Full Court Press

Make sure there is sound understanding of a company's business objectives. Since sponsorship is a big part of the marketing mix, sponsorship assets need to link strategically with overall business objectives. Develop key performance indicators that demonstrate the link between the two.

Somehow, sponsors have been forgotten in the process. They hire agencies to develop metrics but rarely participate. Their lack of involvement means they don't engage business colleagues who manage horizontal and ancillary marketing initiatives. Without this input, key measurement metrics are missed.

Since sponsorship is more inclusive in the marketing mix and integrated across numerous brand platforms, it is imperative that success criteria are shared throughout the system. As we all know, “if you can't measure it, you can't manage it.”

We all agree there is no “holy grail” when it comes to measurement, but this is where the industry remains asleep at the wheel. Although we've made remarkable progress with digital recognition technology, we need to catch up in other areas of accountability. Agency and brand partners must share the job of achieving outcomes and should be equally responsible for delivering information in a timely fashion.

Accountability is actually a two-part process. Once the responsible party is recognized, it is imperative that they train in the art of data collection. The difference between incomplete analysis and great analysis is this step. We've all asked for results at the conclusion of a sponsorship — only to be told the information is unattainable. The counter approach is to identify these parties and teach them to analyze data throughout the sponsorship.

It's time to move past a fragmented approach where objectives and ROI are measured in mostly incomplete detail. Sports marketers need to resolve to make a stronger commitment to metrics that deliver robust, comprehensive analysis in a neatly wrapped package.