1) Sponsorship marketing involves brands sponsoring events, communities, or causes that are relevant to their target consumers. This builds trust and positive associations with the brand.
2) Peer-powered marketing connects consumer organizations to businesses through a sponsorship platform. It allows both parties to benefit by focusing on the consumer rather than the brand.
3) Case studies show that sponsorship marketing can increase brand awareness and preference when it provides value to consumers through relevant content and experiences. This builds long-term trust and engagement between brands and customers.
An integrated campaign is a 'sequence of individual, coordinated market events that share a common audience profile and messaging theme'. At the end of the day, an integrated campaign takes one strategic, creative idea and applies it to different channels, respecting that channel for the job it’s meant to do. It’s about consistency. It’s about being where your donor is – communicating with them in a way that suits them, and offering them choice in how they want to communicate with you. It takes a comprehensive understanding of all media, creative, strategy, production and data to bring an integrated campaign to life. This session will outline the process required to create an effective integrated campaign and present case studies of effective integrated campaigns created by Stephen Thomas Ltd.
Integrated Marketing Communications Proposal Kate LaCorte
Inspiring and Engaging Millennials to Join Make-A-Wish Michigan's Wish Granting Mission with an Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign. Created as a final Master's capstone project at West Virginia University.
Integrated Marketing Campaign: American Red Cross ~ CapstoneNathan Pieratt
Integrated Marketing Communications Capstone. University of West Virginia.
Client: American Red Cross
Objective: To create a 12-month integrated marketing campaign that will provide young urban professionals ages 22-35 opportunities to engage with the American Red Cross in fresh and innovative ways while strengthen relationships and encouraging donations during non-disaster time periods.
Best in class.
DME Branding Inc Connects Celebrities and Corporations in Partnerships, bridging the communication between them an finding revenue opportunities to develop and market their brands, products and media content to the masses. An overview of benefits and services offered.
An integrated campaign is a 'sequence of individual, coordinated market events that share a common audience profile and messaging theme'. At the end of the day, an integrated campaign takes one strategic, creative idea and applies it to different channels, respecting that channel for the job it’s meant to do. It’s about consistency. It’s about being where your donor is – communicating with them in a way that suits them, and offering them choice in how they want to communicate with you. It takes a comprehensive understanding of all media, creative, strategy, production and data to bring an integrated campaign to life. This session will outline the process required to create an effective integrated campaign and present case studies of effective integrated campaigns created by Stephen Thomas Ltd.
Integrated Marketing Communications Proposal Kate LaCorte
Inspiring and Engaging Millennials to Join Make-A-Wish Michigan's Wish Granting Mission with an Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign. Created as a final Master's capstone project at West Virginia University.
Integrated Marketing Campaign: American Red Cross ~ CapstoneNathan Pieratt
Integrated Marketing Communications Capstone. University of West Virginia.
Client: American Red Cross
Objective: To create a 12-month integrated marketing campaign that will provide young urban professionals ages 22-35 opportunities to engage with the American Red Cross in fresh and innovative ways while strengthen relationships and encouraging donations during non-disaster time periods.
Best in class.
DME Branding Inc Connects Celebrities and Corporations in Partnerships, bridging the communication between them an finding revenue opportunities to develop and market their brands, products and media content to the masses. An overview of benefits and services offered.
Integrated Marketing Communication Proposal - Make-A-Wish Michigan Rebecca Sidles
Integrated marketing campaign built for my capstone class (IMC636) of West Virginia University's IMC Masters Program. Our class client was Make-A-Wish Michigan and our target audience was Millennials, 21 - 30.
This integrated marketing communications plan served as my Master's thesis for the West Virginia University IMC Program. I was required to provide an overview, situation analysis, demographic analysis, an integrated communications strategy statement, communications plan and creative executions.
WVU IMC Capstone - IMC Campaign Proposal for St. Jude Children's Research Hos...Kevin Kestler
For the capstone course of the WVU Integrated Marketing Communications Masters' program, I created an IMC campaign for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This involved the creation of an IMC agency brand identity (creative, core philosophy, mission statement, etc.), analysis of the client (St. Jude) and target audience (millennials), and a communication and evaluation plan. It is a representation of all that I learned throughout the program and was among a select few proposals chosen to be sent to directly to St. Jude for presentation.
Final capstone project. The following is an integrated marketing communication proposal for South Carolina-based non-profit Arm-in-Arm by an agency created for the purpose of the course/project.
