Partnership, Not Sponsorship
Sponsorship-marketing has evolved. Long gone are the days where brands assign their logo to events and, by way of passive alignment, then reap the benefits of audience loyalty. With social media and search-term marketing, brands can now reach any audience at any time. Brands now view events as both experiential platforms and content platforms, and require those platforms to deliver real value and audience relevance.
Experiential and content platforms, uniquely positioned as they capture the passion and enthusiasm of loyal audiences, have the opportunity to connect brands with audiences in meaningful and authentic ways. To succeed, platforms must empower brands to play the heroic role in enhancing the audience journey, all the while retaining the creative and editorial spirit on which the platform was built. Platforms must become brand partners.