Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) will hold its next ESA Insights Forum ‘Beyond 2012’ at the offices of the British Olympic Association (BOA) in London on Thursday 27th May 2010.
The Insights Forum will cover the impact of the London Olympic Games and anticipated post-Olympic activity, the broader legacy of the Olympics including cultural and grassroots activities and the impact on business and the sponsorship industry post 2012
The leadership session will comprise a strong line-up of speakers and panellists including Hugh Chambers, Chief Commercial Officer, BOA; Paul Vaughan, Business Operations Director, Rugby Football Union; Diana Spiegelberg, Associate Director, Development and Learning, Serious (involved with Cultural Olympiad); Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership & Group Sponsorship, Lloyds TSB; Sally Atkins, Deloitte, Programme Director for London 2012;  Dr Martin Yelling, Director, Yellingperformance and Presenter, Marathontalk, and Matt Rogan, Commercial Director, Lane4 as moderator.
The morning event starts with a networking breakfast from 8.30am and closes at 11.45am. To reserve a place, contact the ESA 0208 390 3311.

An Introductory Guide to Corporate Hospitality has been produced by industry body, the European Sponsorship Association (ESA).  Created as part of ESA’s remit of raising standards and sharing knowledge, the 17 page Guide will be seen as a benefit for newcomers to the industry, or for those wanting an overview of the benefits and principles of Corporate Hospitality.

Issues examined in the new Guide include objective setting, measurement and evaluation, as well as top tips and pitfalls, plus an overview of the historical development of corporate hospitality.

The Guide, which is available free of charge to ESA members, was developed in collaboration with ESA members with expertise in hospitality.  Corporate hospitality specialists, Chris Bruton and Jim Bignal of The Cavendish Group were the key authors, whilst input was also received from industry experts, Justin Hopwood, (Mike Burton Hospitality), Amy Kemp (Kempster) and Peter Wilkinson (Peter Wilkinson Associates).

Non-members can purchase a copy of the Guide at a cost of €60 / £50.00 plus VAT. For further information about ESA’s Introductory Guide to Corporate Hospitality, contact the ESA Office on +44 (0)208 390 3311 or email enquiries@sponsorship.org.

The European Sponsorship Association’s Insights Forum: ‘Sponsorship in a New Era’, the second in the series, on April 29th will look at the swift pace of change within the digital landscape and explore the implications for the sponsorship industry and what can be done to maximise the opportunities.

Speakers Trevor Johnson, Head of Strategy and Planning (EMEA) at Facebook and a senior director for Digital Marketing at RIM/Blackberry, will provide an overview of the latest trends for social media and digital marketing.

Johnson will talk about the growing reach of Facebook, how the brand is being developed and the opportunities it presents. He will focus on social media’s unique role in being able to target consumers based on their self-declared passions and interests.

The RIM/Blackberry director will cover what the proliferation in social media and apps means for brands and how this impacts on sponsorship while also giving examples of how Blackberry is using and maximising sponsorship within its marketing activity.

Thomas Godfrey, Commercial Director of Sport England will join Johnson to add some details about a partnership the community sports governing body has entered in to with Facebook and how the ‘Sport Hub’ initiative is succeeding in reaching the public through social media.

A panel discussion will follow focusing on the opportunities and challenges facing sponsorship professionals as they incorporate digital marketing into their campaigns to add further value. The discussion and debate will be moderated by Matt Rogan, Commercial Director of Lane4, who heads ESA’s Educational and Training programme.

Rogan said: “Sponsorship works when a brand engages in a very active way with its key audiences. Increasingly this involves deeply personalised communication. Our delegates will hear about the latest advancements within digital media which enable this - be it via social networking or through a mobile device.”

ESA Insights forums are designed specifically for senior sponsorship professionals to expand knowledge and understanding across key issues at the heart of the industry. 
The morning forum will be held at the offices of The Football League, 30 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8FL.  It starts with a networking breakfast from 8.30am and closes at 11.30am. Prices start at £100 (plus VAT). ESA members receive a special rate and there is a discount for group bookings. To reserve a place contact ESA on +44 (0) 208 390 3311.