This presentation goes beyond just social media and will include high level strategy as well as low level tactics. It also introduces the importance of engagement in creating and deepening your relationship with brand ambassadors.
Specific case studies are included as well as options for calculating ROI.
Complete integrated marketing communication plan for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. This project was the Capstone to the WVU IMC graduate program and received an A.
Master's thesis: American Red Cross IMC Campaign ProposalJamie Pachomski
This is the final Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) plan I submitted as my master’s thesis project on behalf of the American Red Cross. My plan was selected as among the best of three classes and was shared with Peggy Dyer, CMO, American Red Cross.
I develeped and entire marketing campaign for the American Red Cross for my Master's degree final project. The purpose of the assignement was to create a campaign that would help increase blood donors amoung the 18-24 year old market segment.
Securing Corporate Partners by Matt ScelzaMatt Scelza
How do nonprofits find and secure corporate partners? This presentation shows the best ways to design and execute a corporate partnership program. Key lesson: It's about your partner, not your organization.
Cause marketing has gained traction with companies as people have grown more conscious of the world around them. This presentation is to inform those who are considering jumping into cause marketing.
Slides from NetSquared Toronto's April 29 meetup. The event was hosted by Shabs and features Claire Kerr.
Here's Claire's slides from the event. Learn how to choose and leverage acquisition channels that reach the right donors. The presentation will help you design sophisticated targeting that attracts more qualified fundraising prospects across all your digital channels.
You will leave with tactical tips to apply to your 2020 digital strategy, no matter which database, content management system, fundraising tool, or email platform you're currently using.
For decades, successful companies dominated their markets by creating economies of scale, identifying product-based points of differentiation, and then promoting them to anyone who was listening. The common denominator underlying this industrial formula for success was mass: mass sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, media, audiences, and retailing. But we all know mass is dead. So if mass is no longer the common denominator for success, then what is?
Havas Sports & Entertainment's predictions of the hottest 2013 trends to keep an eye on and selection of the most memorable, innovative and successful campaigns of 2012.
Integrated Marketing Communication Proposal - Make-A-Wish Michigan Rebecca Sidles
Integrated marketing campaign built for my capstone class (IMC636) of West Virginia University's IMC Masters Program. Our class client was Make-A-Wish Michigan and our target audience was Millennials, 21 - 30.
This integrated marketing communications plan served as my Master's thesis for the West Virginia University IMC Program. I was required to provide an overview, situation analysis, demographic analysis, an integrated communications strategy statement, communications plan and creative executions.
WVU IMC Capstone - IMC Campaign Proposal for St. Jude Children's Research Hos...Kevin Kestler
For the capstone course of the WVU Integrated Marketing Communications Masters' program, I created an IMC campaign for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This involved the creation of an IMC agency brand identity (creative, core philosophy, mission statement, etc.), analysis of the client (St. Jude) and target audience (millennials), and a communication and evaluation plan. It is a representation of all that I learned throughout the program and was among a select few proposals chosen to be sent to directly to St. Jude for presentation.
Final capstone project. The following is an integrated marketing communication proposal for South Carolina-based non-profit Arm-in-Arm by an agency created for the purpose of the course/project.
This presentation goes beyond just social media and will include high level strategy as well as low level tactics. It also introduces the importance of engagement in creating and deepening your relationship with brand ambassadors.
Specific case studies are included as well as options for calculating ROI.
Complete integrated marketing communication plan for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. This project was the Capstone to the WVU IMC graduate program and received an A.
Master's thesis: American Red Cross IMC Campaign ProposalJamie Pachomski
This is the final Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) plan I submitted as my master’s thesis project on behalf of the American Red Cross. My plan was selected as among the best of three classes and was shared with Peggy Dyer, CMO, American Red Cross.
I develeped and entire marketing campaign for the American Red Cross for my Master's degree final project. The purpose of the assignement was to create a campaign that would help increase blood donors amoung the 18-24 year old market segment.
Securing Corporate Partners by Matt ScelzaMatt Scelza
How do nonprofits find and secure corporate partners? This presentation shows the best ways to design and execute a corporate partnership program. Key lesson: It's about your partner, not your organization.
Cause marketing has gained traction with companies as people have grown more conscious of the world around them. This presentation is to inform those who are considering jumping into cause marketing.
Slides from NetSquared Toronto's April 29 meetup. The event was hosted by Shabs and features Claire Kerr.
Here's Claire's slides from the event. Learn how to choose and leverage acquisition channels that reach the right donors. The presentation will help you design sophisticated targeting that attracts more qualified fundraising prospects across all your digital channels.
