Orlando hosting the 2012 NBA All-Star Game is a boon to businesses if they have planned ahead to reach out to the massive numbers of visitors coming to town.
But should you be sponsoring an event or activating a guerrilla marketing plan to the crowds attending the games and events this weekend?
1. If you’re starting today, you’re too late. The planning should have taken place six months ago. This year, go to the events and venues to see what works, what doesn’t works, where your target audience is and if you can get access or provide exposure to your service or product in a meaningful way.
2. Don’t get caught up in the hype of an event because you want to go to the event. The key is knowing if YOUR target is at the event and how you can sell to them, will they be in a receptive state of mind, can you can reach them?
3. You are NOT the target. Find out the demographics of the event from an audited source to prove your target is within the audience of the event you want to sponsor.
4. Do you know what a good guerrilla marketing plan is? It’s not running downtown or to the Orlando Convention Center to hand out fliers, palm cards and premiums…horrible idea. A day late and dollar short. You’re wasting paper.
5. Execute a tried and true plan OR sponsor a tried and true event. But if you’ve bought radio, partnered in an existing event, researched venues and promoters to find out who has an existing audience that matches your target audience, you’re golden.
6. If you have an attention getting plan to reach the media, run it by a PR expert. Better yet, run it by a lawyer. If you get arrested and fined you’ve lost out on the entire weekend.
7. Don’t be ridiculous to get attention. Be strategic. If NBA players are not your target, don’t do anything to engage them.
8. If sports fans who can afford to attend the events and who are staying here for a weekend of partying and basketball, then go for it. Remember, you have to reach people with a message to want your product or service.
Or you have to engage an audience to respond to your brand with its image.
9. Sponsor a VIP event that is managed and run by an experienced events and promotions company, that is licensed, insured and has an array of events to show past successes.
Your sponsorship money should allot you:
- Event location for your products or to entertain
- Tickets for your clients and your team
- Signage on-site and logos on all event elements
- The mailing list
- A contract
- Complete media and activation plan
- Attendance with VIPs so that your product or service is in front of the key audience
10. The best sponsorship is:
- Promoted for weeks and sometimes months in advance
- Includes editorial, logos, linkbacks to your website and other elements of your company on all communication
- Completely managed turnkey
- Not a first-year event
- Not the first event done by a promoter
- Cost-effective with strong case studies from other clients with like target audiences
- Provides food, on-site entertainment for your clients or prospects if you NEED this for your clients as a reward
- Access to mailings, newsletters, phone numbers, information that brings you close to your target
The worst sponsorship is:
- Signage only
- Tickets only
- Banners with logos
- Logos on websites with no links
- A first year event by an unknown event planner or promoter
- No ROI included in your contract
- No contract
The Marketing Square is a Winter Park, Florida, websites and advertising services agency led by CEO Rebekah Brown. Brown is a 15-year ad agency veteran and journalist with 27 years of writing and strategy experience. Tech Whiz and Programmer Maggie McLeod builds websites and determines design.
Marketing Square campaigns integrate website and advertising services with strategy to support long-term client sales. We cater to what you want and help you with what you need to be successful.
