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.