You will leave with tactical tips to apply to your 2020 digital strategy, no matter which database, content management system, fundraising tool, or email platform you're currently using.
For decades, successful companies dominated their markets by creating economies of scale, identifying product-based points of differentiation, and then promoting them to anyone who was listening. The common denominator underlying this industrial formula for success was mass: mass sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, media, audiences, and retailing. But we all know mass is dead. So if mass is no longer the common denominator for success, then what is?
Havas Sports & Entertainment's predictions of the hottest 2013 trends to keep an eye on and selection of the most memorable, innovative and successful campaigns of 2012.
Discover how nonprofit organizations are leveraging innovative peer-to-peer fundraising techniques to supercharge their campaigns. From heartfelt storytelling to gamified experiences, this blog explores five groundbreaking strategies that harness personal connections and modern technology for remarkable fundraising results.
The Era of Belief-Based Consumption (presented by Sonic Boom) Sonic Boom
Welcome to the Era of Belief-Based Consumption
The digital era has dramatically shifted the way people build relationships both with brands and with each other. Audiences are becoming increasingly vocal about the values, beliefs, brands, communities, and people with which they identify.
Digital tools have enabled people to find and connect with niche groups with whom they share a set of values, and have equipped them with the information needed to look beneath the surface and past the marketing message. Putting power into the hands of audiences who now collaboratively build, share, and proliferate their own meanings and stories with brands.
This shift in how people leverage their beliefs to build relationships with one another and with organizations is ushering in a new era of consumption. The era of belief-based consumption. An era where audiences increasingly want to do business with brands that believe what they believe. Effectively creating new rules for organizations looking to build deep relationships with their audiences.
For more, contact us at strategy@sonicboom.com
http://beliefbasedconsumption.com
http://sonicboom.com
How to Mobilize Supporters to Fundraise for YouJulia Campbell
The success of your fundraising campaign hinges on effective methods of sharing. Without actively telling your supporters to go to your campaign page and take an action, your campaign will not generate the traffic, donations, or fundraising that you need to be successful.
You’re in luck. GoFundMe Charity provides you with the tools to help you be successful in getting the word out, including inviting team members, social sharing, email customization, and a mobile-friendly platform for sharing on-the-go. In this webinar, you'll learn tactics to spread the word and mobilize your supporters to not only make a donation, but to fundraise for you!
What you’ll learn:
Best practices for recruiting fundraisers for your campaign;
How to invite team members directly from your GoFundMe Charity campaign;
How to share on social media to reach new audiences and expand your fundraiser base;
How to communicate with and support your fundraisers during the campaign.
The ultimate purpose of any social media marketing campaign is to connect with your target audience. Whether you are profit or non-profit business, utilizing the power of social media to launch a fundraising campaign can be dually beneficial in any capacity. On average, social media users typically view everything from news and feedback to gossip and reviews as they scroll through their social media timelines. While they are mainly presented with posts from their friends, family members and followers - they are also presented with suggested content based on popularity, individual search history and other factors.
Incorporating a fundraising campaign into the social media marketing for your business can generate many positive impacts.
A relatively new marketing strategy, Cause Marketing is built around the concept of aligning a brand or business with a charitable cause for mutual benefit. This is not about donations or simply fundraising, but instead about developing an integrated marketing plan with a cause related partner that fits with your brand identity and your company philosophy. We will show you how to research and identify the right cause for your brand, define the roles of the relationship, create a messaging platform, and how to engage your employees, vendors, partners and customers with the cause.
Strategic Philanthropy: How To use Good Deeds As A Business Development TooolPeter Levitan & Co.
This is precisely the time to consider why, how and where you donate based on adopting the principles of Strategic Philanthropy.
More smart thinking here: www.peterlevitan.com
Integrated Marketing Communications has blurred the lines between marketing, advertising and public relations.
This presentations identifies the roles of each, as well as, the differences between each aspect of a marketing strategy.
The easiest online registration system on the web!
* Simple, flat-rate pricing - $3.50 per registration*
* No contracts, setup costs, monthly or annual fees
* Real-time credit card processing
* Customize your own registration forms
* Powerful reporting and e-mail tools
* Safe and secure using the latest in encryption and security technologies
A presentation by the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia and Rock Paper Scissors to help nonprofits understand their brand impact on their organizations, begin building a Brand Commitment and Marketing Plan, establish the value of storytelling and its impact on marketing, and reconnecting with social media and how it impacts a nonprofit's efforts.
