Organisations
receive numerous sponsorship requests over the course
of a year, and total expenditure on sponsorships
can represent a significant component of the overall
marketing budget; however, sponsorship audits typically
show that organisations support a host of sponsorships
(ranging from large through to small), a number
of which have too little direct relevance to the
organisation's key business objectives.
While
the marketing function is generally responsible
for managing the sponsorship portfolio and strategy,
sponsorship proposals and decisions are frequently
received and made at multiple points within an organisation,
and far too often on the basis of personal interest
rather than strategic business reasons.
Because
sponsorships are central to brand awareness and
relationship marketing, a clear and objective evaluation
framework needs to be implemented so all business
units within an organisation select sponsorships
which: (a) support wider corporate goals; and (b)
offer an effective return on investment.
Based
on recommended "best practice", The Sponsorship
Evaluation Tool ("SET"), developed by Davis &
Associates and used successfully by a number of
clients, scores sponsorship proposals against a
set of criteria in a three stage process, requiring
a minimum score at the end of each stage to achieve
an overall minimum score for endorsement:
 |
Stage
1 assesses the proposal against six major requirements
( e.g. the sponsorship directly supports one
of the organisation's major strategic objectives;
the sponsorship provides target audience / customer
segment fit & reach etc ) |
|
Stage
2 assesses the proposal against four minor requirements
( e.g. is there a clear contractual agreement;
is the requesting organisation reputable? etc
) |
|
Stage
3 assesses the proposal against four feasibility
criteria ( e.g. how many hours / days will it
take to plan and implement the sponsorship internally
?; can we negotiate an incentive package to
reduce up-front costs / or can we reduce cash
costs in return for non-cash contributions ?
etc ). |
For
information on the SET email us at info@davismarketing.com.au
