My brilliant young grandson was down from Cairns the other day to play with the Aussie rules representative side against a couple of Victorian teams.
I went to both his matches at local grounds, and whilst watching the footy (his team won both!), absent-mindedly noted the sponsors’ banners adorning the fence around the ground.
“What a waste,” I thought, “What a waste of their money!”
To explain why and to offer you a profitable alternative, first of all I’ve got to tell you a story.
On a plane a while back I sat next to a young guy who was one of a large contingent from a big company heading for a conference the company was sponsoring.
“So, what are you going for?” I asked.
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“Well, we’re hosting the big conference cocktail party, so I’d like to meet a few new people we can maybe do business with,” was the reply.
Mentally I immediately thought of the young bull and the old bull standing on the top of a hill gazing longingly down on a paddock of attractive heifers.
“Let’s run down and make love to a couple of them,” said the young heifer.
“Let’s stroll down and make love to them all,” the old bull responded.
That’s what I reckoned the young company bloke should have been thinking about for his cocktail party mission. “How do I get the names of everyone our company doesn’t know, not just a few?” he should have been asking himself.
Napoleon said that men would die for a medal; Mary Kay Ashe (she of Mary Kay cosmetic fame) reckoned that women would kill for a pink car.
Most cocktail party guests will cheerfully throw in their business card for the chance to win an attractive prize. After all adults are just big kids.
So, why wouldn’t he (or his company) do something simple like that and collect everyone’s names to give them the opportunity to build a relationship with all those they presently don’t know?
Well, apparently, it’s not company policy (probably meaning that the boss guy, a little way up the corporate tree, doesn’t think it’s appropriate).
Might not be appropriate but it’d be mighty effective.
If it was your money paying for the cocktail party what would you do?
So, how does all this relate to a sponsor wasting money on a banner on a fence around an oval? I’ll explain all in the next part.
We sponsor drinks at the various Caravan Shows around the Country and choose not to make a speech at the event..because the dealers are there for the drink not an Advert however the organization hosting the show appreciate our support and continue to support us each year
Thanks Colin and an excellent idea! I agree with you that there is no way I would want you to deliver a speech at the event even though you have a silver tongue and a golden voice with the ability to hold an audience in the palm of your hand. However there is more that can be done to make your sponsorship dollar deliver a return. See my next article.