And while we're talking about Poker...

Last time I sat down at the keyboard, I wrote about my recent experience of watching World Series of Poker on ESPN recently. I'm admittedly a poker neophyte – wouldn't know an inside straight from an inside fade. (Okay, I made that up... I don't even know if there IS something known of as an "inside fade"...)

But I do recognize good sponsorship tie-ins, and if you want to see some classic text book sponsorship tie-ins, you,ve got to watch WSOP.

From the players themselves sitting around the tables for hours/days at a time --- check out their "wearing apparel". Heck, most of these folks are sponsored by somebody (...or several somebodies)! If you didn't know any better, you'd swear you stumbled into a NASCAR drivers convention!

So I started doing a little research on this and discovered that there's big money in getting "air time" on TV wearing the patches of your sponsors. According to Sports Business Daily (July 9, 2009), "A player (sitting at the...) feature table 'earns an average of $10,000 for displaying a company's logo on their clothing...".

According to the article, the sponsors are usually such on-line gaming web sites like Pokerstars.net or Full Tilt... or Ultimate Bet. But it's not just the players themselves that are cashing in from a little well-timed exposure. Check out the TV broadcasts themselves!

What these guys at ESPN have done is literally "invent" sponsor-able inventory. These are literally made-for-TV -- my favorite of which has got to be the moment when one of the big players pushes all of his chips into the center of the table in a "do-or-die" exercise to win a pot ... or die trying. (In poker, when a player does this, it's said that he/she is going "…all-in". )

Pretty tense moment for that player, don't you think? It's go big ... or go home.

So what do the genius marketers at ESPN do...? They dubbed this "The All-In Moment". Okay – that works. That's good. But the best is that they then went out and got Degree Antiperspirant to be the sponsor! As in: "The Degree All-In Moment".

That's genius! What a great tie-in! (I mean think about it ... would this work nearly as effectively if it was called the "Sherwin-Williams All-In Moment"? No WAY!)

I've already admitted that I don't know a whole lot about poker. But I think I may have to become a fan of watching the WSOP. I like the commentators, I like ESPN's effective use of getting-to-know the player vignettes – and I love the sponsorship tie-ins. Good stuff guys – keep it up!

Messin' with Sasquatch

Okay … so maybe we can chalk this up to a "focus group of one" story … but I think I'd prefer to claim this as a great example of just how well a well-placed sponsorship works instead. I gotta say -- it sure worked on me!

So here's my tale. My middle son, Ryan, came home from college this past weekend for a nice three-day weekend. We hadn't seen him since he headed off to school in mid-August, so it was great to have him home for a few days.

And as he usually does when he's home -- Ryan turned on the TV to watch poker on ESPN. Admittedly, while I'm familiar with poker, it's not something I know a whole lot about, and had never really watched it for much more than 3-4 minutes on TV in the past. However this time -- since Ryan is so rarely home, I pulled up a chair and watched a recent episode of WSOP (the World Series of Poker) with him.

Ryan, who follows this religiously, was having a great time filling me in on all the "back stories" of the various poker superstars, and explaining some of the strategies involved. It was all fascinating stuff … but (…and this is where you'll laugh at me…), what was really capturing my attention was the logo on the felt for Jack's Links.

"What’s a Jack's Links", I asked Ryan – completely clueless.

"They're a beef jerky company, Dad."

"And they sponsor the World Series of Poker?"

"Oh yeah", he replied, "They're the Official Sponsor of WSOP". (I came to quickly learn that nobody actually calls it "World Series of Poker"… apparently the REAL fans call it "WSOP".)

And while it was fascinating to see if the guy in the fuzzy hat going "All In" was going to be able to pull a club on the "Turn" card, what I couldn't seem to get away from was this Jack's Links tie-in. I'd never heard of them before. Wonder what they're all about…?

So today I went out in search of some Jack’s Links beef jerky. And you know what – it's pretty good! I'm a fan. (Just as I am of their well-targeted commercials themed around "Messin' with Sasquatch". If you haven't seen them – look 'em up on YouTube. Funny stuff!)

So what have we learned here today? Well … if nothing else, you just got a ringside seat to one man's example of how a well-placed sponsorship tie-in can sell product. I'm probably not the "target demo" of WSOP – but apparently, it seems like the ones who are … already know all about Jack's Links.

