This book offers a practical but conceptually grounded view of the future of sponsorship. It is based on the reality that the world of sponsorship marketing is far too focused on impressions, logos, and 'money can't buy experiences' — experiences which are miraculously secured with money. The author asks questions such as: "Do any corporate sponsors really believe that more logos are what their consumers want?" and, "do organizations selling sponsorship believe they have nothing more valuable to sell than digital and physical signage?"
In a culmination of real-life experiences, industry learnings and third-party professional research, What Sponsors Want provides expert-supported arguments to show that the traditional bronze, silver and gold packages of sponsorship belong to a model of the past. In outlining the conceptual model for successful sponsorship, this book provides five key principles of what sponsors want for you to take on your next sponsorship challenge.
Sample Chapter(s)
Preface
Chapter 1: THE BUSINESS OF SPONSORSHIP — IT’S THE GREATEST MAGIC IN MARKETING
Contents:
- The Business of Sponsorship — It's the Greatest Magic in Marketing
- What Sponsors Want from You and Your Property
- To Borrow Equity — The Definition of Sponsorship
- To Tell Stories — A Sponsor's Tale
- To Engage Stakeholders — Activate. Activate. Activate
- To See Proof — Don't Be Afraid of the Truth
- To Get Promoted ... Not Fired
- Building a Strategy — Planning for Success
- The Future of Sponsorship — Is It Already Here?
- Scenarios
Readership: Undergraduate, graduate students, researchers and practitioners and researchers in the field of sponsorship.
"Mark's passion for the sponsorship industry is undeniable. What Sponsors Want brilliantly synthesizes Mark's vast sponsorship experience into a clear and effective model to address sponsors' needs, while also effectively intermingling the learnings of a series of global experts from Mark's network. Mark's unswerving focus on the critical role of interpersonal relationships is a doubly important message today as the world shifts to distanced communication. Today's and tomorrow's sponsorship leaders will be inspired, motivated and smarter after reading this book."
Stewart Johnston
President of Media Sales & Marketing and TSN, Bell Media
"With 30 years in experiential marketing, Mark Harrison is a sponsorship hall of famer. The common threads in Mark's businesses are unmatched client service, brilliant creative applications, and a laser focus on execution. This book thoughtfully reveals the important perspectives and motivations for both sponsors and properties, and their supporting agencies, partners and stakeholders. The book is written with the industry's voice, and includes important planning and valuation tools. With experiential marketing ready to take off in 2021, this is an important book."
Jeff Corcoran
Founder of Kinwood, former Marketing Executive, Ontario Lottery & Gaming
"This book's concentration on the human condition reminds us that successful sponsorship models embody the promise of mutual support, partnership, and trust. In a moment where we are quick to reduce the industry to flashy pitch decks and fast cash, Harrison provides a viable framework for building a future that is both sustainable and personal."
Becca Higgins
Talen Buyer at Blue Note Entertainment Group
"Mark Harrison has written possibly the best sponsorship book and one that will continue to teach, inspire and guide for many years to come. It is part guidebook, part operations manual and 100% inspirational. It is a must have for anyone that works in the sponsorship industry."
Brandon Tosti
Manager, Corporate Partnerships & Activation
City and County of Denver, Arts and Venues
"Mark is a natural storyteller and a REAL sponsorship marketer. In this book, he describes the honest strengths and challenges of our industry. This is a must read for all sponsorship marketers regardless of experience level. This is a people business and when times are good ... we forget that!"
Krista Massey
Corporate Sponsorship Marketing Executive
SunTrust, The Home Depot and Cingular Wireless
"Mark has captured the essence of sponsorship through engaging anecdotes from personal experiences combined with exclusive interviews with sponsorship experts that provide compelling insight and enjoyment. A worthy read for anyone currently in or pondering to get into the sponsorship game."
Peter Cosentino
President, DEC Sports & Entertainment
"Done poorly, sponsorship is a fool's errand of ego and wasted resources. Done right, it's one of the most powerful forces in marketing, uniquely able to capture imaginations. This book — from one of the lions of the industry — is for anyone interested in doing sponsorship right. Practical, engaging, and witty, Mark synthesizes the lessons of his storied career into helpful ways to make sponsorships shine in the modern marketing era."
Raymond Ludwin
Senior Director, Marketing, Air Canada
Mark Harrison loves entrepreneurism. He practices it, reads about it, writes about it and has developed MBA-level courses about it, which he has taught at both the Ohio University and Laurentian University. He has made it his mission to help build a future where entrepreneurs feel empowered to make positive change in the world.
Mark is a big believer in purpose, be that brand purpose or people being purposeful in everything that they do. Twenty-five years ago, those fervent beliefs had Mark creating his own agency and later, his own global conference, SponsorshipX. The T1 Agency has since grown to service international brands, helping them find purpose and solve business problems on an integrated holistic basis. Mark is a forever-student, attending conferences like a fiend and soaking up as much information as possible.
Mark's passion for sharing knowledge has him speaking at international events including International Fundraising Congress in Holland, Fifteen Seconds Festival in Austria, XLIVE, Las Vegas, SportAccord in Thailand, Irish Sponsorship Summit in Dublin, Infopresse in Montreal, Event Atlantic Summit in Charlottetown, FestForums in Santa Barbara, and more. Mark also speaks annually at SponsorshipX, which has most recently taken him from Whistler, BC to Toronto, and Nashville, Tennessee to Montpellier, France.
