Activation
Meeting internal staffing requirements
Sponsorship has always been a unique function for many companies. Oftentimes, the powers that be don't know where to stick sponsorship, so it ends up sitting in an unlikely organization. Do some research on companies large and small and you'll find sponsorship as part of advertising, marketing, sales, community relations, government relations, public relations, or within a product group. Sponsorship is a marketing communications function and it naturally belongs in a marketing organization. Just as different departments oversee sponsorship from company to company, staffing scenarios also differ significantly. But is there an ideal organizational structure for sponsorship staffing within a company?
The fact that most companies operate global businesses dictates to a large part how sponsorship should be staffed. If all advertising decisions and corporate marketing directives originate from corporate headquarters, shouldn't the company's sponsorship strategy also originate from corporate? Headquarters should host a sponsorship center of excellence, from which policies, procedures and guidelines originate. The corporate function should also act as an internal source of information, guidance, training and resource allocation.
While sponsorship is truly a marketing specialization, not all companies have the resources to create sponsorship-specific positions. However, the corporate center of excellence must be staffed with sponsorship professionals. Ideally, the group should include a director and multiple managers, depending on the size of the company, its geographic reach, breadth of product/service offerings, and the size and intricacy of its sponsorship portfolio. Staffing in regional offices should be largely dependent on the scope of sponsorship activity. In most cases, brand managers or advertising personnel can handle responsibility for sponsorship matters.
What about staffing for specific sponsorship activities? If you have the resources of an internal events group at your disposal, there is no reason to hire an outside event management agency. However, staffing an event is an action item that must be taken seriously, since the people on the ground act as brand ambassadors to fans and consumers. If a specialized activity is required and the expertise is not available internally, spend the money on an outside agency! It may be the difference between an engaged consumer and a disappointed one.
