Sponsorship is sometimes money out the window. And sometimes it's not a big problem for the donor. Sponsors like to associate themselves with an event, a organisation or a good cause, and in some contexts the company becomes relatively invisible in the sponsorship context.

If it is a question of a sponsorship that is only carried out because it is a cause you have great interest and sympathy for, it is perhaps not too bad that you do not get that much back. If, on the other hand, you are a sponsor just to achieve something yourself, you should think carefully about what you do where, how and why. Isn't that exactly the dream scenario in sponsorship? That both the donor and the recipient are left with more than they would have done without this agreement? All companies should have one or more stories to tell, and the sponsorship agreements you implement can successfully be one of the areas where you can tell who you are.

Who or what do you sponsor? And why?

Many people want to be associated with something outside themselves through sponsorship. Sports stars or grassroots sports? Gigantic cultural events or small, narrow and smart cultural experiences? Well-known and beloved so-called good causes or niche charities that suit the company? The safe and responsible or the innovative and forward-thinking? Some active sponsors even say: Yes, please, both. Or: Yes, please, all of them!

We are very concerned about the overall impression that your brand oozes, and sponsorship is one of the areas from which you can be judged.

It might be tempting to make the following claim: Tell me who you sponsor, and I'll tell you who you are. But that would be completely wrong to say. Because there's probably a lot of poorly thought-out sponsorship going on. It would be more accurate to say: Tell me who you are, and I'll tell you who you should sponsor.

At Mission, we are very concerned with the overall impression that your brand exudes, and sponsorship is one of the areas where you can be judged. Therefore, we need to think carefully about what your sponsorship can add - or destroy - in terms of the story that needs to be told. The recipient of your sponsorship funds could be an amazing person. organisation , but it's not 100% certain that it's the one you should support - for your own company's sake. If the people you sponsor send the wrong signals, you can support them completely anonymously.

"Tell me who you are and I'll tell you who you should sponsor."

Sponsorship is no small matter

When sponsorship was included in IRM's Norwegian Media Statistics for the first time in 2010, it turned out that more money had been invested in sponsorship than in TV advertising in Norway in 2009. Only the daily press was larger. Of the 3.3 sponsor billions, 2.4 billion went to sports, 647 million to cultural sponsorship and 289 million to so-called socio-sponsorship, which can perhaps be described as sponsorship that takes social responsibility.

When it comes to the distribution between the various advertising media, as is well known, there has been a lot of money in the digital river since 2009, but that is a completely different story. The sponsorship market is very large anyway, and here it is of course important to try to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Red Bull, an energetic sponsor

The energy drink producer Red Bull wants to tell the world what an energetic, groundbreaking and tough lifestyle company they are. In Norway, their sponsorship has probably been most visible via Petter Northug, who is so controversial that he fits like a glove for Red Bull. In Norway, the company arranges, among other things, RedBull Sparkstøtting SuperCross and the exhausting Red Bull Ragnarok. The latter event attracts long-distance kiters in a very demanding competition on the Hardangervidda. Other extreme sporting events typical of Red Bull take place on surfboards, skateboards or snowboards. Red Bull think untraditionally and wholeheartedly when they sponsor, and apparently take more or less over the events they are involved in. When they were to bet on football in Germany, they acquired a team in the fifth division, SSV Markranstädt, invested money, changed the name of the team, and helped this team so far up the lists that it is now considered by many to be Germany's second best football team. The club is called RB Leipzig, actually an abbreviation for Red Bull Leipzig, but in public contexts referred to as RasenBallsport Leipzig. However, the matches are played at Red Bull Arena Leipzig.

