$20 Million to Web

AdAge reports that Reckitt-Benckiser (Lysol, Airwick, Clearasil) will move $20 million from TV to the web. Good move & it's about time.

This quote from their media manager and internet specialist makes me laugh though, "Everything is ROI-focused and needs to be accountable," Mr. Fonzetti said. "That's why this program has taken us so long to develop. We want to make sure everybody is comfortable behind this."

Goodness, isn't your job to listen to your customers and make them comfortable. You should have done this years ago. I guess when you are spending that kind of money, you need to educate and sell internally first.

Unusual Cause-Marketing Push

Check out this piece from AdAge about the marketers at KFC thinking outside the box. This is way outside the box but I like it!

There is no more normal

In the March 23 & 30 issue of Businessweek, there is an article on management ideas for our changing world. A few statements caught my eye, "Smart leaders recognize that they can use this crisis as a catalyst to spark new way of thinking and doing business." And the quote from John Chambers, Cicso CEO, "Without exception, all of my biggest mistakes occurred because I moved too slowly."

This made me think about the state of sponsorship and corporate membership programs. What can we do NOW to stay ahead of the game, as opposed to blaming everything on the economy and waiting for things to go back to "normal." As corporate philanthropy departments continue to thin, merge and/or dissolve, who is our contact? Where will the money come from? What is the pitch?

These are exciting times. For the next few days I'm going to think about the opportunities around this crisis. In the meantime, I'll going to be sure that my corporate supporters know that we are central to their business strategy.

Flat Champagne and Curly Sandwiches

Last year, a colleague of mine pitched an exhibition to a chief marketing officer at a major bank. This CMO was pretty sharp and said that he didn't want to sponsor another art exhibition because he was sick of flat champagne and curly sandwiches. He went on to say that he couldn't justify the spend on an exhibition.

This concern of justifying spend is not new. This has been going on for a long time. However, it seems that now more than ever the sponsorship industry must show results.

So, how to measure ROI? I think it really depends on what the sponsor wants to achieve. You must first determine objectives and business goals. Then agree upon measurements for success. Often times these include visibility, traffic to website, store traffic, pre-post awareness, lead generation, client acquisition and image transfer.

Go in to your conversations armed with case studies that show ROI and you'll be way ahead of the competition.

Birch Tree, New Beginnings

Every year in May my mom would take a picture of me in front of our birch tree. I was thinking about that tree last night and how it is a powerful metaphor for our current times.

The birch is highly adaptive and able to sustain harsh conditions with casual indifference. Proof of this adaptability is seen in its ability to repopulate areas damaged by forest fires or clearings. The birch is a sort of a pioneer in taking root where no other would.

Now is the time to be adaptive and think in new ways. The world has changed dramatically. No longer can we count on a financial institution throwing big bucks at museums for an exhibition.

We need to change with the needs of our prospects and be innovative. If we don't, we won't be around.

Fortune, Another Round?

In this weeks issue of Fortune, there is a great little piece about California's Mayacama's golf course and country club. It talks about the club's unique sell that gives a reduced membership fee to vintners who produce wines scoring above 92 pints from Robert Parker or Wine Spectator.

The catch is that they must agree to host "winemaker dinners and tastings and provide a barrel of the latest vintage at cost."

What a brilliant win-win idea that we could borrow. Think of it, we all need wine and cheese for our events. By assembling a group like this and giving them a corporate membership or a discount package, we wouldn't have to beg for a case of wine for each event. We would have high-quality partners who would offer our guests exclusive wines and products. In sum, our guests are happy and the food/wine partners are getting their products out to key audiences. Very innovative indeed!

Measurement tools

I don't think that there will or should ever be a one size fits all sponsorship measurement tool. The reason is that companies have different business objectives. The fashion industry is very different than the financial industry. Fashion may be looking for visibility via magazines and financial may be looking for access to audience and "money can't buy" experiences for their VIP clients. Lets move away from a one size fits all measurement tool and move toward LISTENING to what our corporate sponsors want.

Future

Where do you see the industry of sponsorship going?

Just do it

Do it well and let people know you do it well.

Profitable business activities

"Joseph Goode, a Bank of America spokesman, said that the bank was obliged to repay what TARP had provided, and that sponsorships like its Charlotte deal “are profitable business activities that generate the earnings required to fulfill these obligations.”"

We are really going to have to keep an eye on the developments around TARP funding and sponsorship. Things are changing rapidly...innovation must kick in for our industry-STAT!