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Gaining Support From Senior Executives
When reviewing the sponsorship activities of some companies, it can be fairly easy to identify which companies are sponsoring in order to support business objectives and which companies are sponsoring to support the personal interests of senior executives. The latter are usually involved in activities that don't attract their target audiences and not coincidentally, also mirror the hobbies of those senior officers. Companies that sponsor senior execs' interests tend to do so because the CEO doesn't have a marketing background, has never been educated about sponsorship, or doesn't know how to say "no" to his or her friends. However, there are approaches that can be taken in order to gain buy-in and approval from the higher ups for sound sponsorship strategies.
Crucial to your success is finding a high-ranking champion within the company. This supporter carries influence, commands respect and hopefully sits in the marketing organization. If not, find someone who is directly responsible for bringing in revenue, such as a top sales executive. The champion is your conduit to the CEO and can help sponsorship develop legitimacy among other key influencers. The two areas of assistance your champion can provide are physical access to the CEO and support for implementing policies and procedures.
Once you find an opportunity to get in front of the CEO, use that time wisely. If he or she feels strongly about buying a specific sponsorship and you know it makes no sense to do so, arm yourself with facts, figures (numbers are your best friend!) and testimonials from previous sponsors who felt the property under-delivered. Most CEOs will support irrefutable facts and a bulletproof, persuasive argument. While you're there, take the time to educate your CEO about how powerfully sponsorship can impact your brand if done properly, and how damaging it can be to your brand if done incorrectly. You will walk out of the big office with the newfound backing of the most important champion in the company.
If product groups, field sales representatives, or any other unauthorized groups are signing rogue sponsorship deals, there's a strong likelihood that no policies and procedures have ever been cascaded throughout the company. If unauthorized activities have taken place over time, they have probably become acceptable behavior, do not carry serious repercussions, and may be damaging to your brand. With the support and signature (or e-mail origination) of a senior influencer, distribute a document covering sponsorship policies and procedures to senior managers, who can then filter the information to their organizations.
Another effective way to secure backing from senior management is to simply convince executives to attend company-sponsored events. Executives who have never experienced a fully activated sponsorship that involves and appeals to consumers will be able to witness effective sponsorship on the ground, and that can leave a lasting impression.