And isn't that what a good sponsorship is all about…??

So...What do YOU think?

Received some interesting feedback from a recent blog we posted last week. I was writing about the negative "impact" a sponsor receives when their featured "star" blows up and does something negative, dumb, illegal, or (fill in the blank). My sentiment is that you have to be incredibly skillful in who you (…as the sponsor) get into bed with from the celebrity world. Pick the right one and you can magnify your effectiveness quotient ten-fold. However -- pick the WRONG one and your eye gets as black as their black-eye does when their actions get magnified in the court of public opinion.

Some folks agreed with me on this, but others thought that the fall-out over any negative celebrity sponsor/advertising endorsement was overblown. The "nay-sayers" tend to think that consumers won't (….or don't) connect the dots to the sponsor when a Kanye West or Serena Williams take a few steps past "too far".

I'm curious to hear what you think? Do YOU connect the dots? Do you think others do? Hit the reply button and weigh in with your two cents! Thanks!

Racing to a Win...Win...Win

I was just reading about what sounds to be a really nice (and effective) local-market sponsorship program that tied MultiGrain Cheerios in with CNN and local market YMCAs in tandem with several high profile city marathons. On just about every level – this worked. And it's these kinds of multi-channel combinations that you would be wise to look for as well in your sponsorship programs.

The sponsorship (…which is on-going right now as I write this), ties in with five major marathons going on around the country this year. (It started with the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon back on May 17th …will continue this month with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11th … and then will wrap up at the end of the month at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. on October 25th.)

In conjunction with these five races, Cheerios has partnered with the local YMCA's in each market to help encourage kids to get active by running in their community's upcoming marathon. The "Y" serves as a central "hub" for each of the respective market programs – helping to sign up and train the kids for the race to come. (Not that the kids ran (or will run) the whole thing – the participants just ran the last 1.2 miles of their city's marathon course on race day.)

Into this "mix" came CNN. (Nothing like having a media partner to help drive the bus!) CNN has on their schedule a program, "Fit Nation" that features the secrets of various CNN reporters telling about their dramatic weight loss – what motivated them to get fit and how losing weight has helped them to positively change their lives.

So you've got five major markets and a network that wants to not only promote itself in general, but a specific program on its schedule.

You've got MultiGrain Cheerios that wants to sell its product by promoting its healthy lifestyle make-up. ("Eat more healthy grains…") You've got the YMCA – that wants to promote it's activity centers and lifestyle …and lastly, you've got five major marathons that don't mind at all getting the extra publicity and promotion.

What you've got is a recipe for a marriage made in heaven.

And the biggest winners? That's right – it's the kids participating in each of these markets.

Each kid received a healthy, wholesome experience as well as a special medal, a race participation certificate and a photo of themselves in the race. What a blast!

And how about the different sponsorship parties here? Did they get to "go home winners" as well? Absolutely!

CNN got to bring their cameras out to these five major marathons, produce upcoming programming and promote themselves, their network and their partners. The YMCA as well as MultiGrain Cheerios got lots of free media and publicity – and were clearly recognized as "the good guys" behind this (… and what's THAT worth, right?), and the kids in each of these five communities got a chance to do something they otherwise wouldn't have gotten to do … and gotten fit in the process.

It's been a "Win…Win…Win" all the way around.

Do you have a "Win…Win…Win" in mind for your next event or issue? For the audience members in your next series of speaking presentations?

Are you thinking that way with (and for…) your sponsors? If not … you should…

What Are YOU Lookin' At?

You know those movies where the "hero" finds himself (or herself) in a situation where one of the bad guys (…looking for a fight…) glares at our hero and growls, "What are YOU lookin' at?" As if daring the hero to start something.
Well … when it comes to sponsorship – we'll let you be the "hero" … and you definitely should be looking to start something! So let me ask you, "What ARE you looking at…?"
What magazines are you reading … what events are you attending … what TV shows are you watching? I ask you because chances are -- what interests you might very well interest your audience members, readers and/or your attendees. So…who's advertising on these programs or at these events? Is there a Program you can look through? If so – do it. If you're at a sporting event, who are the companies advertising on the dasherboards, outfield fence or sidelines?
These are obviously companies that see value in being "tapped into" the types of events, programs, meetings or magazines that appeal to you. Jot them down and do a little digging. (And don't overlook the competitors of these advertisers. Chances are … Pepsi is interested in the same types of consumers as Coca-Cola is, right? And so is 7-up, Dr. Pepper and Hanson's sodas.)
There're all kinds of possibilities out there – so, what are YOU lookin' at…?

