Without a doubt, sponsorship is one of the most powerful promotional tools we have in the business of brand creation, brand recognition, and ultimately increasing sales. Moreover, brokering sponsors is a significant business in and of itself, something we often overlook. Considering sponsorship is a $50 billion a year market--and growing--marketers and students of business ignore its potential at the risk of missing hugely lucrative opportunities. To fail to understand sponsorship is to fail to understand marketing.
If you're looking for an introduction to this topic, most books available only address sports sponsorship: the largest section of the market perhaps, but by no means the only one. Kolah's Improving the Performance of Sponsorship is a guide that examines all types of sponsorship, clearly explaining and defining its mechanics, advising on how to select the right properties, how to sell sponsorship, ethical issues, measurement and key legal principles.
This book is all keen marketers will need for a thorough understanding of how sponsorship works.
Introduction 1. Re-wiring our Thinking on Sponsorship 2. The Business of Sponsorship 3. The Process of Selecting a Sponsorship Property 4. Process of Selling a Sponsorship Property 5. Creativity in Sponsorship 6. The Ethical Issues in Sponsorship 7. Legal Principles of Sponsorship 8. Ambush Marketing 9. Corporate Social Responsibility and Sponsorship 10. Measurement and Evaluation of Sponsorship
Biography
Ardi Kolah is a senior visiting lecturer on sponsorship, marketing and public relations at Henley Business School, Kingston University Business School and the London Guildhall Faculty of Business and Law, UK. He has been working in the sponsorship industry for over 20 years and holds the prestigious UK Sponsorship Award (formerly Hollis Sponsorship Award) as well as being a fellow of several professional institutes and an elected member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
‘This book provides a comprehensive guide to the many facets of the sponsorship industry. It's an ideal reference for all practitioners - whether experienced or newcomers; whether buyers or sellers - and sets out commercial figures and statistics, as well as excellent case studies. If anyone doubted sponsorship as an effective marketing tool, they will need no convincing now.’ - Karen Earl, Chairman, The European Sponsorship Association
‘Ardi has created THE sponsorship reference that will remain within arm’s reach for years to come.’ - Steve Madincea, Founder & Group Managing Director PRISM
‘The London 2012 Olympic Games were a significant achievement not just in athletic and organisational terms but also for the global and national sponsors connected with them. Brand owners are increasingly seeking new ways to connect with audiences and customer segments in a personal and engaging way. Improving the Performance of Sponsorship provides the blue print for how this can be best achieved; building on insights from the work the author undertook for the UK Government in relation to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Ardi Kolah has made a very valuable contribution to our thinking in this important and rapidly growing marketing discipline.’ - Sir Paul Judge, President of the Association of MBAs
‘Sponsorship as a subset of marketing is a subject that’s often treated on a cursory basis or ignored if those teaching marketing are unsure how best to cover the subject in a robust and interesting way. This book takes a holistic view of this fascinating aspect of marketing. Packed full of examples Kolah has produced something that’s highly relevant and timely for both brand owners, rights holders and agencies that must focus not just on outputs but outcomes from their marketing budgets. Kolah’s six-step sponsorship model is a powerful tool for improving the performance of sponsorship and the book is ESSENTIAL READING for anyone that wants to achieve brand marketing and sales objectives from sponsorship.’ - Anne Godfrey, CEO, Chartered Institute of Marketing
‘The financial services sector is one of the most active when considering its involvement in sponsorship on a global basis. What this excellent book does is to help navigate those responsible for such marketing expenditure to achieve measurable outcomes as well as providing a sound commercial basis for those rights holders that want to succeed in their sponsorship programmes. Written in an extremely accessible way and with the latest case studies and best practice guidance, one of the best sponsorship books for anyone working within the financial services sector.’ - David Cowan, Managing Director, Financial Services Forum
‘This is an incredibly comprehensive reference to how you make sponsorship work harder. There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re new to the sponsorship industry or an experienced old hand. If you’re involved in sponsorship programmes in any capacity then this is worth a read.’ - David Peters, Managing Director, Dentsu Aegis Network Sport & Entertainment
‘For a significant marketing channel, we now have a significant marketing handbook which covers key sponsorship decisions with digestible detail and convincing cases.’ - Professor Vince Mitchell, Sir John E Cohen Professor of Consumer Marketing, Cass Business School
‘This excellent book explores the role of global sponsorship within the overall context of marketing and public relations. The book appeals to marketing and PR practitioners as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students looking to expand their knowledge in this area. The book is easy to read, engaging and packed with up-to-date case studies and is highly commended.’ - Ray Donnelly, Team Leader, Marketing, London Guildhall Faculty of Business and Law
