Reasons why comedy is good for you.

1. Laughter boosts your immune system

2. Laughter improves your social life.

3. Laughter boosts your sex life! (yes look it up)

4. Laughter gives you a mini-work-out (ever laughed so hard it hurt?)

5. Laughter helps you lose weight! (yes look it up)

We held the Emerge Foundation ball last Saturday, May 5 @ the Sofitel in Sydney. With almost 500 people and $100,000 raised (not bad considering the economy), it was a successful night.

The feedback was even better – people who came said it was the best ball they been to. Why?

Amazing prizes, a good cause and water-tight organization (if I say so) helped. But, more importantly the entertainment was exceptional and exceptionally funny.

Our MC, Dr. Justine Rogers, academic (no, not a wrap artist) and regular on Sydney’s comedy scene, had the guests laughing from the start of the night to the finish, many times at themselves, which was no small thing given they were almost all high-flying professionals who tend not to find themselves particularly amusing.  We were also lucky enough to have some video produced by ‘The Bondi Hipsters’. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock: these guys are ‘totes the next big thing’, and they brought the house down.

The inclusion of comedy at an event works on many levels. It gives people an opportunity to laugh at themselves and others, which, in turn, helps them to relax and connect with those around them, and to be more open to thinking of things in a different way. Disharmony is forgotten for a moment, old grudges shelved, social awkwardness is ironed over. OK, it does not always reach those lofty heights, but it certainly ties many threads of a night together, and has the  potential to take a night from just-alright to truly amazing.

But, despite all this, comedy is underdeveloped in Australia. The talent is there, in numbers, in fact, but it lacks the institutional support offered to music/sport and other performance.

So serial entrepreneur, Jeremy Liddle has decided to do something about it.  He has been assembling the best event people in Sydney to create a platform for up and coming comedians here in Australia: Hence ‘Off the Wagon Comedy Championships’ was born.

www.OfftheWagonComedy.com

Off the Wagon

Definition: when one resumes an addictive/compulsive behavior that they are trying to control. Originally referred only to drinking, but is now used in reference to all sorts of things including overeating, masturbation,  sex & porn … and now comedy!

Vision

To change the face of the global comedy industry by making comedy a social staple.

Mission

To run the most innovative and hysterical comedy events the world has ever seen.

Here is a teaser video

MGI Entertainment have been asked to partner on the events and our role is very simple: facilitate strategic media partnerships in radio and TV & involve brands who wish to get on the wagon with this amazing opportunity.

The Logic is simple:

Stand up comedy is one of the best, if not the greatest form of entertainment. Any potential investment is one well spent.

And as the cliché goes, ‘laughter is the best form of medicine’

Apart from the health benefits of laughter, supporting comedy is also good for a brand. Why?

1. Comedy improves your brands ‘like-ability’ & personality.(Lets face it, best ads on TV are the ones that made us laugh)

2. Most videos that go viral  are funny. More eyeballs on a video means more eyeballs on the brand.

3. Comedy differentiates your brand from competition. (Other brands can be so boring)

4. Supports up and coming comedians – diversifies the brand and fosters community relationships.

5.Think ‘Australian Idol’ but for Comedy…. All throughout Australia over 6 months, culminating in a finale.

‘Off the Wagon’ will be held on a boat in Sydney harbor: we have the most beautiful harbor in the world. I don’t need to explain the synergy here – can you feel the serenity?

The events will also be supporting a very worthy cause: One dollar from every ticket sold will go to “The Smile Foundation” which helps kids with rare diseases.

We have a team of the worlds best event/marketing people so these events it will be incredible. Speak to us now and get on the wagon!

Michael MacRitchie , BA, Media, Hons , is Vice President of  MGI Entertainment, which offers event planning, entertainment marketing, sponsorship and brand partnership services.  Michael has over 15 years of experience with large scale events; Olympic games, USA Basketball team, European Football Cup and worked with artists : Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Jon Legend, Maroon 5, Beyonce & Christina Aguilera . Michael has also experience in  celebrity partnerships, luxury branding, and film product placement.

An insight by Michael MacRitchie

Military strategist, Sun Tze, (pictured) said that “if you know yourself and your enemy you can fight a hundred battles and score a hundred victories”.  “Business” really is the name given to the war fought by organizations and brands .   Marketing strategist, Jack Trout, wrote that you should simply think of your competitors as “The Enemy”.

