Are you a sponsor or a potential sponsor looking for expert advice and support?

Experts in National, International and Global Sponsorship Strategies, Audits and Activation.

BDS advise sponsors, both B2C and B2B, on all aspects of their sponsorship journeys, from auditing existing sponsorship programmes to developing new sponsorship strategies and creating and delivering unique sponsorship activations.

Sponsorship audits
Are you getting the optimal return for your sponsorship investment? BDS have undertaken numerous national and global sponsorship audits for a wide range of companies; including a global audit for CIBA and an audit of community sponsorship for British Aerospace.

Sponsorship strategies
We have undertaken global sponsorship audits/strategies for companies as varied as Philips, Porsche, Shell, S and P, and RELX. Furthermore I wrote, for the FT, the first ever Management Report on Sponsorship (“Measuring Successful Sponsorship“) which examined in depth many hundreds of corporate (and brand) sponsorship strategies.

Our corporate clients have ranged from undertaking Global and Pan-European Sponsorship strategies and audits for B2C companies (including Phillips, Shell and Porsche) and B2B companies (including Ciba, RELX and S and P Platts). We also advise major corporates (including 3M and Danone) on major global events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup and on-site sponsorship activations globally (for companies like Shell).

Sustainability/Diversity and Inclusion
We understand the complexities of sponsorship and the Sustainability/Diversity and Inclusion agendas through working together with our own experts in these fields on a range of Sustainability/Diversity and Inclusion focussed sponsorships, such as being the Global Sponsorship Consultancy for Shell on the Shell Eco-Marathon.

Using science to select the correct sponsorship
We have unique data analytic sponsorship tools at our disposal which amongst many other variables measures sponsorship against audience impact, brand affinity and budget impact through a range of data sources. Indeed, we have recently used these to analyse a number of global sponsorship opportunities for a Middle Eastern Airline.

Creativity
We are strategically creative in sponsorship property creation (such as creating the Award Winning first ever Land Rover Experience, sponsorship of the closure of a iconic building and Bloomberg’s sponsorship of London City Airport).

BDS has also created new sponsorship properties (for Diageo and others), expanded existing sponsorship properties (for companies including BT).

Sponsorship activation
We have successfully undertaken highly complex sponsorship activations (such as 205 simultaneous school holiday programmes for Asda) and managing both our team and 300 hundred volunteers in activating the sponsorship of the London Marathon.

Further reading for sponsors:

To find out how we can help you get the most from your sponsorship budget please call us on 0771 052 0059 or contact us via the contact form on this page.

 

Classic Sponsorship Case Studies

Taken from the first ever management report on sponsorship, published by the Financial Times (FT) and written by BDS Sponsorship CEO, Richard Busby.

Here are just a few of the companies BDS Sponsorship has helped find sponsoring and partnering opportunities:

  • 3M (and the Olympics)
  • AJ Bell
  • Asda (community event programme held concurrently around 205 of their stores)
  • AVIVA
  • Barclays
  • BBC
  • Bella Italia
  • British Aerospace
  • British Steel
  • BT
  • BUPA
  • Café Rouge
  • CNBC
  • Danone (FIFA World Cup)
  • Department of Culture, Media and Sport
  • Department of Health
  • Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
  • Diageo
  • Electricity Supply Board (Eire)
  • EMAP
  • Fitbit
  • Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust (FCI)
  • GE Oil & Gas
  • Grant Thornton
  • Hillier Garden Centres
  • Littlewoods
  • Maserati
  • Nestlé
  • NPI
  • Observer
  • One Healthcare
  • Phillips
  • Polaroid
  • Porsche
  • Royal Mail
  • Shell
  • Threadneedle Asset Management
  • Triumph Motorcycles
  • Volvo
  • West Midlands Combined Authority

Are you ready to sponsor?

Before embarking on the process of securing a sponsorship opportunity, there are a series of questions to ask that will ensure that you are making the best decision. Specifically, you need to consider the following points.

Is sponsorship an integral part of your business planning, or is it an ad-hoc decision area?

If the answer to this question is that sponsorships are done on a more ad-hoc basis rather than as part of a broader business strategy, it might not be in your best interest to invest in a large-scale partnership. Of course, you may find that asking this question leads you to evaluate ways that you might integrate sponsorships into your plans to achieve your business objectives.

This is another area of planning that our team at BDS will be happy to discuss with you. An incredible way of increasing the visibility of an organisation, as well as connecting businesses with a captive audience, sponsorship is certainly a powerful strategy that deserves careful consideration. To find out how BDS has previously secured relevant partnerships for organisations of all kinds, be sure to review our series of case studies.   

Do you have a clear decision-making process on sponsorship in your company?

When it comes to forming partnerships with large brands or sponsoring major arts and sporting events, you must clearly define processes and personnel that will allow you to establish and maintain these relationships.

If you already have key decision-makers assigned in your organisation, you’ll be far better prepared to take advantage of the various sponsorship opportunities available to you. If you don’t, it will be vital to identify and allocate these roles to ensure that you’re well-positioned to coordinate a new partnership.

Do you have sufficient data and knowledge in-house to professionally assess sponsorship opportunities?

Every great sponsorship opportunity starts with data. Specifically, it pays to know what kinds of partnerships will lead to the greatest results. Having this knowledge in-house will ultimately allow you and your business to assess and select the best possible partnerships. If you’re unsure what kind of data you need to get ahead, don’t hesitate to get in touch with BDS to find out more.

Do you make an effort to keep abreast of the complete range of opportunities that are available for sponsorship?

To make the most of the sponsorship opportunities available to you, it pays to be proactive rather than reactive. In other words, your organisation is far better positioned to identify valuable partnerships when you’re aware of everything on offer. When it comes to keeping on top of the current range of sponsorship opportunities, our dedicated news section will provide you with everything you need to get a grasp of the landscape. Perhaps the greatest advantage of being proactive when it comes to finding an organisation to sponsor or partner with is that you’ll be able to initiate and tailor opportunities, rather than selecting ones that are pre-assembled.

Have you set clear objectives on the use of sponsorships based on properly researched discussions?

Much like good data, good objectives will allow you to measure the performance of any sponsorship opportunity your business invests in. Objectives are particularly important when aligning stakeholders and ensuring that everyone in your organisation is clear on what your partnerships are designed to achieve. As part of our sponsorship management services, BDS can help identify the most meaningful metrics for any new partnerships.

Do you have experienced, in-house staff that are experienced enough to maximise sponsorship opportunities?

Managing a sponsorship or partnership is as complex as every other aspect of business. To this end, it will be important that you have experienced staff in maximising opportunities to ensure that any new sponsorship yields a strong return on investment. In addition to other related services, BDS provides sponsorship management to support businesses embarking on a new partnership. This service ensures that all partnerships are leveraged to their fullest extent, and businesses get a seamless and enjoyable experience when sponsoring an organisation or event.

Do you know the major sponsorship consultancies and have you fully evaluated their range of services?

When exploring the range of sponsorship opportunities available to you, it’s vital to know about all of the major consultancies and the services they provide. At BDS, we provide a suite of services that range from sponsorship creation to sponsorship implementation and management. You can find out more about all of the services BDS provides by visiting our sponsorship services page. 

 

Ready to start?

To find out more about the journey from creation to implementation, be sure to take a look at our case studies and latest news to gain greater insight into the services we deliver. Alternatively, to learn more about how our team can provide your business with valuable organisations to sponsor and partner with, simply get in touch today.