Sponsorship – Still Misunderstood
Better, Faster and Cheaper, Please
It’s no secret that in the current environment the job of media buying is becoming ever more pressurized, with clients continually demanding more value from shrinking budgets. This is particularly true of TV programme and strand sponsorship negotiations, which are increasingly becoming extended as buyers seek better commercial agreements from channels.
Carat estimate that in 2007 the UK media spend on sponsorship was over £190 million*. And with deals often now finalised right up to the closing wire of already tight deadlines, clients are demanding creative sponsorship solutions that can be turned around quickly, cost efficiently and with no compromise in quality. There is no longer the time for cumbersome processes, nor the extravagant budgets required by many larger agencies.
Until recently most of the big creative shops regarded the production of sponsorship bumpers as beneath them, both financially and artistically. But as spends have shrunk, many have changed their mind and are insisting on pulling this work in-house. Their desperation has not necessarily fostered ability or understanding.
Sponsorship is Different
Many large agencies seem to have a problem understanding that sponsorship bumpers are not “mini television commercials” but are a medium in their own right.
To begin with, Ofcom regulations constrain the way in which brands are permitted to use sponsorship. An important clause (9.13) in the compliance rules states
Sponsorship must be clearly separated from advertising. Sponsor credits must not contain advertising messages or calls to action. In particular, credits must not encourage the purchase or rental of the products or services of the sponsor or a third party.
(For more information you can find the full Ofcom sponsorship guidelines here www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/codes/bcode/sponsorship)
So creatively, a bumper is a different beast from a TVC. It’s shorter (typically 10 seconds – although look at Duke’s work for the COI for Royal Marines using a question / answer technique to create longer engagement), it can’t contain overt calls to action, appears more frequently during the programme, and is perceived by consumers to fall within the envelope of the visual “editorial”. The power of this consumer perception is the reason why Ofcom monitors sponsorship messages closely, and is the key to making the medium work.
Surf the Emotional Tide
Thinkbox (the television marketing body for the main UK commercial broadcasters – Channel 4, Five, GMTV, ITV, Sky Media, Turner Media and VBS) recently carried out a highly instructive survey (take a look at the results here www.thinkbox.tv/server/show/nav.1036) that concluded that “where there was a more of an obvious link between a sponsorship bumper’s creative content and the programme content, the brand performed better across all the key measures”. Fairly obvious, one might think – and yet there are many sponsorship creative pieces that are simply reversions of existing TVCs, or that simply showcase the brand.
In reality, sponsorship must “intertwine” with the content to be truly effective, and the way that the brand sponsor enters into the programme-viewer relationship is an integral part of the campaign’s success. When it does so, the results for the brand can be truly impressive (the Domino’s Pizza campaign for Britain’s Got Talent is a great example).
Enmeshing the brand in this way requires an understanding of the personality of the programme or strand in order to swim with the current of viewer goodwill, surfing on their emotional connection with the content on behalf of the brand. This can be communicated by tone (look at some youth oriented, rock ‘n roll sponsorship for Activision and P&G’s Wella, or in contrast a serious adult voice for Lexus on Discovery), or by method of execution, such as animation to appeal to young demographics (see Lego’s Children’s ITV sponsorship and our work with Mattel’s Matchbox for Milkshake).
Alternatively one can identify, match and showcase shared values between the brand and content (i.e. “space” is this campaign for VW running on the UKTV Garden channel).
Specialisation is the Key
If you are considering TV sponsorship, don’t assume that it’s a simple job for your incumbent agency. Make sure that you’re tapping into specialist talent that understands the medium.
The power of creative sponsorship is that it enables you to turn entire programmes and strands to your benefit. (Or even entire channels such as Fiat’s sponsorship of Five). Once consumers accept your “ownership” of the content, they will transfer their engagement and identification of values to your brand.
In the right hands, a powerful tool indeed.
Remember the keys to an effective campaign are:
- Reduced Costs
- Fast Turnaround
- Understanding Compliance
- Intertwining with the “Editorial”
- Riding the Emotional Currents of the Programming
- Letting the Brand Values of the Content Rub Off On You
If you’d like to discuss any of the ideas in this piece further, please call Joe Rider at Duke & Earl on 0207 580 7070 or email joe@dukeandearl.com
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