The branding battle is harder to win as the battlefield is in the minds of consumers.  Brands don’t exist in the real world but in the mind.  it’s all perception. A brand is simply an idea that you own in the mind.  What is the Nokia brand?  What is the idea Nokia owns in the mind?  Mobile phones.  Apple?  Cool.  Prada. Class?Xerox?  Photocopiers.

In order to win “your” brand, you need to know yourself: What your brand stands for, how it is differentiated from its competitors, etc.  You need to know your enemies: What are their perceived strengths, is there a weakness in that strength that you can exploit?

Pepsi was very successful in doing just that.  Coca-Cola refers it’s brand as ‘The Real Thing’.  So, if you are not drinking Coke, what are you drinking?  The fake thing? Pepsi turned that strength into a weakness.  Coke is the real thing but that also makes it the “old thing”.  Pepsi attacked that weakness by being young and energetic- taglines like ‘The Taste Of A New Generation’.  Pepsi knew itself and knew its enemy.  Coke is still No. 1 but Pepsi is now a powerful No. 2 – no real disgrace in that?

Besides knowing yourself and your enemy, you also need to know your “ally” or strategic partner.

So in an entertainment marketing or sponsorship sense, if you are potentially looking to engage with a particular property- it needs to be ‘well thought out and a  good fit. In essence an extension of your own personality.  A reference can be found here.

Sponsorship is just one way  to create  competitor differentiation.

You have the opportunity to stand out against your competition. This is particularly helpful if your company wants to combat a competitor with a larger ad budget. Sponsorship allows smaller companies to compete with their industry giants.

In 2008, we worked with the USA Basketball team, if you recall 2008 was the Olympics in Beijing, China. Usual suspects &  industry giants like Coca Cola, Volkswagen, Lenovo were sponsoring the games.  Our client was Dell- we realized that in order to glean some of the ‘Olympic games fever’ we had to associate the brand with a high profile sport property without it being a ‘conflict’ with the Games-but perhaps a clever sideline play… We identified that Basketball was certainly an opportunity to create ‘passion point’ engagement and the USA Basketball stars are hot property  in the middle kingdom.

We put together an integrated campaign in Shanghai (Olympic Games were in Beijing) and it hit the spot. We created a tailor made video game for Dell in the back of taxi’s, so passengers could ‘shoot hoops’ in the backseat of the taxi’s in the hope of winning tickets to the basketball games. We drenched Shanghai in marketing with the USA Basketball stars & Dell- China is basketball crazy and therefore we were able to harness this energy. The USA Basketball games vs Australia and Russia were completely sold out. The games were broadcast live to 400,000,000 Viewers in China alone. DELL received a comprehensive media coverage in BTL & ATL campaigns and DELL was able to entertain VIP’s from all over the world. The Net result- Dell turned ‘a perceived weakness’ into a strength. We can control our outcomes.  End result V Happy client. Game over.

Sponsorship:

Sponsorship offers brands/companies or advertisers a viable alternative to conventional advertising. This can take the form of a  sport tournament, an event property, a  music festival or a TV production  or any entertainment property and can send or cement a brand message in a much subtler, long-lasting manner than a 30-sec promo spot.

Sport Sponsorship:

Sport’s consistent popularity as entertainment means that sponsorship remains a popular way for large and small companies to market themselves: it is a very effective way of associating a brand or identity with the values represented by a particular sport. Sport sponsorship can range from multi-million dollar Olympics deals to small shop-owners sponsoring a local team. A professional team or a fun initiative like city to surf,  Slam Volleyball (in Sydney)

or Professional athletes and sporting teams. As professional sport is really driven by finance (players demanding high salaries, equipment in a perpetual state of technological advance, stadiums requiring maintenance) then sponsors seem to be the only way to provide the cash necessary to keep the sport running to the standards that TV viewers demand.

This presents a slight modification for media coverage of sports, because, inevitably, covering the sport means covering the sponsor. It’s impossible to watch any major sporting event without being subjected to corporate branding, if you’re watching as part of the live audience at the track/pitch or viewing the TV broadcast. Sponsorship is one way for corporations/brands to reach millions of eyeballs worldwide via a single channel of communication and many companies allocate huge sums of money to their sponsorship budgets. The media are seen as playing a key role in attracting sports sponsorship, and a sport that has little media coverage has little hope of sponsorship. This creates a situation where sports are dependent on the media for their financial survival.

