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Archive for the ‘Sponsorship’ Category

Be The Eye Of The Storm

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

There are many qualities to leadership. But I want to talk about one crucial aspect and that is staying calm during a crisis.

The ability to keep your composure in a stressful situation is the benchmark for which others perceive you as a leader.

Read that line again.

Next time all hell breaks loose and everyone is running around frantically, try slowing your body movements down, breath deep and speak slowly. Changing up your body language like this will help you think logically rather than emotionally.

Doing this is a lot harder than you think. But doit well and you’ll notice something. People will naturally gravitate toward you for guidance. In their eyes you’ll be superior to those around you. Don’t believe me? Try it someday.

I’ve long admired NRL coach Wayne Bennett of having this trait. I’m sure there are times when he needs to apply the blowtorch, but watch him closely and you’ll notice he oozes a relaxed and calm presence amongst his players. Do you think this rubs off on his troops – you betcha!

It works the same for athlete managers. Most athletes get nervous before a sponsor appearance, photo shoot or press conference, let alone a crisis. It’s only natural. So it would make sense that they need someone around them who is composed and in control. That’s leadership.

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Tags: Leadership, NRL, Wayne Bennett
Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Personal Development, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

DAY IN THE LIFE

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Working in sports management, people often ask me – “What is a typical day for you”?

Well, no one day is the same. It really depends on the time of year, what events the athletes are competing in, what’s making news, what sponsors have planned, or maybe there is something that needs urgent attention and takes up all my energy for a week at a time.

So with that in mind, I’ll try and give you a broad summary without going into specifics.

I usually begin the day by watching and reading the news. I scan TV, newspapers and online. I’m focusing on a mixture of sports and business news. The athletes under management cover a wide range of sports so I need to be across a lot of information. I find this also helps me to establish rapport in meetings I have that day.

Using the big rocks principle, I always write down the major things I want to accomplish that day. The things that will yield the biggest results. If I get those done then everything else falls into place. I try and use the mornings to reply to emails and phone calls and leave the afternoons for other projects I’m working on. In saying that, I’m on call day and night and need to respond quickly to clients and the media who work on deadline.

Some days I’m out of the office with clients for sponsorship and media obligations. I’m there to facilitate the appearance, make the sure the athlete is comfortable and enforce their sponsor commitments (branding, key messaging). I’m also there to network. Develop relationships with everyone including TV producers, sponsorship managers, journalists, photographers you name it. Some interstate travel is involved which makes for long days.

The evenings are sometimes scattered with invites to parties, product launches, dinner invitations and other events that involve the athletes or their sponsors. Again, networking is a big part of the job.

That’s a good example of what I do…….but then next week might be totally different. In fact, next week I’m away consulting for a major sports event and then conducting some media with a client for a few days. I might find it hard to blog during this period so don’t be disappointed, I’ll be back. You can keep up to date on twitter twitter.com/SportDownUnder

Tags: Twitter
Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

Robots with Personalities

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Boxing, more so than other sports, relies on the personality of its athletes. It’s the lifeblood of the fight game. Ask any promoter.

Two guys beating each other in the ring is entertaining, but if they both have great personalities, it’s so much more interesting.

I think the same principle can be applied to other sports. And I think it’s important we preserve that trait. Let’s not forget, sport is entertainment.

I remember watching, jeering and cheering the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Conners, Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic. Not only were they very talented tennis players but they had personalities that brought fans through the turnstiles. Cricket had (among others) Ian Botham, Viv Richards, Doug Walters and more recently Shane Warne. Rugby League prides itself on the characters in its game and promotes them to the tilt (a big reason why rugby league enjoys free to air coverage over Super 14 rugby).

In this day and age of professionalism it’s common for sporting academies, clubs and athlete managers to suck the personality right out of an athlete. With strict behaviour guidelines, the pressure of being a role model and big sponsors to protect, it’s easy to produce robots.

But what people don’t understand is robots can be personalities too. You don’t have to break the rules, swear and be disrespectful to have a personality that attracts fanfare.