It's No Longer "Just About You"

For those of you that have been reading my sponsorship blog for any length of time (…and I hope that’s a TON of you out there!), you know that I’m decidedly "bullish" when it comes to advising you about building a family of sponsors for your meetings, teleseminars and newsletters – which goes as well for people in the speaking business.

However, as positive as sponsorships are for your business and your bottom-line, there are some "downsides" that you should also be aware of.

And one of those is being astutely aware that when you sign on with a sponsor – you are, in essence, signing on with a business partner. No – not one that's going to get wrapped up in your "dollars & cents" – but one that has a vested interested in your success nonetheless. These companies – your sponsors, have hitched their wagon to your star – and they've paid you very well for that right. You would be wise, in return, to keep this always in mind.

Your actions, your words are truly no longer your own. As you go … so goes your sponsor. This -- as we've recently seen, can be a very negative thing…

I write this thinking about last month's well-publicized semi-final US Open match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams. At a highly critical point in the match Serena Williams obscenely threatened a linesperson – in front of a packed house and a national TV audience. (Talk about doing the "wrong thing…at the wrong time…!")

A certain amount of her emotion can be chalked up to the "heat of the moment" – but what she clearly did was wrong. But she didn't help herself any when … shortly after the match, (when a cooler head was called for), she didn't apologize. Instead she told reporters, "I'm moving on".

Wow – maybe that cavalier attitude works for her … but what's that do for her sponsors? What about Nike's best interests? Or Wilson Athletic's … or Gatorades? Was she mindful of what kind of an impact her outburst would have on their businesses? (And we're not talking "chump change" here – Nike, for instance, signed Serena to a five year contract back in December, 2003 – with an option for an additional three years (eight years total) that could top out at $55-million for Ms. Williams.)

You've got to think that the public perception of Ms. Williams (and that of her sponsors) didn't improve after Serena's outburst. (Which is probably why … by the next day Serena was whistling a different tune about her actions the night before. Suddenly she was quite contrite and apologetic. Got to think her sponsors didn't waste a whole lot of time weighing in on her actions….)

And how about Olympic sensation, Michael Phelps? His ill-advised interlude with a bong became an overnight sensation on the Internet and in the process tarnished the impeccable image of one of America's "Wonder Boys". And taking the "hit" alongside of Phelps were his sponsors – companies like Visa, AT&T and Powerbar. One of his high profile sponsors, Kellogg's, opted to not renew Phelps' sponsorship saying: "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg". Well … that about sums it up, eh?

Phelps will no doubt recover, but what about you? Is YOUR behavior consistent with the image that your sponsors wish to display? (You probably never thought much about it … but you need to.)

You need to keep in mind that once you take on a sponsor, along with it -- you also take on their hopes, needs and expectations for everything involving you and your event/ business. You have a responsibility to represent yourself in THEIR best interests … not just yours.

It’s not just about you anymore.

Keep Your Antenna Up

This is one of those things that I try teaching you to do, remind and encourage you to do … but in the end, you either "do" it … or you don't. This has to become something that becomes "second nature" to you – you've got to keep your antenna up.

Even when the office is closed.

Fact is, for successful sponsorship sales people … the office is "never" closed!
You've got to keep your mind always open for business -- open to potential opportunities … potential prospects … potential new ideas. You never know when you'll be reading a magazine or watching a sports match on TV and see an ad or a story -- or a logo for a new company along the sidelines or the dasherboards.

"Hmm…who ARE these guys? I wonder…" – that's what you've got to be asking yourself. Jot their names down and first chance you get to hop on a computer ~ check 'em out. (That's the beauty of the Internet … you only a mouse click away from tapping into a wealth of information.)
But this all starts with your keeping your mind actively open for companies out there that can fill in the holes for you. Keep your antenna up and you'll be amazed at how many prospects keep just "popping" up for you!