How does sponsorship work?

The benefits to the Sponsor are seen as wide ranging and include:

• Increased product awareness
• Improved corporate image
• Product positioning
• Enhanced advertising campaign
• Client entertainment

The ‘payback’ that the company receives also provides benefits for employees in the form of privileged access to the sponsored sport, and can have a motivating effect on the whole workforce.

The sponsor can expect all or some of the following from a sponsorship deal:

• Display of logo/brand identity on athletes/equipment (eg Football teams, racing cars)
• Display of signage at event site
• Naming rights to event, series competition or team (or racehorse if that’s what is being sponsored)
• Client entertainment at events
• Personal endorsements by athletes/players/coaches
• Identification in PR material and communications
• Promotional displays at events
• Display and use of equipment (eg shoes, clothing) by individual athletes
• Association of brands – which is why sponsors like to pick winning teams

In return, the sport or team in question can expect:

• Guaranteed, sustainable funds for the duration of the sponsorship contract
• Raised profile
• Improved performance thanks to better resources

Below is a basic graph which looks at the acceptance of sport sponsorship.

An insight by Michael MacRitchie

I only recently watched Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. One of the major themes of the film is the importance of discovering your brand personality for the purpose of partnering with ‘like’ brands.  In the movie, Spurlock visits a noted branding agency where they identify his primary brand attributes as a juxtaposition of being both “playful” and “mindful”. From there, the brand agency listed several companies that had a similar brand identity, such as Apple and JetBlue, as potential partners for Spurlock’s documentary.

So what is “Brand Personality”?

Brand personality is the personification of your organization, company or product.  It is that simple. For example,

Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Records, Virgin Airways and Virgin Mobile, is a great example of a brand with personality. Chairman Richard Branson has a lot to do with it: Branson has attempted and broken several world records (in 1985 his ‘Virgin Atlantic Challenger’ sailboat capsized in British waters requiring helicopter rescue), starred on the short-lived reality show The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best, and penned a book titled after one of his favorite sayings, Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life. Branson infused his brand with his own humanitarian and buoyantly optimistic personality, and Virgin has seen great success as a result.

Generally people or consumers are more likely to be interested in brands whose personality clicks with their own, the same applies to any group, community or friendship circle.  By taking a humanistic approach in the way your brand is presented to the public you will attract like-minded ‘brands’ or ‘clientele’ and even potential business partners. (light bulb flash)

Spurlock reminds us of what we are all painfully aware of – the Ubiquity of branding in film and the increasingly blurry line with crass commercialism. The takeaway from the film: the all-mighty branding dollar reigns supreme in Hollywood movie making & in fact Hollywood and Madison Avenue not only share a bed but have an “contextual” relationship.

The fact is, companies and consumers alike are hyper-aware of how brands create personality, tone and place, whether it be a film, book, or pop culture art. Likewise, the shoes we wear on our feet, the car we drive, the food we consume, and every other decision we make on how to spend our money on “stuff” – consciously or unconsciously – not only tell the world who we are but who we want the world to think we are.

In the film Spurlock actually goes to an agency to get his “brand personality” analyzed for the appropriate sponsorships for the film – as if he were a product being primed for the grocery store, shopping mall, or online. We follow him through the process as he is grilled with hundreds of questions by branding experts to hone in on the essence of Spurlock.  Turns out he is “playful” and “mindful” among other descriptors as his personal brand-therefore outlier-types such as Mini, POM, Target, and JetBlue are a good match. Not so much for Guess or Cadillac.

Understanding your brand attributes is important for both the “sponsor” and “sponsee” and must be considered when entering into any partnership. By partnering with brands that have similar attributes, you prevent confusion among your fans/followers and are better able to emphasize your brand strengths.

Insight by Andrew Collins

I found this article up from Mailman Group website where CEO Andrew Collins makes some interesting points about brands staying relevant the article can be found here;

http://www.mailmangroup.com/2011/12/watch-for-consumer-cues-to-stay-relevent/

If you keep reading it is here as well…

How many brands closely watch ‘consumer cues’ to drive brand decisions? After all it’s the consumers whom actually create trends, push trends or even squash trends. So if it is the very consumer whom decides that the fate of your brand is the question- how much are you paying attention?

