Harvey Norman, Ford, VB, Toyota and Coca Cola are all big sponsors of Australian sport, but what about online businesses such as Carsales.com, Ebay, RealEstate.Com, Stayz.com and CareerOne, why aren’t they big sponsors of Australian sport?
After all, the online world shares the same business objectives as the real world, both are about attracting and retaining a growing base of satisfied customers. Both face fierce competition in crowded marketplaces. And both involve individual brands that need to appeal and connect with people.
In this economy, a lot of traditional businesses (those that sponsor sport) are struggling. Yet this hasn’t stopped athlete managers pitching for sponsorship. And that means your sponsorship proposal is sitting on the desk with 100 other sponsorship proposals, for a brand with a limited budget.
But what about true online businesses and brands, those that are growing at a rapid rate in this economy (such as e-commerce)? No one thinks of selling to these guys. They probably don’t even know how to leverage a sponsorship! So why don’t you pitch to them and show them how your athlete / sporting club can benefit their business. With your athlete’s popularity and a host of free social media platforms to use, coming up with leveraging ideas shouldn’t be hard.
At least you won’t be competing with the masses.