DNB, a versatile sponsor

DNB, like other banks, is a major player in sponsorship. When Vålerenga and Lillestrøm meet for one of their classic "hate settlements", DNB is, so to speak, the only thing they have in common. In addition, DNB sponsors Strømsgodset. The Norwegian Snowboard Association, Alpine Skiing, Freeski, the Biathlon Association and the Norway Cup are also supported, so here we are talking about sporting breadth. When it comes to culture, they have invested in everything from the Norwegian Opera and Ballet and the National Theater to music venues such as the Øya Festival, Miniøya, Over Oslo and Kongsberg Jazz Festival, as well as a number of other small and large actors. In addition, DNB's non-profit and philanthropic Sparebankstiftelsen, which has supported over 5,000 projects, comes from bridge construction in both concrete and transferred meaning to parsley gardens, tandem bicycles and urban insect hotels. Few sponsors can invest as much in as many horses as DNB does, and are probably also committed to. Here it is apparently shot with a shotgun, but it is still a very well thought out sponsorship package they present. In this multitude of different sponsorship projects, they are told a story: namely that they are the bank for everything - and everyone.

Eight questions you should ask before sponsoring anything

Is the sponsorship in line with your own purpose and values? Will your core customers like to see your name in this context? There are some sponsorship options out there that many will find controversial, such as supporting causes that have a political or religious agenda. If your company’s purpose and values are very clear, it should be relatively easy to check this out in advance. And while you’re at it, also think about how your employees will judge your choice. Also, if your company is closely linked to, and often associated with, another company or public institution, the most polite thing would be to check what your close partners think about that issue. Maybe the sponsorship of the Human-Ethical Federation is not so compatible with all the work you do for your main partner, the Norwegian Church? On the other hand, strange combinations and overlaps don’t have to be a problem. The problem is not thinking through the matter properly in advance.
What are your own goals that you can achieve by participating, what story will you get to tell? What is the target audience for the event or program you plan to sponsor? There are some situations where sponsorship is the only right thing to do. Being a food supplier who does not participate in an important food festival where all the competitors are actively participating can be a miscalculation. Just as it would be to not think through how the sponsorship effort can make you appear. There are even sponsorships that are extremely targeted, for example when a CEO wants to show someone else that she or he also cares about this or that charity.
How much exposure do you get for the money you put in? Sometimes you know exactly what you'll get back for your investment, other times you might get more exposure than you ever imagined. And that can be incredibly good - or incredibly bad.
Do you get direct access to the audience at the arena, and / or indirectly via TV or online? Is there room for successful sponsorship package solutions, editorial reviews or favourable bonus attention on social media?
Is this a sensible place to show off, and can you control how you appear to some extent? Thinking through what could go wrong is not a bad idea. How bad is the worst case scenario? And how good is the best case? The smartest thing is to be mentally prepared for both. That way you're prepared if something good for the company goes viral, but you also have a backup plan if your favorite athlete suddenly submits a questionable urine sample.
Are your competitors sponsors in the same place, and if so, is that a problem? Very often, as a sponsor, you have a form of exclusivity, within your industry or your product range, and in some cases this is of great importance. In other contexts, both you and your competitors are expected to show up and pay "indulgences", it may be expected by your boss, your employees, the community you are established in, the industry itself and possibly others who feel they should be listened to. Tread carefully.
What does this do to their own credibility, to their own customers and in relation to the recipient? If a sponsorship worth millions is launched at about the same time as it emerges that you did not want to give your employees an extra red ear in salary, you may be greeted with elusive glances from surprisingly many angles. There must be a certain balance in the way you act towards the outside world.
And last but not least: Why should you NOT carry out the sponsorship !? Well, count the money, examine the soul and study the answers 1-7 above. If what you do in sponsorship is on a small scale, and without anything extraordinary about it, it may feel as if this article is turning a mosquito into an elephant. And if your attitude is that "it's not important, it's just sponsorship", you may be better served by being an anonymous contributor. But when you invest a large proportion of the company's time and money in sponsorship, it is the case that every choice you make not only has consequences but that these choices are very important in relation to issues such as the company's purpose , brand and strategy . Good luck!