Culture can have a profound impact on the success of brands. Observing past sub cultures that make their way to mainstream trends as in the case of hip hop music in America once could have foretold the burgling success brands like Rockport, Adidas, Reebok and others had whilst embracing early signs of the now ‘popular culture’. However, it was never rosy to begin with-there are many tales of ‘establishment’ knocking down the movement that was fast transcending beyond urban ‘African American’ culture.

What happened during the early eighties with hip hop is a process that occurs over and over again as sub cultures emerge, disappear and sometimes boom. So what are they? And how do find them? Firstly with the expense of stating the obvious- you gotta listen to your people. Partake in active dialogue with your consumer (and better yet the ones who don’t like you) and create a funnel of delicious insights can be used to quench the appetite for your brand and strategic development.

People change. Tends change. Attitudes change. And all this faster then you think. Just ask Reebok with the height of the 80-90’s in athletic wear about management ignoring the signs, the authenticity of the brand and the brigade of fans shifting to any alternative. It can happen to any brand at any point. A  more recent case is MySpace- don’t we all remember that one.

Listening, observing, responding are the three steps you can issue to embrace change and to stay ‘relevant’. The current is always moving- so ask yourself ’are you going with it or against it?

An insight by Michael MacRitchie

Sponsorship is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing globally.

So, why should your company be interested in sponsorship? When done well, it offers significant opportunities for ‘high impact branding’, heightened consumer engagement and a way to bring to life a brands DNA.  This leads to distinct marketing and competitive advantages, as well as showing support of the event.

So what is sponsorship?

Sponsorship is the financial or in-kind support of an activity, used primarily to reach specified business goals.  According to IEG’s Complete Guide to Sponsorship, “Sponsorship should not be confused with advertising.  Advertising is considered a quantitative medium, whereas sponsorship is considered a qualitative medium. It promotes a company in association with the sponsee.”

A large number of events these days use sponsorship support to offer more exciting programs and to help defray rising costs. Sponsorship allows you to reach specifically targeted niche markets which is highly targeted and therefore ‘high impact’ brand awareness. In addition, sponsorship is a powerful complement to other marketing programs, in addition to having a dramatic influence on customer relations.

Why sponsor?

Sponsorship offers the possibility of achieving several goals at once. According to Schmader and Jackson in their book, Special Events: Inside and Out, a company can benefit from sponsorship in many ways, such as:

• Enhancing Image/Shaping Consumer Attitudes Often companies are looking to improve how they are perceived by their target audience. Sponsoring events that appeal to their market are likely to shape buying attitudes and help generate a positive reaction. Coca Cola, for example is always looking to generate a positive influence of their products in the minds of their consumers and as such regularly support events they feel can influence consumer opinions. When we think of Coca Cola, we don’t think of it as simply a sugary water drink, the brand is built on marketing and a lot of this has been achieved through sponsoring events which excite and therefore creates and builds the brand.

• Driving Sales Sponsorship geared to driving sales can be an extremely potent promotional tool. This objective allows sponsors to showcase their product attributes. Food and beverage companies often use sponsorship to encourage samplings and sales. IEG’s Complete Guide to Sponsorship cites Visa’s fund-raising effort around its sponsorship of the Olympic Games and the U.S. Olympic Team. They promoted their association by offering to make a donation to the team each time consumers charge a purchase to their card. American Express used a similar strategy by donating to needy causes with their “Charge Against Hunger” campaign. As a result, both companies experienced a significant rise in sales volume.

• Creating positive publicity/heightening visibility Every sponsor is seeking wide exposure in both electronic and print media. Positive publicity helps create heightened visibility of products/services. Various media covering the event may include sponsors names and/or photos. In addition, the kind of media coverage a sponsor may get is often unaffordable if the company were to think of purchasing it, and if it were available. To maximize this objective, it is important for the sponsoring company to have a comprehensive media campaign to augment the regular media coverage promoted by the organizers. Sponsorship can often generate media coverage that might otherwise not have been available.

• Differentiating from competitors The mere act of sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive sponsorship, is a significant way to create competitor differentiation. Your company name has the opportunity to stand out head and shoulders above the competition. This is particularly helpful if your company wants to combat a competitor with a larger ad budget. Sponsorship allows smaller companies to compete with their industry giants. Target audiences often perceive sponsorship in a positive way. They see you as making a greater effort to support the event, often allowing more or better activities to take place as a result of your sponsorship.