NRL player Wendell Sailor is a good example of what I’m talking about. He is a great role model but he is also a big personality. Just shows it’s possible to be both. That’s what sponsors want to see more of, robots with personalities.

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Tags: Boris Becker, Doug Walters, Goran Ivanisevic, Ian Botham, Jimmy Conners, John McEnroe, Shane Warne, Viv Richards, Wendell Sailor
Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Cricket, Media, Rugby League, Sponsorship, Strategy, Tennis | No Comments »

Advice For Athletes

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.”
Coach Finstock, Teen Wolf Movie 1985.

Coaches love to give advice. It’s what they’re paid to do. Sometimes its great advice. Other times its poor advice.

In my experience, the best coaches are the ones that concentrate on giving advice that is related to their athlete’s performance. This also includes life advice that brings out the best in the athlete.

Where some coaches cross the line is business, marketing or sponsorship advice. This is not their area of expertise.

I’m going to put family and partners in the same basket.

It’s ok for athletes to use these people as a sounding board but they shouldn’t dictate or influence commercial decisions.

It’s easy to criticise a sports manager when you have no experience in the field of sponsorship, are not out there selling, do not understand corporate budgets, marketing plans or advertising and PR strategies.

Put it this way. I don’t tell athletes how to kick a ball, throw a pass or swim fast. That’s not my area of expertise. So why on earth would an athlete listen to a coach or family member about sports marketing and sponsorship?

Athletes, trust your family and coach for performance and life advice. But when it comes to business, trust your manager.

Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.

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Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Media, Personal Development, Sponsorship, Strategy, advertising | No Comments »

The Sponsorship Pie

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

In my last post, I talked about playing to your strengths. So how does this relate to athlete management?

Well, as an athlete manager, you shouldn’t waste all your time improving an athlete’s weaknesses to make them more marketable. Rather, you should play on their strengths to own a niche category.

Not every athlete fits the Ian Thorpe / Pat Rafter mould. Don’t try to make your athlete something they are not.

Embrace your athlete’s true colours. But shine a spotlight on their strengths.

You see, what one sponsor perceives to be a weakness, is another sponsor’s gain.

If your athlete has a bad boy image (within context) that appeal’s to females then why not capitalise on that? The other approach is to burn an enormous amount of energy trying to change perceptions – only to mislead the public and sponsors.

This strategy will let you grab a piece of the sponsorship pie, be it a smaller piece but its better than going hungry.

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Tags: Ian Thorpe, Pat Rafter
Posted in Communication, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

The Green Eyed Monster

Monday, July 13th, 2009

If you’re a manager with multiple clients, chances are you have a few green eyed monsters in your closet.

Athletes are naturally competitive. And believe me, they keep an eye on the other athletes you manage. For example, they know when someone else you manage signs an endorsement.

The thing is athletes rarely confront you about it. They prefer to internally rationalise the reasons why they missed out on a particular deal but deep down they question whether you’re playing favourites.

Sport managers don’t play favourites, for the simple reason that sponsors don’t give us a chance to play favourites. Sponsors are very picky and choosy. If they come to us, they come with one athlete in mind for very specific reasons.

Likewise, we carefully select athletes when pitching for sponsorship. A lot of research goes into presenting to a brand. It’s not a hit and hope strategy. We don’t compromise our chances of doing business with a sponsor by recommending an athlete with no synergy or fit for that brand.

Whilst I can’t speak for every manager, this is how I operate and athletes need to understand this.

I would urge green eyed monsters to talk to their managers about their concerns. “Why did I miss out on that deal?” “Was my hat in the ring?” If not, why?

Athletes will soon understand the complexities of how sponsors make their decisions and they’ll begin to realise it’s never personal. It’s business. And business is tough.

Posted in Client Relationship, Communication, Sponsorship, Strategy | No Comments »

Seeking Representation?

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Established sport management agencies get lots of interest from athletes wanting representation.

Nothing wrong with that. However, 99% do not tick enough boxes to be seriously considered for management.

