The days are getting longer and that means that it is time for marketing sponsorships to kick into gear. It seems that this time of year, I am fielding requests for sponsorships of events. Most of these are for charitable causes and take the form of outdoor activities - golf outings, festivals, youth sports teams, etc. All of them are asking me to help fund their cause. Is there any marketing value in doing so? There might be. Getting any kind of marketing bounce out of sponsorships really comes down to two things: does your target market’s values line up with the charitable cause and is it cohesive with your brand’s image?

We define values as deeply held beliefs or convictions that likely will not change in a person over their adult lifetime. People typically live through a coming-of-age period of life somewhere between 18-25 years old. This is when what they believe as an adult is solidified. People usually do not change these hardcore values after this period in their lives. It defines what is in good taste and what is not, what is right and wrong, what they will endorse in life and what they will reject. Values are different than attitudes. Attitudes are more fluid and faddish. They are popular one day and outdated the next. If you are going to sponsor a charitable event, the first thing you need to consider is how your target market will respond to it. Does it align with their values or does it insult them?

You might be thinking, "How can I know the values of everyone in my target market?” There are times when you simply cannot meet everyone’s standard of good taste. In that case, you might want to stay away from causes that are divisive rather than unifying. For instance, if I choose to sponsor a cause that helps fight cancer in children, I don’t know too many people who would find that offensive in any way. However, if I were to sponsor a polarizing, politically-charged rally, I could expect at least half of my target market to be offended with my involvement and I risk losing them as a customer for doing so.

But what if your brand is positioned so it aligns with polarizing thoughts? In that case, my target market would be in line with my brand statement prior to my involvement with the sponsorship. Sponsoring an extreme cause would be a boost to my brand in the eyes of my target market, not a detriment.

Brand reputation is the responsibility of the person in charge of marketing. What marketers communicate about the brand is critical to your success. We seem to understand that when it comes to marketing the brand, but that is sometimes lost when we sponsor an event. The same rules apply to sponsorships as they do any other marketing campaign.

I have one more word about sponsorships and getting a marketing bounce from it. There are good marketing moves and bad marketing moves to be made when doing a sponsorship. If you don’t care about the marketing, but just want to give to a cause you believe in, do so, but don’t expect anything but good feelings in return. But if you want to market your brand, try to choose a charity where you can own the event. It does you little good to be listed as one of many sponsors. Try to be as exclusive as you can with your sponsorship. Put your logo everywhere. There is great value in people recognizing that your brand is associated with a cause. People form opinions about brands, so make sure you are helping them recognize your involvement in the cause. Post about it, put it on your email signature, get your logo on banners and signage, etc. There can be great marketing value in sponsorships if you do them the right way.