• Helping in the capacity as a good “Corporate Citizen” . Another powerful sponsorship objective allows companies to be viewed as a “good neighbor.” To be seen supporting the community and contributing to its economic development is extremely powerful and creates enormous goodwill.

• Enhancing business, consumer and VIP relations Sponsorship that offers hospitality opportunities is always very attractive to companies. Perks may include special exclusive networking settings such as VIP receptions or golf tournaments – opportunities to meet key customers and solidify business relationships. It is important to evaluate each opportunity and look for ways it could tie into your marketing objectives.

For more information, speak to us now….

Michael MacRitchie , BA, Media, Hons , is Vice President of  MGI Entertainment, which offers event planning, entertainment marketing, sponsorship and brand partnership services.  Michael has over 15 years of experience with large scale events like London Olympic Bid, European Football Cup and managing  concerts with artists : Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Jon Legend, Maroon 5, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and sporting events: Oakley Air & Style & USA Basketball pre-Olympic games team. Michael has also experience in  luxury branding, and film product placement.

News by Michael MacRitchie

BEIJING — The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am is heading back to China in support of the Obama Administration’s 100,000 Strong initiative, designed to boost the number of American students studying in China, for a concert announced for later this year.

The U.S. State Dept. said that following a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will.i.am agreed to perform at and help promote the show, for which no date has yet been given.

The concert is being organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, a U.S. nonprofit organization that sponsors low-income students to study Chinese language and culture in China. Clinton and will.i.am met on July 29 in Washington, according to the State Dept.

The concert would be will.i.am’s third official performance in China, having played here with the Black Eyed Peas twice, in 2006 and again in 2009.

The concert, which will feature performances by will.i.am and other US and Chinese pop stars, will promote and benefit the plan, said the statement, which did not give details about the other participants.

“In order to become responsible global citizens, young people need to experience the world around them,” will.i.am said in the statement.

“We must make sure that American students have the cultural awareness and skills necessary to succeed in a global economy.”

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_696479.html

http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2011/07/30/22854721.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/arts/music/state-department-taps-william-for-china-effort.html

 “There are very few global challenges that can solved unless the United States and China agree. That is why I am very pleased to announce that the US will dramatically expand the number of students who study in China to 100,000 students in the next 4 years. This exchanges mark clear commitment to build ties between among our people surely as you will help determine the destiny of the 21^st century” President Obama said while addressing several hundred students.

The 100,000 Strong Initiative was launched by the Obama Administration, in partial cooperation with the Chinese government, in response to Chinese students studying in the U.S. outnumbering Americans students in China by 10 to one. The public-private partnership has so far attracted $7 million in funding.

APSA is seeking to raise USD 10 million including USD1million for study abroad programs in each of -eight US cities and USD 2 million to fund APSA’s programs.  Funding will come from philanthropic donations and commercial sponsorships of events.

MGI Entertainment is handling the brand partnerships and commercial sponsorship opportunities available at the Beijing concert in December this year. APSA sponsors and donors receive access to VIP events during the week of the concert and will be able to strengthen political ties between US and Chinese relations.

Michael MacRitchie, Vice President of MGI Entertainment, is asking all US and Chinese companies to not only see this as an unprecedented branding opportunity but also a way to help these young students gain global perspective through the power of education. Not only is this event high profile but the flow on effects for the brands and students will be enormous

An insight by Andrew Howie

China has experienced a relentless surge in consumer buying power since the 1990’s. The Chinese consumer has become wealthier and more accepting of western retail formats- with international supermarket chains, department stores and mass retailers paving the way for luxury retailers. Luxury brand companies have been investing in the China market, with  Louis Vuitton, Bally, Gucci, Ferragamo among the first wave of retailers in China more then 10 years ago. But now with consumer spending increasing and the loosening of government restrictions, foreign luxury brands face pressure to strengthen the commitment to the mainland or risk loosing ground to the rivals.