‘This is an essential guide for any marketer with an interest in marketing and sponsorship. The landscape changes constantly, both in terms of compliance and the optimisation of sponsorship returns, and Ardi does a tremendous job of navigating the field – from the basics to the business, legal issues and ethical considerations alike. Highly readable and instantly informative.’ - Elliot Reuben, Principal Business Consultant, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
‘Within the global music and entertainment industry, artists and studios are exploring new ways to drive incremental value from their intellectual property rights. Brand partnerships and collaboration between rights holders, studios and brands is changing the face of the industry where the sum of the parts is the real prize. This excellent book, written in an authoritative and accessible way is highly recommended for all of our MBA students that are forging careers in this dynamic and innovative sector.’ - Helen Gammons, Programme Director - MBA for Music & Creative Industries, Henley Business School
‘The voluntary sector needs to diversify in terms of new income streams and commercial sponsorship represents an incredible opportunity to establish long-term relationships on a strong commercial footing with major sponsors. Ardi Kolah’s book is essential reading for everyone in the voluntary sector that wants to explore how best to engage in relationships outside of fundraising and corporate giving in order to drive incremental revenues from brand partnerships. Highly recommended.’ - Richard Leaman OBE, CEO, Guide Dogs
‘This is a really inspired introduction to sponsorship and the way in which it actually works. Though I wish it had been around 25 years ago,it’s a book from which even seasoned fundraisers will benefit and learn.’ - Colin McKenzie, Director, House of Illustration
‘Ardi Kolah's latest book is a timely assessment of where the sponsorship industry has got to. It explains succinctly the processes, the challenges and opportunities and there’s a wealth of data and case studies to help the reader to understand the subject. I particularly liked the practical approach taken to explaining the need to consider every aspect of the sponsorship process. A useful tool for sponsors and rights holders alike.’ - Simon Rines, CEO, International Marketing Reports
‘Sponsorship has come a long way since it depended on the chairman’s whim and fancy. But how marketers are actually doing sponsorship and, equally important, how they measure what gets done is often a case of ‘hit and miss’. This book provides both experienced practitioners and those new to marketing with an admirably clear and well-structured guide to the key features in the sponsorship landscape. And readers couldn’t get a better sponsorship guru. Ardi has the rare gift of combining lucid writing and academic rigour with a truly detailed knowledge of the field – what he doesn’t know about sponsorship would probably fill a postage stamp, just.’ - Daryn Moody, Publishing Editor, Journal of Brand Strategy
‘Providing absolute currency in today’s marketing world, the book is a font of knowledge to help any marketer navigate the increasingly powerful world of sponsorship at all levels, and importantly not just the global deals that grab the headlines.’ - Howard Kosky, CEO, Markettiers4DC
‘Sponsorship has now truly come of age as a global marketing tool due to its ability to connect with the values and aspirations of all types of consumers. This new book really captures all the essentials of running successful sponsorship programmes. It highlights the opportunities, the controls and the pitfalls using recent examples from around the world – and it would certainly have been very helpful to have had this book when I was running Olympic and World Cup campaigns for Coca-Cola. Ardi is able to make even the most complex theories understandable and raises crucial questions for the reader to answer as their contribution to the never ending dialogue of how to achieve true marketing success.’ - Jeremy Stern, Managing Director, PromoVeritas
‘Having known Ardi for a number of years personally and professionally I know he has a true passion for educating marketers and brand owners on the commercial benefits of sponsorship. He understands that sponsorship is so much more than printing a logo on a shirt or getting a celebrity to endorse a product. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to leverage their sponsorship investments beyond the usual 'slap a logo on it' methods to gain true return on investment through strategic sponsorship activation.’ - Lena Robinson, Founder, Kiwi Girl Limited and Ex-Group Business Development Director (UK) - Dentsu Aegis Network
‘There are two sides of the equation when it comes to sponsorship. The body receiving the sponsorship and the body giving the sponsorship. Maximising the benefits and rewards for both in the partnership requires considerable planning and forethought in the relationship. For all those involved or considering sponsorship this is a must have book. There are few books and even training modules that will equip you to improve your investment whichever side of the equation you may be on.’ - Manjit Biant, Management Consultant
‘Ardi Kolah is a highly respected expert in the field of sponsorship. His latest book assists rights holders and brand owners reach a deeper appreciation of the strategic value of sponsorship as part of the marketing mix in helping to drive sustainable, profitable growth of these businesses and organisations.’ - Phil Jones, Founder & Organiser, Podge Events