In a nutshell, agencies only take on athletes who are well established or have great earning potential.

What does ‘well established’ mean? It means that from day one, the agency should be able to take you to market. You already possess a solid media profile, maybe you compete in a mainstream sport with significant media attention, the thing is, you already have a bankable brand the agency can sell.

The other option is to have ‘great earning potential’. Maybe not now, but definitely in the mid to long term. It’s risk for reward. If the agency are to invest a lot of time and energy in you, then they need to see significant upside down the track.

If you’re not sure what boxes to tick before approaching management agencies, then refer to “10 Things That Make an Australian Athlete Marketable”.

Be realistic. The last thing an agency wants to do is waste your time and give you false expectations. Add to that, most agencies have an obligation to their well established clients who demand attention and servicing. It’s a workload thing as much as a risk verse reward proposition.

Posted in Sponsorship | No Comments »

Broaden Your Appeal

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Just like products, athletes have target markets. A group of people or demographic they appeal to.

This is the first thing sponsors look at when deciding on sponsorship. So it would make sense that the broader appeal you have, or the more market segments you can cross, the easier it is to pick up sponsorship? Yep. Hold that thought.

Now, most athletes can only accommodate up to half a dozen big blue chip sponsors and maybe a few extra lower level sponsors or equipment sponsors. Anymore than that, is pushing it. There is only so much time for work, rest and play in the world of an athlete.

So if a high profile athlete is limited to six major sponsors, it would make sense that those sponsors have differing target markets right? This gives the athlete exposure in more markets. Broader appeal = more powerful brand = longevity in the sponsorship game.

If we look at Tiger Woods’ major sponsors, you will notice they broaden his appeal in different market segments. Guys like Accenture, AT&T, EA Sports, Gatorade, Gillette, Upper Deck, Laser Eye Centres, Nike and TAG Heuer cross many markets. Golfers, gamers, kids, middle age, high income earners, families, etc etc.

Before you run off and sign 10 sponsors in different industries. Know that you can’t be everything to everyone. Although Tiger’s appeal is broad, his management haven’t steered away from his own brand. They realise there is little reward in appealing to a big female audience. This would be a waste of time when they already have a pot of gold with Tiger’s core demographic of kids and white collar middle age males.

The trick is to work on your athlete’s brand first and then look at the different markets you can penetrate for maximum exposure with that brand.

Tags: Accenture, AT&T, EA Sports, Gatorade, Gillette, Nike, TAG Heuer, Tiger Woods, Upper Deck
Posted in Sponsorship, Strategy, golf | No Comments »

Car Ambassadors

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Car advertising is huge.

Pick up any magazine and you’ll notice full page print ads. Watch TV and you’ll see big budget commercials.

But how much of this advertising features celebrity ambassadors? If “I can’t think of any” is your response than you’re spot on.

There’s a reason why car brands don’t use celebrities in above the line advertising. Market research has shown that celebrity car ambassadors don’t resonate with consumers.

I’m not saying that ambassadors can’t add value by the way of consumer promotions, PR and other below the line activities. I’m saying when it comes to the sales pitch, Joe Blow couldn’t give a stuff about the famous face that drives the car.

Car consumers are savvy and their buying behaviour is extremely rational. They look for speed, comfort, control, size, safety, luxury, affordability etc. When a car brand is paying thousands of dollars for a TV spot, they don’t want to clutter these key messages with a celebrity – this is a distraction for the consumer.

(Seeing a well paid athlete with a free car, doesn’t exactly fill consumers with warm and fuzzy feelings either).

The fact is, car ambassadors are best used for strengthening relationships with trade partners, creating consumer brand experiences, increasing brand awareness, demonstrating corporate social responsibility, engaging staff and creating PR opportunities.

Managers should concentrate on these things when pitching for a car deal. Oh and make sure the car sponsorship makes sense!

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Tags: advertising, car, celebrity
Posted in Sponsorship, Strategy, advertising | No Comments »

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