually) larger rightsholders. Most of them have been…

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SponsorsMay 2018

Why Using Sponsorship for Data Acquisition is a Bad Idea

Sponsors around the world are becoming preoccupied with data acquisition – to the point where it is a primary goal of many sponsorship…

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RightsholdersMay 2018

5 Sponsorship Negotiation Mistakes that Hurt Your Bottom Line (and Make You Look Dumb)

You’ve got a sponsor interested in your property. You must have done a few things right, and congratulations for that. Unfortunately,…

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SponsorsMay 2018

If the Answer is a Sponsorship Formula, You’re Asking the Wrong Question

“What proportion of our sponsorship portfolio should be made up of sports, arts, community events, etc?” “How much should we spend on…

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BothApr 2018

The Rejection Letter Sponsors Wish They Could Send

A while back, there was a social media stir about an over-the-top rejection letter sent to 900 candidates for a job in the IT industry.…

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SponsorsApr 2018

Which Generation Corporate Sponsor Are You?

I’ve been doing sponsorship a very long time, and I’ve seen the growth of best practice through four very distinct generations. When we…

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RightsholdersMar 2018

Six Signs a Sponsor is Just Not That into You

Rejection sucks. We all hate it, and it’s even worse when we don’t see it coming. But, there are a few signs that rightsholders…

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RightsholdersMar 2018

What’s the Best Layout of a Sponsorship Deck and the Acceptable Number of Pages?

If you were a fly on the wall of my office, you would have been wondering why I was yelling at my computer screen last week. I had seen that…

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RightsholdersFeb 2018

How Much Should You Pay a Sponsorship Broker?

I was recently involved as an expert witness in a case involving sponsorship broker remuneration. As I reeled through all of the ways a…

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RightsholdersFeb 2018

Rightsholders: Please Stop Doing Audience Division

“We’re projecting attendance of over 17,000. With your $20,000 sponsorship, that means you can reach all of them for just over a dollar…

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RightsholdersFeb 2018

How to Use Your Website to Sell Sponsorship

I get a lot of unsolicited emails – okay, spam – trying to sell me sponsorship. Leaving to the side the fact that I’m not a sponsor, I’m…

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SponsorsJan 2018

Five Reasons Sponsors Resist Change

I meet a lot of sponsors, and something that strikes me with alarming frequency is the fact that so many of them are quite aware of what…

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RightsholdersJan 2018

How to Increase Sponsorship Revenue: Getting Creative with Benefits [Infographic]

After writing my recent blog, How to Increase Sponsorship Revenue: Getting Creative with Benefits, I realised that there was a great way to…

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RightsholdersDec 2017

Selling Multi-Brand Sponsorship: The Cheat Sheet

A while back, I stumbled across a post by Oxfam, showcasing the best performers in their Behind the Brands Scorecard. That is, in and of…

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SponsorsNov 2017

Negotiating and Managing Multi-Brand Sponsorship

I tell rightsholders all the time, “Don’t approach the company, approach the brand”. The underlying principle is that companies will…

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RightsholdersOct 2017

Why Governments Should Never Put Sponsorship Out to Tender

Over the years, I’ve had a steady stream of questions about putting sponsorship out to tender. The questions invariably come from…

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RightsholdersAug 2017

Sponsorship Sales Rule #1: Sell What Sells, Not What You Need Money For

Every day, my inbox fills with messages from people who want advice about selling sponsorship. There is nothing wrong with that – I’m happy…

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BothAug 2017

7 Reasons You Should Want Multi-Year Sponsorship Contracts

I see too many one-year proposals. Way too many. Some rightsholders seem to be under the impression that it will be easier for a sponsor to…

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BothAug 2017

Anatomy of an Ugly Sponsorship Renewal

I work with some amazing, committed sponsorship professionals, spanning industries and on both sides of the equation. But as smart and…

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BothJuly 2017

The Minefield of Selling Major Sponsorship to a CEO

A while back, I was forwarded a link to a video showcasing how Chelsea Football Club went about replacing their principal partner. The link…

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RightsholdersJuly 2017

How Not to Sell a Major Sports Sponsorship

“Lower Back Jersey Partner” Those were the only four words on an ad featured in an industry newsletter. This is where we’re going to put…

