I recently talked about moving with the times and the importance of keeping up to speed with technology. It’s a super fast crazy world we live in and only those that embrace change will succeed, the rest will get left behind.
So what does this have to do with sponsorship and managing athletes?
Well, when a sponsor signs an athlete, they sign for a list of rights and benefits. X number of appearances, X number of photo shoots, X number of TVC’s, sign X number of memorabilia etc. For years these rights and benefits have pretty much stayed the same.
However the landscape is changing and it’s been happening for the past five years. I’m talking about social media rights and benefits.
If your sponsorship proposal does not include anything about social media rights and benefits then fuggetaboutit.
Social media is influencing the way in which brands communicate with their customers. This communication to customers is the reason why brands sponsor an athlete in the first place.
TV commercials, print ads and billboards still play a huge role, particularly on a mass level, but a lot of that stuff is now being complemented with social media and in some cases, dominated by social media.
The point I’m making is that brands and their ad and PR agencies are dialled in on social media and how it fits into a marketing plan. However, sports managers are much slower on the uptake. And this hurts their ability to sell a client.
Imagine a brand that is engaged in social media receiving a sponsorship proposal that includes no mention of online rights and benefits and leveraging ideas!
Athlete manager’s that ‘move with times’ are always going to be step ahead.
If you’re not up to speed, ask someone who is.
