Home > Sponsorship Resources > Sponsorship selection
Effectiveness of Lifestyle Sponsorship
Reaching consumers on their terms. We talk about it all the time these days, but many marketers fail to practice what they preach. It's not that they don't want to reach their target audience in a comfortable, familiar setting that interests those customers. The problem is that many marketers just don't know what inspires and excites their target audience. But chasing after every trend and fad in the marketplace is not only ineffective, but can be seriously detrimental to a marketer's ability to strengthen relationships with customers and prospects.
For marketers who do their research and identify the issues, activities, and pursuits that resonate with their customers, lifestyle marketing can leave an indelible impression. When your target audience walks away from a lifestyle sponsorship activity, thinking, "That company really understands us," you cannot ask for a better reaction. But it's also necessary to have the creativity and ingenuity to craft lifestyle sponsorships that fit your brand's personality and reach your audience at the same time.
So what might work as a cost-effective, powerful lifestyle sponsorship? An example that comes to mind is Motorola's "Leadership" level sponsorship of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It's an event that commands the attention of everyone in the U.S. and international film industries, everyone who loves film, and everyone who loves film and wants to be part of the film industry! But Motorola hasn't just attached its name to the Festival since 1998. Its relationship with the event and attendees runs much deeper by supporting the Sundance Digital Center, a comprehensive series of dialogues and panel discussions about digital filmmaking. The Center offers Festival participants a chance to interact directly with experts and discuss their projects in an informal environment, as well as attend discussions, and experience first hand the latest in digital filmmaking technology. Participation in the Center gives Motorola real credibility among the film crowd.
The key to successful lifestyle sponsorship is to create buzz, but you need trendsetters to support your brand and use your products in high profile, media focused settings in order to generate significant buzz. Motorola realized the importance of getting product in those hands, so the company filled the business and communication needs of Festival patrons by supplying its newest, most tricked-out phones to the Executive Business Center. This selective strategy provides an opportunity to showcase and highlight Motorola's most innovative communication products and technologies to the film community.
To complete its involvement in the event and portray itself as a player in the film industry, Motorola has sponsored post-premiere parties and awards at Sundance. But Motorola pulls out all the stops with the Motorola House, a chalet the company rents on the mountain in Park City. The House hosts blowout parties, which receive significant coverage by the entertainment media primarily because of the presence of actors, musicians and models. The company basically invites VIPs to walk away from the house armed with free Motorola product. This savvy strategy puts product in the hands of celebrities without Motorola having to pay an endorsement fee. With its broad and deep on-the-ground activity, Motorola's involvement at Sundance should serve as a model for effective lifestyle sponsorship.
