The importance of Swiss sponsorship

SWISS SPONSORSHIP AWARD The next award ceremony will take place on February 4, 2016 at the Sonnenberg Convention Center in Zurich. Sebastian Chiappero, jury member and President of "Swiss Sponsorship Think Tank", talks about the significance of the award and what has changed in recent years.This report appeared in the October issue of the trade magazine "Marketing & Communication". More articles on digital, marketing and communication topics? To the subscription.MK Mr. Chiappero, the Swiss Sponsorship Awards will be presented for the fourth time in 2016. How has the event developed over the past few years?SEBASTIAN CHIAPPERO Although the market is rather conservative in terms of sponsorship, we have observed a development in campaigns since 2012. This trend manifests itself primarily in involving the consumer or fan as well as the customer in a unique experience thanks to sponsorship. Digital marketing is also increasingly being used for two key reasons: firstly, it collects data, which is a key factor in entering into a direct and personal dialog with end consumers. Secondly, it encourages customers to become more involved in sponsorship campaigns.MK Applications can still be submitted until November 20. How many proposals have been received so far and how many will be nominated?CHIAPPERO We receive around fifty applications every year. These come not only from major Swiss sponsors, but also increasingly from SMEs. This category of companies is of great interest to us, as they show that successful sponsorship is not only possible with huge budgets. Of all the applications submitted, we nominate around ten for the award ceremony at the end.MK The success of sponsorship programs is generally difficult to measure. What is the selection process like, what criteria do you use to evaluate applicants?CHIAPPERO The selection process for the nominations is based on an analysis of the quantitative and qualitative information of the respective campaign. The members of the 2016 jury assess whether the sponsorship campaigns have achieved the objectives set. The degree of innovation is also evaluated and whether the applicants have fully pursued the 360° sponsorship approach. The analysis covers five main topics: image, campaign visibility, PR, commercial results and HR policy.MK What was the project that convinced you the most in recent years?CHIAPPERO We are noticing an increasing trend towards individualization in our society. The "consumer+actor" phenomenon has proven itself in the area of sponsorship: The customer wants to be at the center of the action. This is why brands are working to actively involve customers in an experience. The most popular way to do this is to create a unique experience for the consumer. Sponsorship can achieve precisely this goal. For this reason, Rolex's Mentor and Protégé program is one of the campaigns that resonated with me the most. This program was created to help exceptional and emerging artists reach their full potential through a year-long creative collaboration with a mentor.MK How far has sponsorship developed in Switzerland so far? Do the majority of companies integrate sponsorship into their corporate strategy?CHIAPPERO The sponsorship market in Switzerland represents around 800 million Swiss francs. At the moment, around 70 percent of this flows into sports sponsorship, 15 percent into cultural sponsorship and the rest is invested in social responsibility projects. This means that the Swiss market still lags behind the English, German and French markets. However, we are seeing that the concepts of profitability and sponsorship efficiency are gradually being integrated into companies. In addition, entrepreneurs and chief marketing officers have realized that traditional advertising (posters, TV, radio) no longer has any real influence. We are therefore seeing a general increase in the marketing budget share for sponsorship and digital marketing in Swiss companies.

Sebastian Chiappero, jury member and President of Swiss Sponsorship Think Tank.-------------------------BackgroundThe first Swiss Sponsorship Award was launched by the "Swiss Sponsorship Think Tank" in 2012 - Swatch, Jaeger LeCoultre and Ovomaltine were the first winners. Since then, experts from the fields of communication, marketing and sponsorship have nominated the best sponsorships every year and selected the winners in the categories of sports, cultural, social and international sponsorship. Swiss companies involved in national and international sponsorship are eligible, as are foreign companies whose campaigns took place in Switzerland.