BowerPower Papers, a quarterly digital newsletter from Bower & Co. Consulting LLC, aims to inspire non-profit leaders and event/festival producers to think creatively about marketing, corporate sponsorship, events, and business development.
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Volume 3 Issue 3
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Fall 2008
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Dear ,
Well, 2008 sure has zipped by, and I hope, despite the never-ending economic news, that it's been a year of progress and growth for you and your colleagues.
As promised, in this issue I continue my exploration of lessons learned at the Beijing Olympics, and this time, the focus is sponsorship. If you missed last issue's on events, you'll find it in the BowerPower Papers archives.
You'll also find resources for nonprofits during this challenging economic period. I've issued three Special Reports, and the National Council of Nonprofits launched an online resource center. I'll have new service news just after the New Year. Until then, I wish you happy and peaceful holidays. I am grateful for your readership. your feedback, your participation in Bower & Co.'s community, for all you share with me. Here's to a new year and the abundance that it will bring for you! Warm regards, Gail S. Bower  President
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OLYMPIC OBSERVATIONS, PART 2:
MEETING YOUR SPONSORS' BUSINESS GOALS
by Gail S. Bower
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One of the most important improvements you can make to your sponsorship program for 2009 is to focus on addressing your sponsors' business and marketing objectives.
Why is this important? Because corporate sponsorship is a marketing-driven initiative, and the role of marketing in any operation is to foster a positive selling environment for a product or service. Translation: a sponsor's goal is always, ultimately, to sell.
I am willing to bet that if you're not constantly thinking about how well your offerings meet your clients' goals, your corporate sponsorship program may lack value. It may resemble some hybrid form of a corporate gift.
Join me in revisiting the Beijing Olympics. I'd like to share with you my observations about the likely business goals behind the activation tactics of a sampling of the corporations that sponsored last summer's Olympic Games. These examples will help you understand how to recognize the ways that sponsorship fulfills business goals.
Coca-Cola
Two initiatives by the soft drink manufacturer were launching:
- collectible bottles designed by eight Chinese artists, each paired with a song composed by a musician from some part of the world, and
- commemorative cans, some featuring Coke's logo in different languages and others featuring six Olympic athletes. The athletes were also the subjects of vignettes aired on NBC during the summer.
TV spots that ran during the Olympics proclaimed, "If you've had a Coke in the last 80 years, you had a hand in making every Olympic dream come true."
Business goals:
1. Sell more Coca-Cola. A TV spot that ran in Philadelphia encouraged viewers to collect all the cans, available at the local Acme Markets.
2. Sell collectibles to Coke's more active customers, Coca-Cola memorabilia collectors.
3. Reinforce Coke's image as a global brand through this beloved global event.
McDonald's
These were among McDonald's initiatives as the "Official Restaurant":
- McDonald's Champion Kids program engaged young people worldwide in activities that focused on body, mind and spirit.
- It operated 4 new McDonald's Olympic venue restaurants.
- In McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew program, a longstanding McDonald's Olympic tradition, the company recognized and rewarded its top restaurant employees. 1,400 of McDonald's "best-of-the-best" restaurant employees from around the world traveled to Beijing to serve the world's best athletes and thousands of others.
- McDonald's also launched new menu items around the world:
- Beijing Burger, Caramel and Banana Sundae, and Rice Sticks in Latin America.
- In Russia, the McFresh line, Chicken and Fish sandwiches, and a Shrimp Salad.
- In the U.S., Southern Style Chicken, which featured nine Olympic and Paralympic athletes on the packaging.
- In Australia, a Flavor of the Games promotion featured 5 different burgers: The American, The Euro, The African, The Asian and The Australian.
Business goals:
- Reinforce its commitment to nutrition and well being, and enhance its repute among youth and families.
- Increase sales and expand its global business. Well before the Olympics kicked off in Beijing, McDonald's opened drive-through locations throughout China. http://internationaltrade.suite101.com/article.cfm/olympics_feed_mcdonalds_sales. Why? China has millions of first-time car owners.
- Reinforce McDonald's commitment to its employees at all levels of its operations. Employee programs, like the Olympic Champion Crew, provide incentives to staff and showcase McDonald's to prospective employees and customers as an exceptional employer.
- Build traffic and increase sales by extending its Olympic promotional message into retail locations.
Omega
The luxury watchmaker was the Official Time Keeper.
Business goals:
Promote its product line of sophisticated timepieces in the context of the Olympics, where fractions of seconds mark the difference between the Gold and Silver Medalists, and between a medal winner and fourth place.
Visa
Visa card was the only credit card accepted at the Games, and in the U.S. TV campaign, Morgan Freeman, a trusted figure, was the spokesperson of its brand building campaign, "Go World." They've sponsored the Olympics for more than 20 years " . . . for the simple reason that the Olympic values of dedication, excellence, and inclusiveness are values we share."
