IEG Executive Brief
Measuring High Performance Sponsorship Programs
Ten Key Factors Critical to the Strategic, Organizational and Tactical Issues
of Sponsorship Measurement
IEG, 2009
Sponsorship has evolved a great deal since the time - not that long ago - when the phrase "sponsorship can't be measured" was an accepted "fact." As all aspects of the industry have become more sophisticated, and the dollar value and prominence of sponsorship have grown, accountability has become a vital skill for today's sponsorship marketers.
However, much of what passes for sponsorship measurement misses the mark. The general mentality has been to transfer advertising metrics and processes to sponsorship - without considering the differences between sponsorship and advertising or the inherent flaws in the way advertising itself is measured.
The fundamental issue for today's sponsorship professional is the lack of a standard measure. That is a fact. But that marks the beginning, rather than the end, to the measurement discussion. Just as your business and brands are unique, so are your sponsorships. The bottom line is: to measure the effectiveness of your investments -- in fees as well as activation -- sponsors must develop a customized approach.
As the industry leader, IEG can show you the latest measurement and evaluation methodologies.
The IEG Approach
Evaluation enhances the performance of every sponsorship. It establishes the legitimacy of sponsorship to internal constituencies -- and, importantly -- provides the justification needed to preserve sponsorships in an uncertain economic climate. Sponsorship measurement and evaluation are not a "nice to do": they are a must.
Our experience reveals that sponsorships are often misunderstood by CEOs and CFOs because they do not tie back to broader business strategies and/or because what's being measured is not converted to address those strategies. Strengthening connections to customers is fine, but how does that contribute to annual profit targets?
While one size does not fit all, all sponsorships can and should be measured using a disciplined, business-based process. IEG has developed a proprietary approach that we call "Return on Sponsorship" or ROS.
Download the full report (pdf, 208kb)