Luxury is consistently evolving and subject to concept, and not easy to define. But more often then not, the word is used to define an inessential but desirable item or a state of extreme comfort or indulgence. What sets luxury brands apart is that they command a premium without a clear functional advantage over their counterparts. Yet consumers are willing to pay the significance price difference because the brand has a unique set of characteristics including premium quality, craftsmanship,  exclusivity and reputation

Luxury brands not only convey a standard of excellence but act as social codes indicating access to the rare, exclusive and desirable. This makes the luxury market a particularly interesting one because it represents consumption as its most hedonistic  and seemingly irrational- purchasing for the personal pleasure it provides despite the financial  cost.

The luxury brands operating in China are largely European in origin and span across different retail sectors such as fashion, jewelery, motor vehicle and accessories, footwear, cosmetics, perfume & liquor .

When brands are evaluating their marketing strategy, it is very important to align with a sport, event or celebrity that truly represents the brand equity. One sport that has made a very successful brand connect in China is the sport of Polo.

According to a leading expert “The sport of Polo is commonly associated with royalty, class and power, but the world of Polo goes much further beyond the actual sport. It stretches into a world of elegance, beauty, charm and lifestyle. The Sport of Kings is not for the conservative, but rather the brave and adventurous, those who seek excitement, thrill and power. Polo is a unique sporting and lifestyle communications platform, and the sponsorship opportunities are appealing for any brand that is looking to make history by developing a landmark and pioneer.”

First introduced to China in 1997 by Steve Wyatt, an English business strategist, entrepreneur and sporting aficionado, the sport has grown in popularity with the execution of some very successful events and now like all successful products has local competitors.

Similar to the luxury market, which has experienced huge growth, an equally fast growing segment of local industry has been counterfeiting. The sport of kings now also has counterfeits…

So in this world of luxury, it is very important to choose the right partner to guide you through what is real and what is fake.

Premier entertainment, owned by Steve Wyatt has delivered some excellent partnerships for brands like Royal Salute, Cartier, Maserati,  and is now looking to add to their already healthy portfolio of horse, equestrian and Polo events.

For more information please contact Steve on steve.wyatt@hussarspolo.com

You are organizing a big event. It can be an a charity fundraiser or a rock festival or a film project. To organize any event or produce any entertainment you require sponsorship money. And where will the money come from? It comes mostly from brands and corporate who are interested in aligning with the entertainment property.

Importance of sponsorship

• We all know that sponsorship is integral for the launch of any event. In China preparing for a large scale event means that Sponsorship revenue is of paramount importance because there is still a gap between the numbers of people purchasing tickets vs people ‘receiving’ the tickets as a form of gaunxi (relationship building) therefore loosing out on potential profits/additional ticket revenue.
• Without the marketing dollars it is often challenging to get the event off the ground or there is not enough revenue to execute a memorable event.

Plan accordingly

• In order to plan effectively it is therefore very important to give brands time to ‘activate’ the sponsorship. It is very importance to give the brands at least 6months preparation time. Internally the brands or organizations need a few rounds of clearance to get internal approvals and clearances. Please note, brands and multinationals receive at least 15 proposals per week from promoters, producers looking for secondary funding through sponsorship. In China there is also a lot of pressure from Chinese government owned agencies for brands to sponsor government ‘run’ events.( The brands feel pressure to comply because it is the Chinese government).

• The only exception is if the event is truly spectacular then the brands will scramble to be invoked but the more time you give the brands, the better your chances are in securing larger sponsorship dollars.

First step in the Planning process

•  Engage in a discussion with a sponsorship agency which has a good reputation. Treat the sponsorship agency as an investment, with a ROI rather then a cost. Realizing that without the sponsorship revenue the event is in jeopardy is a clear indicator of the crucial role this agency will play.

Negotiate with agency

• When negotiating with the agency try to strike a deal where the retainer agreement is an offset against commissions earned.  I often get asked to work on projects and if I bring in a client then my agency will be rewarded commission. What the organizer or promoter does not realize is that sponsorship agencies get presented with at least 4 opportunities per week. The projects which are considered as a serious opportunities are a serious commitment are the projects that have been engaged with a retainer agreement.

PREPARING MATERIALS

How can you make your pitch more attractive and lucrative to the person evaluating your presentation? How can you get him to shell out cash happily?

You can manage to get cash easily if you spend some time thinking and preparing over the following points. I have drawn this list from my personal experience of evaluating more than a hundred such proposals. The sponsor wants to know the following things:

1. Why should I sponsor this event? (benefit)
2. Who is going to come for the event? (audience)
3. Why will they come?
4. How do I target the audience?
5. What is the credential of the organizer?
6. Who else is sponsoring the event?
7. What is the cost? Does it justify the benefit?