The Hollis Sponsorship Awards recognise not only the best sponsorships but also seek to recognise talented individuals.  The Barrie Gill Award, supported by the European Sponsorship Association, seeks out the up and coming talented and motivated young executives who are making a difference to the sponsorships they are working on, their companies and the professionalism of their sectors.  On the shortlist this year were Nick Marsden from the Royal Albert Hall, Jasmine Sall from agency Generate and Sarah Steel from Sheffield Football Club.  Of these three extremely talented individuals, Nick Marsden was deemed the winner and presented with champagne and a cheque from ESA’s vice chair and Sponsorship Consulting’s  Managing Director Pippa Collett.
To find out how to nominate your talented members of staff, please email rsarginson@wilmington.co.uk.

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has just released details on its 2010 training and education programme -  ESA Knowledge  - which offers affordable, high quality events for the industry. The Insights Forums are morning sessions aimed at decision makers and senior industry figures, starting with the Future Trends session on the 25th February in London, and running until May.  The Skills Workshops begin in the autumn and are interactive evening sessions aimed at executives and managers from sponsors, rights holders and agencies. ESA members receive a discount, plus an extra discount for multiple bookings. For details on the programme, please visit www.sponsorship.org.

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has voiced its disappointment at the recently released Health Committee Report on Alcohol. Self-regulation activity by rights holders has not been acknowledged by the report, it says, and therefore the report should not claim to give a complete picture of the alcohol sponsorship landscape.

ESA had submitted a paper to the Health Committee giving important background to the steps being taken by organisations involved in alcohol sponsorship with regard to responsible marketing activity. The submission demonstrated the considerable element of self-regulation being undertaken by the alcohol sponsorship industry (rights holders and sponsors alike).

A further concern of ESA’s is the fact that the principal focus of the report’s research and investigations was football sponsorship. By focussing predominantly on one sport, the report has failed to factor-in other sports and events, such as arts and culture, which also rely upon alcohol sponsorship.

According to the report, drinks brands spend up to £800 million per annum on advertising and sponsorship, considerably outspending the amount spent on alcohol awareness campaigns. The report has suggested that advertisers and sponsors should be required to fund a health education promotion.

The Committee has proposed that no event should be sponsored by an alcoholic product if more than ten percent of those attending are under 18 years of age. This proposition is rejected by ESA on two counts. Firstly, it feels that the ten percent threshold is wholly unworkable and unsupported by any evidence that this will have any positive effect on reducing alcohol-related harm.

ESA argues that imposing such a stringent test will be tantamount to a blanket ban on alcohol sponsorship, as it is inconceivable to accurately assess which events count less than ten percent of children amongst their audience. As a result, and in order to maintain the essential funding provided by their alcohol sponsors, clubs could seek to restrict access to anyone under the age of 18, thereby having a significant negative social impact.

The alcohol industry already works to a voluntary 25 percent rule, in accordance with the Portman Group Code of Practice, and ESA says that it has seen no evidence to suggest that this self-regulation guidance is not working.

Whilst recognising that the issue of alcohol-related harm is significant and serious, the association states that there is no evidence to support a causal link between alcohol sponsorship and alcohol-related harm. The key issues, ESA believes, should be education and sales/packaging/availability rather than sponsorship.

Whilst calls for restrictions and bans on alcohol sponsorship continue, ESA is keen to stress that any such ban would have a significant adverse cultural, social and economic impact and has submitted independent evidence to the Committee on this point.

A war of words has broken out between scientists and marketers over the impact of alcohol-based sponsorship. 

New research published in Addiction Journal claims to have established a link between sponsorship and increased consumption. As a result, there has been a renewed call for alcohol brands to be banned from supporting the sector.