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SponsorsMay 2017

Sponsors: How to Keep Rightsholders from Stealing Your Leverage Ideas

If your company sponsors a major event or professional sporting organisation, there is every chance that they will require you to submit…

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BothMay 2017

If You Can’t Explain Sponsorship to Your Grandma, You’ve Got It All Wrong

“If you can’t explain it to your grandmother, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein I love that quote, and it is so…

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RightsholdersApr 2017

New Video: Sponsorship Proposal Basics in About 15 Minutes

After almost seven years, over 137,000 views, and a lot of amazing feedback, I’ve fully updated my most popular video tutorial, “Sponsorship…

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SponsorsApr 2017

Dear Sponsors, Fans Don’t Owe You Anything

There is a “Coke ad” that did the rounds a few years ago Facebook and Twitter. It’s a collaboration between a few people, including mystery…

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SponsorsMar 2017

This Is What Ambush Marketing Looks Like

Back in 2010, soccer fans were gripped with anticipation over the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Also in that year, Valentine’s Day…

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RightsholdersMar 2017

Sponzillas: How to Deal with a Sponsor that Bullies

Sponsors are becoming more and more strategic in how they make new investments. They’re embarking on strong relationships that are…

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SponsorsFeb 2017

9 Secrets of Amazing Sponsors [Infographic]

I’m asked all the time what separates truly amazing, best practice sponsors from the also-rans. And although the specific strategies…

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SponsorsFeb 2017

How to Respond to Sponsorship Spam

OMG, I get a lot of sponsorship spam. I bet I average a dozen or more spamsorship emails a day, and they all say virtually the same thing:…

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BothFeb 2017

What is the Greatest Sponsorship Innovation of Modern Times?

A while back, I saw the following, excellent question on Twitter and was asked to put in my two-cent’s worth: What is the greatest sports…

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RightsholdersJan 2017

What Generation Rightsholder Are You?

A while back, I wrote a similar blog for corporate sponsors, giving them the hallmarks of each generation of sponsorship, how that is…

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RightsholdersJan 2017

How a Great Sponsorship Proposal Follows a Hollywood Story Arc [Infographic]

Most sponsorship proposals are awful. They’re uncustomised and often arranged in levels; They’re self-centred, having absolutely…

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RightsholdersJan 2017

Managing the Hardship of Selling Sponsorship

I got an email a few weeks ago that was just heartbreaking. The subject line read simply, “The hardship”, and the email went on to detail…

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SponsorsDec 2016

Sponsors: Should a Major Sponsorship Be an Extension of Your Marketing Plan?

A while back, I was advising a sponsor, and came upon this scenario… A large brand takes up naming rights sponsorship of a major…

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RightsholdersNov 2016

Why You Should Never Write a Sponsorship Letter of Request

The only thing worse than a search-and-replace, gold-silver-bronze sponsorship proposal is the “letter of request”. I don’t even like the…

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RightsholdersJuly 2016

Are You Really Selling Sponsorship?

I get dozens of emails and social media approaches every week from people looking for sponsorship of their podcast, website, blog, business,…

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BothMay 2016

Sponsor Speeches: How to Alienate Your Target Market in One Easy Step

I talk all the time about the kinds of benefits sponsors should want from an investment: Benefits that can be shared across the target…

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SponsorsApr 2016

Why “Proud Sponsor Of” is the Most Worthless Phrase in Sponsorship

Oh, how I hate those words. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that those three words can be among the most telling in…

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SponsorsAug 2015

Is Naming Rights Sponsorship Worth the Money?

I’ve had this question a few times lately. More often than not, it’s a brand manager who asks the question, after a senior executive has…

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BothOct 2013

Cover Girl? How the Heck did THAT Happen?

A funny thing happened when I got back from overseas a couple of weeks ago. I checked my email and there was one from a journalist I worked…

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RightsholdersSept 2013

Sponsorship Lie #212: “There’s Still Time!”

One of the first things I do every day is check out what’s happening on LinkedIn. It’s such a great resource for advice and networking in…

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194 articles is a lot

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