Week 8

Properly-handled sponsorships and special events can generate a great deal of publicity for an organization, its brand or a product. However, they cannot be hastily executed but has to be thoroughly planned and thought through.

For a sponsorship to work, many factors have be taken into consideration. One of which is to ensure that the sponsor is clearly identified and distinguished. This is especially so with the presence of ambush marketers who use dirty tactics to promote their own brands or products without having the official, legal or moral rights to do so. Thus it is necessary to ensure that the risk of an ‘ambush’ is kept to a minimum.

It is important to note that events are opportunities to make news. However, with so many competing and ongoing events, only a creative event has the ability to attract the media. Thus it is crucial for a PR practitioner to highlight the news point for an event in a media release such that it will interest the journalists. In this way, a PR practitioner is like a journalist in drafting the press release. Newsy elements include the use of prominent figures, an unusual or human interest angle, as well as the possible impact of a new product or event that is being launched.

I realized from the reading that sponsorship is a two-way street. I have always thought that sponsorships are like donations in that there are no expected returns. However, this is a misconception. Strategy and purpose will guide the planning of both sponsorships and events.