Among the ways it activated its sponsorship were:
- The placement of ATMs with Visa branding around Beijing.
- Creating the Olympic Reunion Center, which it conceived with the International Olympic Committee. Visa's association through the Center with this "amazing elite - Olympians from past Olympic Games," the company notes on its website, ties to their values (above).
Business goals:
- Increase card usage.
- Reinforce brand identity on a global platform.
Developing appropriate, meaningful, and results-driven sponsorship programs takes time, creativity, and an excellent relationship with your sponsors. Sometimes, this is a benefit of years of working together, so that the activities are just the right fit for both parties. Whether you are creating a new program or re-imagining an existing sponsorship program, don't rush through this process. Work with your partner and allow your creativity to come to life.
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| SPECIAL REPORTS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Marketing, Producing Events, Selling Sponsorship During Turbulent Times
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Gail Bower issued three special reports to support nonprofit and festival/event leaders during these challenging times. The reports offer the best perspective and mindset you can have if you're responsible for marketing; dos and don'ts for producing events; and tips on selling sponsorship.
In case you missed them, keep reading and follow the links to read the entire reports.
The Sky is Not Falling; Seize the Moment
by Gail S. Bower
Early one morning in October, in preparation for a series of strategy meetings with a client located on Florida's Emerald Coast, I took a walk on the beach. The economic crisis had just begun to permeate the global markets, and the presidential candidates were advocating, a month prior to the election, for Congress to pass the unpopular Wall Street bailout bill. In short, it seemed the world had begun to come unglued.
Walking along, I began paying attention to the sandpipers, my favorite coastal birds. They had no idea there was a financial crisis happening, and they continued their work with laser focus. Sandpipers constantly move about, their senses highly acute in the search for morsels of food. As marketers what can we learn from their behavior?
Read the rest of the Marketing Report
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Producing Events During Down Times: Dos and Don'ts
by Gail S. Bower
Does the world suddenly seem different to you, thanks to the Wall Street meltdown, the Pennsylvania Avenue showdown, and the nonstop media coverage of it all? You're not alone. But the fact of the matter is that we must all continue our lives, and for some of us that means providing vital services to constituents, clients, and customers who need us.
Producing a fundraising or promotional event during this financial mess may seem pointless as you consider all that is going on; however, your event might be just the occasion your community needs to come together to find solace, comfort, and a positive outlook to inspire a new future.
Read the rest of the Event Report.
6 Tips for Sponsorship Selling in Turbulent Times
by Gail S. Bower
Unless you've been living in a cave recently, you know that following the global economy has been like strapping yourself into the car of a rollercoaster. The difference is that on a rollercoaster ride, you don't have the media and political candidates frightening you through every dip and curve about how scary the ride is.
In the midst of all this turbulence, you need to maintain perspective, a sense of optimism about the future, and a commitment to your purpose. Your constituents need you, and so do your sponsors.
That's right. Corporate sponsors need you. That is, if you have something of value for them to buy.
Read the rest of the Corporate Sponsorship Report.
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Gail Bower, President, Bower & Co. Consulting LLC, specializes in
raising the visibility, revenue, and impact of non-profit
organizations and festivals/events. She's a professional consultant, writer, and speaker,
with more than 20 years of experience managing some of the country's most
important events, festivals and sponsorships. (Business Philadelphia
named Gail among the "100 People to Watch" in 1993.) Launched in
Philadelphia in 1987, today Bower & Co. provides marketing and
business development counsel and implements marketing programs. For
more information, visit her web site or contact her at 1-866/36-BOWER
(1-866-362-6937).
© 2008 Gail S. Bower. All rights reserved.
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National Council of Nonprofits Launched Online
Resource Center for Nonprofit Leaders |
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The National Council of Nonprofits has
assembled the Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center, a free, online clearinghouse of resources
designed to help nonprofits cope with the multiple challenges created by the faltering economy.
The Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center consists of three "Focus Areas": Basic Facts &
Analysis, Impact on Nonprofits, and Proactive Positioning-Action Steps for Nonprofits. In
combination, these sections aim at helping not only nonprofits but also grant makers, journalists,
policy makers, and the general public understand the scope of the economic downturn, how it
affects nonprofits in various subsectors and regions across the country, and what nonprofits can
do to weather these turbulent times.
An evolving tool, the Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center is updated continuously with new resources, allowing nonprofits to adapt to changes in the economy as they happen. Each resource
added to the Vitality Center is vetted by the National Council's staff before being posted for
public view, making the Vitality Center more relevant and effective than a search engine for
finding these types of resources.
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| Frank Sinatra on MySpace
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Check it out.
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Bower & Co. to launch new services in '09
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| Bower & Co. will launch a variety of services for nonprofit and event sponsorship seekers. Stay tuned for more details. |
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