Three simple strategies for activating a sponsorship

Sponsorships can be a great way to position your brand, drive revenue and reach new audiences – but signing the deal is just the first step. Simply being a sponsor and popping your logo on a sign or two isn’t enough these days. Now you need to activate your sponsorship. It might sound like extra hassle, but all this really means is adding some additional engagement and experiential marketing touch points to your campaign. This can help elevate your partnership and give you a stronger connection to your audience. 

The audience is the key here and your goal with activation is to, quite simply, make them happy. You want to find ways to tap into what they really care about and then use this to create an exciting and memorable experience. This will allow them to discover the essence of your brand and what you have to offer. The more brand personality you bring to the experience, the better – but ultimately remember that you want to educate your audience about your brand in a positive and enjoyable way that speaks to their needs and interests. 

This could be something as straightforward as product sales or it could be something more experiential. Sometimes a simple approach can be enormously effective, but it always pays to think a bit outside the box to create activations that will generate genuine buzz.

So, what’s the best way to go about activating a sponsorship? Here are three ways to start:

1. Tap into social media – This is a fantastic way to make waves and build connections before, during and after an event. It might be as simple as sharing images, creating an AR filter or using a particular hashtag. The key is to make sure you choose an approach that will allow you to engage not just those people at the event but anyone with an interest in what you’re offering.

2. Offer interactive opportunities – The more you can get people to become literally immersed in your activation, the better. So physical activations such as interactive videos, virtual reality experiences and games are a great way to get people to connect with your brand in a fun and interesting way.

3. Boost attendance – The more people you have attending an event, the higher the value of your sponsorship. So use your activation to increase these numbers by offering thoughtful and useful motivators such as free wifi, phone charging stations or bottles of water at festivals and concerts. Or you could take this even further and offer special chill out lounge areas for people to hang out or free samples of products that you know your audience will enjoy.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg of ways you can successfully activate and leverage a partnership – and the more your approach aligns with the values and offerings of your brand, the better. For ideas on some specific activation approaches that might work for you, get in touch with our team at Awaken and we would be happy to work with you on creating exciting new opportunities for your business.