A sporting challenge
FKG is convinced that there is still untapped potential in sports sponsorship tools and return on sponsorship investment.
FKG is convinced that there is still potential in sports sponsorship tools Return on sponsorship investment. Even today, investment decisions in sports sponsorship are often made on the basis of the CEO's personal preferences, the supposed popularity of a sport or because of private connections with the athletes or association members. "Sponsorship is often still seen as a fun part of the company because the focus is on the fun factor rather than the branding factor," says consultant Adrian Sonderegger, exaggerating the practice. In such cases, those responsible tend to avoid questions about the long-term effects on brand and product range perception among the target group, preferring instead to point to successful accompanying communication and hospitality activities. Evaluation can't do everythingWhat are the target markets, target groups and competitors, how are they weighted, which media are to be reached locally, which image attributes are to be anchored and with what budget limit? These are questions that companies cannot answer completely, even in an analytical sponsorship evaluation: Be it because there is a lack of objectivity in the assessment, because the properties cannot be compared with each other, because market research data in a country portfolio is not available or only rudimentary, or because a systematic, holistic approach is rarely possible.
FKG's answer to this is a web-based tool for transparent decision support called SportsMaxx, which integrates brand management, media buying and investment concepts. It is already being used successfully in the largest sports sponsorship market, the USA, says Thomas Stalder, Managing Partner of Sports Consulting at FKG. The consulting firm generates 70 percent of its business volume there.
Actively looking for sponsorships "It's not just the tool that represents a paradigm shift, but also the fact that we are proactively looking for the best sponsorships and not passively checking the offers," says Thomas Stalder. And this is increasingly in line with the pursuit of performance that prevails in other Markom disciplines, he adds. Using the tool already makes sense for medium-sized sponsorship commitments and (with activation and networking) is in principle essential from half a million francs. Because: "No matter how well you activate a sponsorship, if it is not the optimal platform, the brand can hardly achieve its performance targets," Thomas Stalder claims.
But how does it work? The brand owner defines the market portfolio and all relevant target dimensions as well as their sub-criteria and weights them according to their respective importance. The result is the brand's target profile. A multidimensional matching algorithm then determines the optimal sponsorship opportunities from the comprehensive sports database. For this purpose, the target profile created is compared with the thoroughly and independently collected and researched profiles of the most important sports and events and the property with the highest match is identified. As a result, the user receives a ranking list of sponsorship opportunities with the best strategic fit. With the exception of the negotiation of rights, where the consultancy firm can help if required, all subsequent steps from implementation to controlling and optimization are carried out by the client. Stalder sees the advantages for the agencies in the more efficient value creation of a property, the improved strategic advice and thus greater credibility with the client.
High expectationsMore than one in two sponsorship francs in Switzerland is spent on sport; however, the European average is much higher - 74%. The search for the sports sponsorship with the best brand relevance and the greatest potential for raising awareness, improving image or cultivating contacts is becoming increasingly difficult. On the one hand, because four out of five sponsoring companies are already active in this area. Secondly, because around a quarter of them do not have their own sponsorship department. (la)
fkg Sports ConsultingFritz Kaiser founded his company in 1981 in Vaduz as a manager of sports stars from Formula 1, tennis and skiing. By trading in marketing rights, the company developed into a globally active holding company whose largest business share is now held by
asset management
is generated.
The Sports Consulting division has been operating in Zurich since 2002 and offers global brands or their communications agencies a tool called SportsMaxx, which, according to Managing Partner Thomas Stalder, is "an analogy to the media planning tools for traditional advertising".
This software tool with the world's largest sports business database is designed to enable companies to make a neutral, comprehensible choice of sports sponsorship that has a positive impact on brand perception. A demo tool is available at www.fkgsportsmaxx.com. (la)
FKG Sports Consulting offers the world's largest sports business database on its website.
Luca Aloisi
FKG's answer to this is a web-based tool for transparent decision support called SportsMaxx, which integrates brand management, media buying and investment concepts. It is already being used successfully in the largest sports sponsorship market, the USA, says Thomas Stalder, Managing Partner of Sports Consulting at FKG. The consulting firm generates 70 percent of its business volume there.
Actively looking for sponsorships "It's not just the tool that represents a paradigm shift, but also the fact that we are proactively looking for the best sponsorships and not passively checking the offers," says Thomas Stalder. And this is increasingly in line with the pursuit of performance that prevails in other Markom disciplines, he adds. Using the tool already makes sense for medium-sized sponsorship commitments and (with activation and networking) is in principle essential from half a million francs. Because: "No matter how well you activate a sponsorship, if it is not the optimal platform, the brand can hardly achieve its performance targets," Thomas Stalder claims.
But how does it work? The brand owner defines the market portfolio and all relevant target dimensions as well as their sub-criteria and weights them according to their respective importance. The result is the brand's target profile. A multidimensional matching algorithm then determines the optimal sponsorship opportunities from the comprehensive sports database. For this purpose, the target profile created is compared with the thoroughly and independently collected and researched profiles of the most important sports and events and the property with the highest match is identified. As a result, the user receives a ranking list of sponsorship opportunities with the best strategic fit. With the exception of the negotiation of rights, where the consultancy firm can help if required, all subsequent steps from implementation to controlling and optimization are carried out by the client. Stalder sees the advantages for the agencies in the more efficient value creation of a property, the improved strategic advice and thus greater credibility with the client.
High expectationsMore than one in two sponsorship francs in Switzerland is spent on sport; however, the European average is much higher - 74%. The search for the sports sponsorship with the best brand relevance and the greatest potential for raising awareness, improving image or cultivating contacts is becoming increasingly difficult. On the one hand, because four out of five sponsoring companies are already active in this area. Secondly, because around a quarter of them do not have their own sponsorship department. (la)
fkg Sports ConsultingFritz Kaiser founded his company in 1981 in Vaduz as a manager of sports stars from Formula 1, tennis and skiing. By trading in marketing rights, the company developed into a globally active holding company whose largest business share is now held by
asset management
is generated.
The Sports Consulting division has been operating in Zurich since 2002 and offers global brands or their communications agencies a tool called SportsMaxx, which, according to Managing Partner Thomas Stalder, is "an analogy to the media planning tools for traditional advertising".
This software tool with the world's largest sports business database is designed to enable companies to make a neutral, comprehensible choice of sports sponsorship that has a positive impact on brand perception. A demo tool is available at www.fkgsportsmaxx.com. (la)
FKG Sports Consulting offers the world's largest sports business database on its website.
Luca Aloisi