However the pro-drinks lobby has hit back. David Poley, chief executive of industry-funded The Portman Group, dismissed the findings as having “limited relevance to the issues surrounding drinks producers’ sponsorship of sport.” 

His position was echoed by ESA chairman Karen Earl who  questioned the robustness of the research: “we have not seen any research to demonstrate a link between alcohol sponsorship and high levels of drinking But ESA recognises that problem drinking is a serious social issue. We do believe that the sponsorship industry can be an important part of the solution. We have already seen members integrating responsible drinking messages into campaigns”.

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has launched a guide for rights holders seeking to secure sponsorship. 

The guide is aimed at small organisations with properties to promote and newcomers which want to incorporate sponsorship into their business plan. It provides advice on preparation, prospecting and the approach to potential sponsors. It also gives tips about presenting, negotiating and servicing a partnership once a sponsorship has been secured.

Karen Earl, Chairman of ESA, says sponsorship works best when a mutually beneficial partnership is agreed: “The guide provides insight and promotes an understanding of the needs of a sponsor. Often the key to success, both in securing an agreement, as well as the ongoing impact of a sponsorship, lies in identifying and servicing these needs.”

Material from the sports, arts and community sectors also discusses the challenges of finding sponsors in the current climate, the important role that return on investment plays and the inclusion of data when promoting a property. In addition, the Guide highlights the length of time it can take to negotiate and finalise a large sponsorship agreement. Case studies show examples of partnerships where a platform has been created to meet specific targets, brand recognition has been built and employees motivated.

The ESA guide is free to the Association’s 250 strong membership and can be purchased by non-members for £50 (plus VAT) or €60. For further information, contact ESA on +44 (0) 20 8390 3311 or email office@sponsorship.org.

The European Sponsorship Association this week flagged up a new report from Sponsorium which shows just how hard the sponsorship sector has been hit by the downturn.

According to The Sponsorium Report, global sponsorship asking fees are down 50% (period Jan-Dec 2008 to Jan-June 2009). Based on a study of 10,000 sponsorship opportunities, the company found that most properties other than the premium end of the market have had to adjust their prices significantly. According to Sponsorium head of marketing Mark Cornish this is the firmest evidence yet of the impact that the economic crisis has had on sponsorship.

Sponsorium’s report also revealed that many sponsorships fail to meet brand expectations. According to Sponsorium, the average proposal meets just 44.8% of brands’ needs. “At its best, the top 10% of sponsorship opportunities meet 76.9% of brands’ sponsorship criteria,” said Cornish. “Increasingly, those who are successful at meeting the needs of brands are steering away from standard rights package and are adopting a more flexible and customised approach.”

ESA chairman Karen Earl said: “Benchmarking the performance of sponsorship is key to understanding how sponsorship can improve, and ultimately increase its share of the marketing budget. ESA welcomes such data.”

[The Sponsorium Report is based upon 9,827 proposals from 35 countries, submitted to and evaluated against the criteria of 61 different brands from Jan 2008 to June 2009.]

This week saw the sponsorship industry descend on Le Meridien Piccadilly for Marketing Week magazine’s annual Sponsorship Summit. And the general message was that  the sector is coping pretty well with the economic slump.

This is not to say that there haven’t been changes, however. ESA chairman Karen Earl spoke for many when she said that the downturn has led to a greater focus on ROI. Greater attention is being paid to the rights that sponsors need and the areas where they channel their budgets, she said. Brands are also looking carefully at their sponsorship portfolios to see if anything might be surplus to their requirements.

Not surprisingly, sponsorship measurement and evaluation was also a key theme. Increasingly, brands expect rights holders and agencies to provide evidence of effectiveness. This has forced sponsorship sellers to look at new ways of doing so - for example by pooling knowledge and budget with partners which have a similar commercial agenda. The main health warning in this area is that too much emphasis on data-defined ROI may distract companies from more intangible goals such as brand-consumer engagement.