While Webb Simpson can be happy for the Burns & Wilcox sponsorship deal, I would suggest them rethink and revise how to maximize this sponsorship and cooperation. Marketers like Burns & Wilcox should move beyond putting their logo the sponsee’s golf bag, T-shirt, hat, etc. This way, it will be hard to prove and measure the impact of the sponsorship on sales.
Marketers should embrace the latest technology solutions (E.g. live streaming, augmented reality, NFC, beacon technology, wearables etc.), content marketing, and influencer marketing.
What is already clear to me that professional golfers and Tour players are becoming their own media owners. At this moment, I could not find Webb Simpson’s website, just his Facebook page, and Twitter account. In a case of such a limited number of media “footprint”/channel, the sponsor is losing an opportunity to engage via Webb Simpson with as many potential customers as possible. Burns & Wilcox do not have to worry that much since Webb Simpson has got 199K highly engaged followers on Twitter and almost 9K fans on Facebook.
As we are in the mobile-first and video first era, it would be great to find dedicated mobile application of Webb Simpson and a brand channel on YouTube (+much more videos on Facebook!!!). Yes, you are right, even golf professionals have to invest in content marketing to build their own brand and fandom. To increase the chances to get attention and awareness in our content tsunami that floods us, we have to have a clear content distribution strategy (Don’t neglect the micro-influencers!!).
We all know that content scarcity and exclusivity are useful to boost word of mouth. People like to feel that they are insiders. I would go even further and think about micro-segmentation. Personalized and focused communication can also help to increase the probability of content sharing. This means that somebody in the Webb Simpson team should use web analytics and social media analytics to understand what really matters to their fans. This way they will be able to discover what are the conversation triggers.
When we are talking about sponsorship effectiveness, one of the KPIs is visibility. 4Sports & Entertainment (they are representing Webb Simpson) should utilize live streaming solutions to expand the reach (e.g. Facebook Live, Periscope, Xperiel etc.). Live content playing should have a major role in sponsorship activation as it is very likely that people will come with their smartphone to golf events.
Last, but not least stakeholders should better use the available data to prove the effectiveness of the sponsorship. When you select any format of communication (e.g. branded T-shirt, hat, etc.) and brand activation you have to think about how can you measure the performance and get exact figures.
Somewhere I read this sentence that reflects the essence: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Your Turn
How could marketers make their sponsorship effective and measurable?