Take cognizance of these before you start making your presentation slides.

1. What is the benefit?
A company sponsors an event for either brand awareness (also called brand building), lead generation or as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. You have to pitch on which of these objectives get fulfilled by sponsoring the event. If you are organizing a college rock event and want Pepsi to sponsor it, you have to show how your event will create ‘brand awareness’.

2. Who is the audience?
This is perhaps the most important ingredient for a potential sponsor. Tell your potential partner who is going to come, how many will come, what is their demographic profile (age, education, profession, income group).

3. Why will the audience come for the event?
You are promising Pepsi that 20,000 young adults will come for your event. Why should Pepsi believe it on face value? Show them how you market to the audience. How are you planning to promote the event? What is your media plan? How many ads are you giving, is the event being televised?

4. How do I target the audience?
After you have assured Pepsi that 20,000 students you need to come up with options of doing brand building. Most of the proposals talk vaguely on what can be done at the venue. Be specific. Generate good ideas and put it up in the presentation. If you have 10 good ideas, share 7 and keep 3 to be used during negotiations stage. When tying to lower the price, present some additional ideas.

If you are offering to brand the stage, T-shirts and tickets with the logo of Pepsi, why not have a call to action marketing campaign?
5. What are the credentials of the organizer?
After getting convinced about the benefit and the audience, one question will still remain in the sponsor’s mind. Will the event get executed the way it is being promised? What is the experience of the organizer? To build credibility, you can share press releases, videos and artist confirmation letters. The brand has to understand how successful it was and why, who were the sponsors last time and how many people came. If you are a first time organizer, it will be a little more challenging. Be prepared.

6. Who are the other sponsors?
The sponsor would definitely want to know who else is going to sponsor the event. As a good practice, do not have two companies from the same industry.  It would be a nightmare situation if “Coke” and “Pepsi” wanted to sponsor the same event. It seems like common sense..But you would be surprised.

7. What is the cost?
If your value proposition is not very strong, then you should be ready to justify the cost. Do your numbers before you go for the pitch. If you are asking a sponsor to spend Rs. 500,000 to target 500 people with the objective of lead generation, then realize that the cost of a lead works out to Rs. 1000. The marketing manager will evaluate your proposal on this number and you need to justify the value you are offering in return.

Once you have addressed the aforementioned questions, you will be in a very good position to get the cash. In addition to the 7 points, you should also consider the following 3 points:

8. Know your competition
You are not the only promoter/organizer in town which is organizing an event. Observe what benefits other organizers are providing to their sponsors. How are they marketing their event? You should be in a position to convince that your offer is better than others.

9. Generate ideas to help the sponsor

You know more about your event than your sponsor. Hence, come up with innovative ideas to genuinely help your sponsor get the maximum bang for their investment. What places can be branded, what activities can be done at the venue, and so on. It would be a good idea, to spend some time understanding the business needs of the sponsor before you present to him. You can call the marketing manager and understand what his needs in the current markets are. You only receive cash once you address/resolve a problem.

10. Get Creative

The best ideas are often not the most expensive but are simple. Whatever you do, make sure it is done with flair and it engages participation. Some simple concepts including call to action Social media campaigns are often very effective and also combining all marketing elements to create “sizzle” and “brand lust”. As I have just eluded to, once you solve the problem within the company, only then will be able to receive the cash.

11. Market your event/ After sales service

You genuinely thought that Pepsi should have sponsored your event in 2010. But they did not. So what do you do other than waiting for 2011 to approach Pepsi again?

You send a CD full of images, videos, and highlights of how successful your event actually was with some research on the effectiveness of the event. What were the ways the sponsor companies benefited from the event. Add a few testimonials. Add some PR clippings (if you got any) and press releases.

Michael MacRitchie , BA, Media, Hons , is Vice President of  MGI Entertainment, which offers event planning, entertainment marketing, sponsorship and brand partnership services.  Michael has over 15 years of experience with large scale events like London Olympic Bid, European Football Cup and managing  concerts with artists like: Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Jon Legend, Maroon 5, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and sporting events: Oakley Air & Style & USA Basketball pre-Olympic games team. Michael has also experience in  luxury branding, and film product placement.