SponsorPitch Referrals

If you don't know already, SponsorPitch is a great resource for sponsors, properties and agencies.  They've recently released an initiative called SponsorPitch Referrals which is super cool.  Here is the info if you are interested in in their referral network.

Sit for Two Years

We had an amazing dinner with an exec of one of the top luxury goods company in the world the other evening.  When asked where the luxury market is going, the response was, "sit for two years" because we over expanded.  Interesting response.   What about innovating as opposed to sitting?

Boston Ballet and Professional Sports

Take a look at this article on the Boston Ballet and their approach around data which resulted in increased audience attendance and ticket revenue.  They made a very smart move by looking at the way professional sports uses data and applying it to their business model.

Value

The value of sponsorship = the value it adds to brands

Don't Be Afraid to Say No

Check out this excellent blog post on Catchafire that finally captures the way that nonprofits think/don't think about strategic ways to engage corporate volunteers.

Instant

Check out this article about Instagram and the ways that brands and people are engaging.  The most insightful is #12 and those who post locations get more engagement.

Partnership Economy

I read this paper Bands and Brands: The Value Exchange a few months ago and I keep going back to it.  I find it so refreshing that finally people are understanding the value of long-term partnerships.  It is such an exciting time to see how everything is emerging, merging, connecting and multiplying due to the partnerships economy.

I love this comment by Johnny Wright:

“We’re always looking to maximize value for our artists when it comes to brand partnerships. Reaching new audiences is critical for long term revenue growth, and the potential value in national or global marketing expenditure far outweighs the short term need to pocket a quick pay check.”
JOHNNY WRIGHT – FOUNDER WRIGHT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP AND MANAGER (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) 

Instagram is looking for a teen community intern

Brilliant!  I just read that Instagram is looking for a teen community intern to spot new trends and teens within the Instagram community.  They are looking for candidates that are "comfortable working across many media and learning new skills.  They should have a deep understanding of how young people are using technology, and love discovering creative accounts on Instagram."  

I think this is very smart of Instagram and I see this "teen internship" as a growing trend.

Moving On

For those that think sponsorship is about is about PR, brand association, emotion, you are right.  For those of you pushing for more, there is.  It is, and always has been about integration in every way. 

For those looking for a press release (do they still do that?), a FB post/Twitter (do they still do that?), or a round-up-at the register for a week, you will not get what you are looking for.

Look deeper.  We finally have the capacity to engage online and offline in so many ways.  Innovate

The Importance of

who you know, not what you know..slightly.  You must know as well!

MIT Media Lab and New Balance, Innovation, Agenda, Different Ways

The New Balance multi-year sponsorship of the MIT Media Lab is a good example of engagement on an enterprises basis rather than philanthropy.  I actually would not even call this partnership a "sponsorship" because there is so much more depth to it. 

 

If you look up the definition of enterprise, it is the willingness to undertake new ventures; initiative.  That is exactly where we need our mindset to be in order to keep developing (biz dev vs fundraising) and keep innovating.

 

Here is the summary and note the key words:  collaborate, long-term, innovation, agenda, opportunity, expertise, different ways. 

 

   "New Balance announced a multi-year sponsorship with the MIT Media Lab. The Media Lab will be used as a tool to spark creativity within New Balance’s Studio Innovation Center, based in Lawrence, MA.

“Our relationship with the MIT Media Lab gives our engineers, designers and product managers the opportunity to collaborate with professors and students from one of the world’s most innovative graduate research programs,“ said Katherine Petrecca, New Balance manager of studio innovation, in a release. “This relationship is an important tool in fueling our long-term innovation agenda at New Balance.”

MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito said New Balance will help the Media Lab “continue to push the boundaries of traditional academic frameworks, and think about science and technology in different ways.”

“We’re looking forward to the input that New Balance will bring with their expertise in areas such as athletic footwear and apparel,” Ito said.

From Financial Education to Financial Capability

If you are working with low to moderate-income individuals and have a focus on financial education (educating through classes, seminars, etc.), take a look at this brief that the Center for Financial Services Innovation released. Pay close attention to where financial services are rapidly moving: Financial Capability which is more high-touch and engaging.

Verizon Foundation: An Innovative Approach to Philanthropy

The Verizon Foundation made a strategic decision to align with the company’s entry into new markets. “Through a focused model that includes grants and in-kind giving of our technology, as well as partnerships with leading nonprofit organizations, the Verizon Foundation aims to become an incubator for new social solutions to demonstrate the efficacy of our products in real-world settings while accelerating deployment of our technology to underserved communities.”

This reminds me of a similar approach that IBM took with SeniorNet back in the early 2000’s. They provided a cash grant to use SeniorNet (tech training for adults aged 50+) as a pilot site for a system developed by IBM to “make the Internet accessible to everyone, including people who have visual limitations that make it difficult or impossible to see a Web page or motor impairments like tremors that make it difficult to type or use a mouse.” The software was available to all SeniorNet members and was the first phase of the roll-out of a new product.

Strategic partnerships and ventures with corporations in this capacity are smart because they serve as platforms to drive future growth and innovation.

Hospitals and Universities, Engaging Corporations on an Enterprise Basis

Companies are focusing on engaging with research universities and hospitals on an enterprise basis rather than just philanthropic. This is a smart shift because there are so many strategic benefits on all sides. Think of new products produced together to generate income, licensing, research & development and top it off with a philanthropic donation.


Take a look at a blurb in NARCRO’s  white paper that clearly frames the issue:

Companies were “pushing back” and making it clear that unlike government agencies or foundations, they are not in the business of giving away money that does not have at least a potential for business outcomes. According to the summer 2010 Sloan Management Review article, “Best Practices for Industry-University Collaboration,” industry interactions with academia are intended to “extract the most business value possible from [university] research.” Corporations no longer consider themselves to be simply donors to academia; they consider themselves to be investors and business partners, where knowledge creation and transfer are a significant part of the equation.

Quote

"People who can put themselves in the place of other people, who can understand the workings of their minds, need never worry about what the future has in store for them."
Owen D. Young

Yoga in the Rotunda

Have you ever had a yoga class in a museum before? If not, head on over to the Brooklyn Museum this Sunday. In connection with the exhibition Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior, three yoga instructors will offer a series of workshops in the museum's rotunda. In addition, a tour of the exhibition will be provided before the workshop. Bring your own mats and enjoy!

BMW Guggenheim Lab

The BMW Guggenheim Lab launches in New York on August 3! Check out the site and FB for cool updates and more information on the project.

Seven Metrics

According to Geoff Ramsey and Vipin Mayar, the authors of a new book titled Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success, there are seven performance metrics that are important for performance measurement across digital channels. You can read more about the seven metrics on eMarketer and here.

Sponsorship Conference, IEG

IEG's annual sponsorship conference is coming up and it looks like a great one.

Overheard

Overheard from a tech EX: "The accelerators in my career were when I opened my mouth, the decerlerators were when I kept quiet."

Oh, there is more..."As long as when your mouth is open, the truth comes out."