New sponsorship book mixes controversy, new thinking and practical skills
'It's Not All Fun and Games' is the newest book from Kim Skildum-Reid, sponsorship industry leader and co-author of global industry bestsellers, 'The Sponsor's Toolkit' and 'The Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit'.
'It's Not All Fun and Games' is a selection of 34 of Kim's very popular columns from Australia's Marketing magazine. Topics range from new thinking and how-to advice for some of sponsorship's most vexing problems to an unflinching look at the industry's biggest controversies.
Skildum-Reid on ambush marketing... "If an ambush is going to work, it needs to be selected, planned, budgeted, implemented, and measured with just as much strategy, care, and time as a major sponsorship would. Ambushing is complicated. It's hard work. And if the rightful sponsor starts picking up their game, your opportunity may shrink to nil."
On sponsorship measurement... "There are even attempts at making exposure-based measurement sexy, with a market research firm recently announcing technology that automatically recognises and counts the number of logo exposures in a telecast. Hooray! The least effective and laziest possible way of measuring a sponsorship just got lazier!"
On "chairman's choice" sponsorship... "Senior executives still look at the sponsorship budget as their own personal slush fund to spend on their favourite teams, causes, or other pet projects. It is almost as if they think it is part of their remuneration package - salary, stock options, company car, and company money to support personal interests."
On sponsorship and politics... "South Africa was divested of international sport as a punishment for their policy of apartheid, and this was one of many factors in the decision to move past that oppressive policy. Unfortunately, now that money rules so much of sport, public opinion plays far less a factor. Maybe it's time for sponsors to use their financial power to truly reflect and speak for the people who are no longer being heard, who also happen to be their consumers."
'It's Not All Fun and Games' is an e-book, PDF-format, 101 pages long, and professionally designed and edited. It is available to purchase from Power Sponsorship, www.powersponsorship.com. A five-column sampler book is available free.
