Monday, August 25, 2008

What is Sponsorship??

Basic question.... What is the answer? Ask most young surfers and they will say it is where a company gives you free stuff.

Yeah, OK that is part of it but there is a truck load more to it than that........

A full definition goes like this -

Sponsorship is a process by which a company provides a surfer with funds, products or services for commercial advantage.

Sponsorship is a business relationship and should be mutually beneficial to the sponsored individual and the sponsoring company.

Most companies seek a return on their support or investment, ranging from goodwill within the community to more complex benefits such as media exposure, increased sales and brand awareness.

Sponsorship is about building long-term relationships. The longer the relationship lasts, the greater the value that can be derived from it. It is not an exact science, however, it does manifest itself in a host of different forms on many different levels.

So what does this mean in real terms a surfer can understand........

Commercial Advantage - They see you as a way of positively advertising their products. You become a sales person and an ad for their brand in the hope that you will help them sell products. You might do this by being a good role model in the water and in general. You might be winning comps and people want to have the same products as you, a winner. You might be in the media (mags / on TV / local paper etc) and you are showing the off their brand to heaps of people.....

Business Relationship - You are joining their business the same way an employee would. You are representing them and they are associating themselves with you.

Mutually Beneficial - This means you get something good out of the deal and so does the company (i.e. sales and positive exposure).

Return on Investment - When a company places an ad they expect that ad will create sales that are more than the ad costs. You are in a way an ad for your sponsor. You need to make sure they are getting value for their money either by drumming up business or getting them good media coverage and results.

Long Term Relationships - No sponsor will give you dollars and free boards when you are starting out. They will give you a bit of a deal to show they are interested in supporting you. It is then up to you to prove yourself as a good 'Return on Investment'. Over time, if you do the right thing your sponsor will do more and more for you. A long term sponsor can lead to money, trips and other freebees.

So in saying, if you find a sponsor that is willing to go, take the deal and do everything you can to impress them. Once you prove what you are worth then you will be rewarded accordingly......

Most of all, enjoy the ride.

shan

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