TV Sponsorship – Something For Skinny & Full Fat Budgets

Rules have become more relaxed in recent years, providing more options for marketers, making it a powerful option for brands AND more affordable than you might think.

Sponsorship now allows for individual programmes, strands of programming, day parts or even whole channels.

For example Homebase, sponsor the Food on 4 strand across Channel 4 and More4, along with programming on UKTV channel Good Food.  Plus we’ve caught up with the States and product placement is now a popular option.

Some Things To Consider

 Aims

Set your brief clearly and concisely to get the best bang for your buck.  Ask yourself do you:

• Want to increase brand awareness?
• Raise profile and brand recall in a competitive market?
• Establish authority?
• Reposition a product?
• Change perceptions of your brand?
• Launch a brand?
• Gain credibility?
• Have a variety of products displayed over time?
• Drive a response?

How

Will you go via an agency or go directly to media owners?   The best answer to this is to begin conversations with an organisation from BOTH SIDES of the equation, and assess from there.  One costs less, one offers more  strategic support.  What’s your driver?

Achieving Impact

• The effects of TV sponsorship are felt most strongly when an emotional connection is made between the viewer, their programme and your brand/product.
• Aim for empathy with the programme, exemplified by Lurpak & Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals and Givenchy & The Oscars.
• Also worth considering is ‘brand rub’ – how the programme transfers associations to the brand.
• Creative work on screen – make your bumper great, plan and invest some time.  Don’t leave it as a late consideration.

Budget           

• You can enter the market and do well with £100,000.
• £500,000 will give you more options, and big brands blow out into the £millions.

Conclusion:     

Create a relationship between viewer, programme and brand – with the bumper facilitating the relationship between these three facets – and you’ve got a winning formula.