"The Good Corporate Citizen" - coming soon to this community
The role of businesses in the community is becoming increasingly important—sponsorship helps establish a sustainable position.
No sector of the economy was spared the aftershocks of the global crisis last year, and the sponsorship industry was also hit hard: "The IEG-International Event Group's Sponsorship Report, which has been publishing an overview of the industry at the beginning of each year for the past 25 years, had to report a decline in sponsorship spending in the USA and Canada for the first time (-$100 million to $16.51 billion). This is remarkable for an industry that has always recorded double-digit growth rates in recent years," explains sponsorship specialist Elisa Bortoluzzi (see "Clear messages are more important than ever"). However, according to the IEG, total global spending is expected to rise again this year to 46 billion dollars.
And what happened in Switzerland? Did the sponsorship business also suffer? The mood was certainly negative. The prominent withdrawals of well-known sponsors such as UBS, Carlsberg, Swisscom and Credit Suisse, which alone withdrew around 110 million francs in contributions in 2009, were exploited in bold headlines. The fact that Bank Bär took over the sponsorship of the festival in Verbier from UBS, or that Axpo has recently started supporting the SAC, was at best worthy of a news item. This is why Remo Rusca (see "Sponsorship must be part of overall planning"), Deputy Managing Director of the communications agency Felten & Compagnie, states: "In contrast to traditional advertising and probably also event marketing, the Swiss sponsorship market has developed quite positively. In 2009, more new contracts were signed in the domestic sponsorship market than were terminated."
Professionals have no problems
The situation for successful and professionally managed events remained unchanged. These had and still have no problems finding sponsors, such as the Arosa Humor Festival, for which Axa Winterthur has been the main sponsor for eleven years. For Tom Markwalder (see "Events must reflect our core values"), Head of Event Marketing & Promotion at Axa Winterthur, the following applies: "The Arosa Humor Festival has become the best-known comedy event in Switzerland and is also known beyond the country's borders. For us, the focus is on the good hospitality opportunities, where we can offer individual programs for various distribution channels." But the insurance company's commitment does not end with financial support. Markwalder: "Thanks to the good cooperation with the organizer, we are constantly trying to further develop the festival together, for example with a new tent a few years ago or with the new Axa Outdoor Lounge in 2009."
The trend this year is towards greater integration of sponsorship activities into the overall corporate strategy. Gone are the days when the bosses of two companies came to an agreement over a nice glass of wine based on their personal preferences. Of course, good personal contacts are still the be-all and end-all in the business world, but in 2010 community marketing and the role of companies as "good corporate citizens" will take center stage. Only if the sponsorship of an event also makes sense on a strategic level and can be understood internally, especially by companies, will it continue in the future.
Marc Bodmer
And what happened in Switzerland? Did the sponsorship business also suffer? The mood was certainly negative. The prominent withdrawals of well-known sponsors such as UBS, Carlsberg, Swisscom and Credit Suisse, which alone withdrew around 110 million francs in contributions in 2009, were exploited in bold headlines. The fact that Bank Bär took over the sponsorship of the festival in Verbier from UBS, or that Axpo has recently started supporting the SAC, was at best worthy of a news item. This is why Remo Rusca (see "Sponsorship must be part of overall planning"), Deputy Managing Director of the communications agency Felten & Compagnie, states: "In contrast to traditional advertising and probably also event marketing, the Swiss sponsorship market has developed quite positively. In 2009, more new contracts were signed in the domestic sponsorship market than were terminated."
Professionals have no problems
The situation for successful and professionally managed events remained unchanged. These had and still have no problems finding sponsors, such as the Arosa Humor Festival, for which Axa Winterthur has been the main sponsor for eleven years. For Tom Markwalder (see "Events must reflect our core values"), Head of Event Marketing & Promotion at Axa Winterthur, the following applies: "The Arosa Humor Festival has become the best-known comedy event in Switzerland and is also known beyond the country's borders. For us, the focus is on the good hospitality opportunities, where we can offer individual programs for various distribution channels." But the insurance company's commitment does not end with financial support. Markwalder: "Thanks to the good cooperation with the organizer, we are constantly trying to further develop the festival together, for example with a new tent a few years ago or with the new Axa Outdoor Lounge in 2009."
The trend this year is towards greater integration of sponsorship activities into the overall corporate strategy. Gone are the days when the bosses of two companies came to an agreement over a nice glass of wine based on their personal preferences. Of course, good personal contacts are still the be-all and end-all in the business world, but in 2010 community marketing and the role of companies as "good corporate citizens" will take center stage. Only if the sponsorship of an event also makes sense on a strategic level and can be understood internally, especially by companies, will it continue in the future.
Marc Bodmer