A Lesson in Social Media for New Graduates: Meeting Your Professional GoalsRachel Yeomans
How do you use social media to your professional advantage when you're still in college or just graduated? Here are some tips on how to market yourself and your skill set using social media tools and tips. Originally presented to Collegiate DECA at DePaul University.
Take a deep dive into blogging. This presentation, originally shown at Chicago's Startup Institute, includes content ideation and creation, managing your blog and getting people to read you content on your blog. Lots of tools, tips and tricks!
Dressing for Work: Tips, Tricks, Shopping and StyleRachel Yeomans
Need help dressing for work? Learn tips on office style and fashion with industry information, how-to's, shopping suggestions and do's and don't's for your office dress code.
Using LinkedIn for Your Business and CareerRachel Yeomans
How to use LinkedIn effectively for personal and professional use. LinkedIn profile optimization, LinkedIn company pages, LinkedIn groups and privacy/best practices for all of the above.
Social Media & Blogger Outreach Success StoryRachel Yeomans
Take a look at this 2-year program and see the numbers that prove why it was a success! Check out the program, see what we did in the background and check out those numerical comparisons (with a few examples that just can't be measured but are just as important)!
Do you want the best starter kit for using Twitter? This "Introduction to Twitter" presentation is the guide for you! From the basics to the language (what does RT mean and what the heck is a hashtag?!) and finally, how do you use it and with what apps and tools? Learn everything you need to learn (and more) here!
Dressed for Success: Using Social Media to Promote Your Personal BrandRachel Yeomans
An overview of the necessary social media platforms you can use to promote your personal brand. Learn the basics and benefits of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
Using Social Media to Manage Your Conference Rachel Yeomans
How do you use social media to manage a conference? Read this white paper to learn how you can use social media at your next conference (for both conference managers and attendees) to boost your social presence and improve your business prospects.
What You Need to Get Started (and Keep Going) on Social MediaRachel Yeomans
Do you know what you need to start on social media? Do you know what you need to maintain a social presence? Here is everything you need to do just that.
Social Media Workshop: The Set-Up, Process and StrategyRachel Yeomans
When launching social media, learn exactly what you need to get started. From creating an editorial calendar and saving time with RSS feeds, to knowing what platforms work best for your business (NOTE: It may not be Facebook). Learn the detailed process of set-up, strategy and the tools you need to use to make sure you're saving both time and money in the process.
How to Speak Google: Using AdWords and Analytics to Grow Your Publishing Busi...Rachel Yeomans
Rachel Yeomans of Astek and Lora Templeton of Wiley walk you through how to use Google AdWords and Google Analytics in order to effectively achieve your business goals. Learn best practices, tools and follow an in-depth case study that will help you launch your own AdWords program!
2. Sponsorship marketing makes you feel good. And in this rare case, “you” is both the sponsor and
the sponsoree. By definition, “sponsorship marketing” is typically done for promotional purposes, to
generate publicity or to obtain access to a wider audience than your budget can afford.
When a brand sponsors an event, community group, athletic team or cause that the brand’s poten-
tial prospects are connected to, those prospects are likely to think more highly of the brand. This
positive outlook can lead to trust, which can then lead to a prospect-to-customer conversion. The
best part is that the brand doesn’t need to say a thing about itself. The mere act of sponsoring indi-
rectly showcases support of what their prospects are so passionate about.
In short, everyone wins. How does everyone win? Because the focus is on the consumer, not on the
brand. If a brand is too pushy or tries to refocus the spotlight on itself in any way, the authenticity
fails, as does the entire point. That trust you have been working to gain, is now lost.
New dynamics, ready communication and word of mouth are driving brand-consumer relationships
and reshaping the consumer experience model. Today, brands need to find a way to become a
non-intrusive presence inside life experiences, according to Iskra Dobreva, social media strategist for
Verizon Wireless. In a nutshell, consumers won’t share brand content that’s not strongly relevant to
them. The brand is there not to bother, but to serve, and to become so highly relevant that in the
words of Ed Kaczmarek of Mondelez International, “it automatically does not seem like marketing.”
And when a brand’s process doesn’t feel like marketing, that works toward building (and truly earn-
ing) brand trust.
SPONSORSHIP MARKETING
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
MEET PEAR
We at Pear work to help businesses of all sizes
obtain and build a reputation within their markets,
and in the end grow their customer base. How?
