Have you ever received a sponsorship proposal, straight out of the blue, that promised to meet all of your marketing objectives at once? And if so, did the property even bother to ask what your marketing objectives might be? More importantly, did they expect the same assets that worked for other sponsors to automatically work for you?

Square peg. Round hole.

Sponsorship marketing can be a real impact player in your marketing arsenal. But it deserves a sound fundamental approach and flawless execution to make it perform well. Cookie cutter proposals, like the one mentioned above, just won't cut it.

At Barkley, we've been refining our planning process – specific to Sponsorship Marketing – for more than 10 years. And we've implemented it for some of the largest brands in the U.S.

For us, success lies in three distinct areas.

Alignment
Brands need to feel comfortable in their surroundings. The association between a brand name and a sponsored property should feel relatively seamless in the eyes of a consumer.

Because of this, our first order of business is to identify properties that align with our client's brand on multiple levels. Ultimately, our goal is to clearly associate the brand with a property that makes the most of the relationship and delivers its message to a passionate fan base that can appreciate and value the association.

Through the sponsorship, the beliefs and values of the brand become more tactile to the consumer. For us, this culminates in what we call the sponsorship positioning statement. Simply put, this statement defines the relevant link between the brand and the sponsored property, and it can be used as a compass bearing for all marketing ideas between the two.

Activation
The activation of the sponsorship can take a variety of forms, depending on how fans regularly interact with the property.

We want to make sure that we not only reach them efficiently, but that we do it in a way that complements their usual consumption of the property. Positioned correctly, a brand's presence can actually enhance the consumers' experience, thereby adding to their passion for it.

Assessment
One of the most challenging aspects of sponsorship marketing is the measurement of ROI. Because it remains a medium that is more qualitative than quantitative, direct financial impact can remain a nebulous affair. But we realize that nobody can afford the luxury of a loosely defined ROI.

As a result, we work with clients early in the process to determine specific goals and how we plan to measure impact along the way – because every situation is unique, and every sponsorship opportunity should come with its own specific measurements in place.

After all, there's not much sense doing it if you don't know what you got out of it.

Learn more about Barkley Sponsorships & Events.

Joe Sciara is senior vice president for Barkley Sponsorships & Events. Joe has enjoyed a 20-year marketing career, with the last 10 focused on sponsorships with some of biggest brands and properties in the country. Over the years, he has led significant efforts for Coca-Cola, Sprint, Kodak, Rent-A-Center, Sonic Drive-In, Red Lobster and many more. He has negotiated deals in every major sport including NASCAR, NFL, NBA, MLB, and the NCAA. Joe earned an MBA from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.