Earnest's quick guide to sports sponsorship for B2B brands. We provide you with a guide on how to make the most out of your sponsorship deal or partnership. Whether you sponsor within entertainment, sport, or a completely different sector, it's important to ensure that your sponsorship is utilised to it's full potential, ultimately maximising your return on investment. We take a look at some of the common mistakes that sponsors in the B2B business sector make, and look at how to rectify these to maximise commercial benefit. Don't rely on sponsorship rights alone to activate your partnership. Get in touch for information on how we can help your brand activate sponsorship rights.

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Earnest’s quick guide
to sports sponsorship
for B2B brands
EARNEST INSIGHTS

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The right sponsorship deal can bring huge benefits to your brand
When you find a partner who shares
your values, the association can reward
you with a wealth of new business.
Sponsorship rights alone aren’t
enough. Without a great activation
strategy in place, the potential of
your partnership will remain as
just that: potential…

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So, what makes a sponsorship successful?

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Sponsorship works best when…
• It is a central part of a
well defined integrated sales and
marketing strategy.
• It generates meaningful data
and relevant content, putting the
brand at the heart of the conversation
and driving awareness.
• It works to increase return on
investment with specific business
targets in place.
© Earnest (London) Ltd 2013www.earnest-agency.com/entertainment

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w
It’s easier if…
• A significant number of the
property’s fans are heavily involved
in the sponsor’s product category.
The higher the percentage of cross-
interested consumers, the greater
the impact the sponsorship is
likely to have.
• The connection between the
sponsored property and the
product offering is obvious.
If the link is too tenuous or takes
too long to explain, it’s unlikely to
capture buyers’ imaginations.
© Earnest (London) Ltd 2013www.earnest-agency.com/entertainment

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But…
This can be difficult for B2B brands.
More often than not their target
market will not be heavily involved
in the property they sponsor, and
relevance of the association may
not be clear.
© Earnest (London) Ltd 2013www.earnest-agency.com/entertainment

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Therefore…
It’s essential that B2B sponsorships
are supported by a considerable
investment in activation and other
related marketing activities.
If a company isn’t promoting the
sponsorship to their target market,
they’ll get far less value from
their initial spend.
© Earnest (London) Ltd 2013www.earnest-agency.com/entertainment

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What common mistakes are sponsors making?

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Treating sponsorship as separate from other marketing efforts
Sponsorship needs to be part
of an integrated marketing plan,
with sales teams leveraging maximum
value from the partnership at
every opportunity.

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Failing to track results
As well as having a clear strategy in
place from the start, it’s important to
measure everything and continually test
new ideas to evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the campaign.

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Not directing the right people toward relevant content and data
Sponsorship is about more than one-
event wonders and hospitality. Brands
need to speak to their audiences in
ways that mean something.

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Neglecting to make staff and current customers
feel part of the journey
It’s not just about drumming up new
business. Sponsorship can help you
strengthen existing relationships,
motivate your team and improve loyalty.

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Mimicking B2C tactics
Sponsorship activation in the B2B
sphere is a different ball game. You
need to remain focused on your
audience, where they are and what’s
meaningful to them.

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Sponsorship is changing, so must the way we think about it.

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Call to action
Earnest, who?
Earnest is a multi award-winning full
service marketing agency, brimming with
passion for B2B and sports brands.
Finely-tuned strategy. Heavyweight ideas
to pack a punch. Campaigns that turn
heads. Earnest likes to call it ‘impact
through insight’.
alistair.gammell@earnest-agency.com
www.earnest-agency.com/
entertainment
www.earnest-agency.com/
entertainment/ideas-and-insight/
earnest-blog
Twitter: @earnest_ents
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