Through sponsorship. Pear is a sponsorship plat-
form that connects consumer organizations to
businesses. It’s that simple.
3. In 2013, Molson Canadian distributed beer refrigerators throughout Europe, which could only be
opened with a Canadian passport. The mere presence of a public beer fridge was enough to garner
attention and social media activity, but Molson deserves accolades by shifting the focus from the
beer and turning it toward the individual – all because of the passport, a celebration of the unique
Canadian identity.
Then, Molson became even more effective by reaching beyond their demographic. The overall
goal of the campaign was not necessarily to foster Canadian pride around a Canadian product, but
rather to celebrate national pride that everyone can share. Yes, the brand and product are clearly
Canadian, but the overall result of the campaign resulted in a sense of nostalgia for one’s home no
matter where they were originally from. In fact, the promoted YouTube video from the campaign
ended with the slogan, “Here’s to being proud of where you’re from.” What did this campaign pro-
vide? Authenticity and relevance. So much so that Molson reintroduced it during the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi.
SPEAKING OF EARNING TRUST
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
4. | advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
Achieving relevance is always about
having the right delicate mix of ingredi-
ents—a finely-tuned understanding of
customer needs, wants, behaviors and
desires; a decent budget, and a solid,
real-world strategy. But now, brands also
need engagement. In a world of engage-
ment, messages are amplified and in-
fluence is made in real-time. Customers
can then become our collaborators, our
brand ambassadors, our sales force, and
our ad creative team – but only if we earn
their trust. Relevancy builds trust.
Trust is a huge factor in getting people to share content online.
According to a recent New York Times and Latitude Research sur-
vey, 94% of consumers polled said they “carefully consider how
the information they share will be useful to the recipient” before
they pass it along. 73% say they share information because it
helps them connect with others who share their interests.
5. SPONSORSHIP MARKETING IS GROWING
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
We’ve discussed building trust from a user-perspective; how much are businesses willing to invest
in earning that trust? Quite a bit actually. According to IEG and AdAge, sports-focused sponsorships
in North America will see a 4.9% increase of spending efforts in 2014 compared to 2013; this ac-
counts for around 70% of total sponsorship spending. However the percentage is below last year’s
expectations of 6%, which is important to keep in mind.
When thinking of what categories of causes to support or focus on from a marketing perspective,
look at what is predicted to grow, not necessarily where the total dollar spend is expected to be.
year.
Spending is increasing for causes and staying even for festivals,
fairs and annual events. Total global spending on sponsorships
is projected to reach $55.3 billion, up 4.1% from 2013.
Other significant categories to capture North American sponsorship spending will be:
Causes +3.4%
Arts +1.4%
Festivals, fairs and
annual events +1.7%
Associations and
member orgs +1.4%
$1.84 B
$927 M
$853 M
$576 M
6. Each year, the Chicago Walk for Adoption as-
sociation gathers to support adoptive families
throughout the Chicagoland area. The Walk
for Adoption is not a fundraising event, but
rather a community event, which means they
require community support, sponsorships and
donations to continue their mission.
In 2013, they began working with Pear’s plat-
form allowing them to connect with
the national brands with which they
wished to align. Walk co-founder Stacy
Penner says the association chooses national
brands that are “family-friendly” and that are
aligned with the “kid-friendly values”, both of
which characterize the nonprofit’s mission of
providing support for families who are adopt-
ing children. The group’s co-founders and key
influencers share sponsor branded content
online, both to help publicize the walk and to
earn brand sponsorships.
The mothers said they were very happy to
share it, often and widely. Beyond being able
to choose the brands, Penner says, they are
also able to choose the way they share the
content. Penner reflects, “It wasn’t invasive.
Nobody was shoving anything down our
throats. Nobody was pushing us to do any-
thing we didn’t want to do. We were able to
choose sponsors that reflected our family-
friendly community. And then that way, we
were also able to, in return, put that informa-
tion back out there and put those companies
and organizations at the forefront. So we were
able to help each other.”
“We were able to help each other.”
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
SPONSORSHIP SUCCESS STORY
Chicago’s Walk for Adoption
7. Supporting a community can make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy, but people still want to
get something in return for their contributions. Kickstarter brought that kickback to the forefront
when they launched their crowdfunding platform in 2009.
People who back Kickstarter projects are offered tangible rewards and special experiences in
exchange for their monetary pledges. Higher pledge amounts earn givers higher-valued rewards,
thereby increasing the likelihood of high dollar donations. Per Kickstarter, projects with a reward
of $20 or less succeed with project funding 45% of the time while projects without a reward of
$20 or less succeed 28% of the time.
This concept of reward-based sponsorship has been around for ages, primarily in the
entertainment verticals. For instance, if you donate at one level to PBS, you receive a DVD of the
movie you’re watching. Donate at a higher level and you also get the sequel. Now take the dollar
signs out of the program. For instance, one of Pear’s original sponsors, Verizon Wireless is willing
to sponsor your local group, but your group has to earn it. How can they earn it? By
crowdsourcing their friends, family and others to complete certain marketing activities that
benefit Verizon but are free of cost to the users. These activities can include signing up for their
email newsletter, liking their Facebook page, watching a YouTube video, and sharing content via
social media channels.
THE EXCHANGE OF VALUE
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
Value-added interactions
are increasingly
more critical as
consumers are
overwhelmed with
impression-based media
8. | advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
Now compare the two models. Below you can see the sponsorship flow with the Kickstarter model
and the Pear.
As you can see above, both parties have a vested interest. It doesn’t matter which way the value is
going between the business and the individual. In either instance, it results in a personal tie to the
company.
In the case of Kickstarter, the individual is supporting the company. In the case of Pear, the compa-
ny is supporting the individual. And in exchange, they both get a gift of goodwill which then leads
to loyalty and sustained engagement. When a company and an individual have a selfless exchange,
both benefit from the trust that results.
With the Verizon example, both parties benefited. The group obtained a sponsor, and Verizon
gained a larger community and did a good deed. Both parties won.
9. When Verizon Wireless was looking to launch a recent brand awareness campaign for the Blackberry
Q10, the company’s Midwest Social Media Strategist Iskra Dobreva asked Pear to help it tap dozens
of local groups across the country that were seeking sponsorship money for their local causes.
“One thing we asked these consumers was to engage with
a video we produced for the Blackberry campaign, and to
give us feedback on what they liked about it and didn’t like
about the product. Then, before and after the campaign, we
were able to measure their preference for the brand. We saw
a huge increase in terms of brand preference after we had
done the campaign, and then the groups got sponsored for
an activity that really mattered to them.”
PEER POWERED SUCCESS
Verizon Wireless Case Study
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
Dobreva saw over 40% lift in terms of people thinking about Verizon and Blackberry as a purchas-
ing choice. This lift wouldn’t have been possible without a solution that could provide local – and
scalable – reach.
“All brands, I think, should be looking into this,” says Dobreva. “It’s something I feel is going to grow.”
10. Consumers consider the trustworthiness and relevance of content before they share. So one ques-
tion remains: Once we have our customers’ trust, can we successfully guide customers to specific
action, and if so, is this a sustainable and repeatable cycle? SMG’s Kevin Lange is convinced that it
can be. But it will take heavy lifting by brands to create the levels of trust, continuous value ex-
change and follow-up required to ensure that kind of success over time.
“I think if the engagement is positive, it absolutely can drive repeat purchases, and I think social
media is a very effective CRM tool for communicating with current customers. And it’s also a great
way to solicit feedback. I think with that comes the responsibility to ensure that you are respond-
ing to that feedback. As a brand, you need to take responsibility to make sure that you’re manag-
ing expectations, and when you give the consumer a chance to engage, it’s important to respond
in a way that brings value to their experience and actually encourages repeat behavior. ”
FROM TRUST TO SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT
| advertising.pearup.com | Peer-Powered Marketing
Returning to the definition of sponsorship marketing, brands like sponsorships because they gar-
ner word of mouth marketing, build publicity and get people to walk through their doors (if they
have a brick and mortar presence). Sponsorships also can be incorporated into existing campaigns
and can even be enveloped into an entire business model. The promotional purposes are clear, as
are the rewards for those obtaining the sponsorships. But sponsorship marketing also results in a
feeling of “good”. This value of the “warm and fuzzy” drives not only business, but the ever-impor-
tant trust between that business and their customers.
More and more consumers prefer to talk with each other about brands rather than listen to mar-
keters. Let consumers drive the terms of their engagement with you, and now you’re back in the
conversation—able to both listen and collaborate for more relevant and effective messaging
that leads to higher sales and – as we’ve emphasized throughout – relevance and trust. In today’s
digital world, impressions still matter. But as peer-powered marketers have just started to demon-
strate, customer-driven collaboration with brands also sells. It’s the future of marketing.
Conclusion