At present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two
reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon. The first reason is that
they get (1)______throughout the world.
The second reason is that companies and industries (2) ______money as they get reductions in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.
As sponsorship is (3) ______careful thinking is required in deciding which events to sponsor.
It is important that the event to be sponsored (4) ______the product(s) to be promoted. That is, the right (5) ______and maximum product coverage must be guaranteed in the event.
Points to be considered in sport’ s sponsorship.
Popularity of the event
International sports events are big (6) ______events, which get extensive coverage on TV and in the press.
Smaller events attract fewer people.
Identification of the potential audience
Aiming at the fight audience is most important for smaller events.
The fight audience would attract manufacturers of other related products
like (7) ______, etc.
Advantages of sponsorship
Advantages are longer-term.
People are expected to respond (8) ______to the products promoted and be more likely to buy them.
Advertising is (9) ______the mind.
Sponsorship is better than straight advertising:
a) less (10) ______
b) tax-free
know#1|save#1|expensive#1|match#1|image#1|media#1|drinks/cosmetics#1|favorably#1|conditioning#1|expensive
It is common nowadays for companies and industries to sponsor big sports event. For example, many companies sponsored the 8th National Games held in Shanghai in 1997. Then what exactly do companies and industries get out of sponsoring big sports events such as international games? Why did they do so? There is an obvious answer and not so obvious one. The obvious answer is that they get known worldwide, particularly if they are the principal sponsor of an event. This is especially important when considering the number of countries around the world that might share the event on TV. The not so obvious answer is that sponsorship can help them to save money. But how can they save money in this way? Companies can claim expenditures on sponsorship or support sports or arts against the amount of tax they owe. So if they are going to have to pay the tax anyway, why not spend the money on promoting the name of a product? However, sponsorship is sure (surely) a very expensive business.
So, how did one decide which events or activities to support? Companies spend a lot of time making sure that they have a perfect match between a product to be represented and an activity that needs sponsorship. Basically companies have to make sure that the energy is right and the product gets a maximum coverage through the event. I mean you wouldn’t expect a company whose product has a young international image to sponsor a sport that is following among older people. There are all sorts of reasons behind sponsorship. That’s what the game is about for those who try to sell it.
There are some important points to consider before going to sponsor an event. First and foremost, I suppose, is the popularity of the event—in global terms, I mean. Events like the World Cup and the Olympics have been the big killing-up to ask for sponsorship. There are the big-media events, hours and hours of TV and satellite coverage guaranteed all over the World. As well as text coverage and possibility of photograph that in some way advertise your product. Most events aren’t quite like that though. I suppose they got national games as they were for years in China. Most events appeared to only limited to proportion of potential audience. Tennis, for example, most of the audience there are young, so products for the young are the ones that you would associate with the event. Then how do you match the product with the event? The most important thing with a small event is to identify the audience who’s going to appeal to. In this instance, tennis, in young people, that should attract drink manufacturers, sports fashion designers, cosmetic producers and so on. Then you would look at the potential coverage of media. It’s the sort of event that might attract. Coco-cola or Pepsi, maybe, even MacDonald.
In sponsoring sports events, it is not just the media coverage Hat matters. The important question is whether the people who has either been to the event or read about it in a press would be more likely to buy a product as a result. A lot of advantages in investment in sponsorship are longer term. People who have possibly read about or watch an event on TV may not even woo would be able to tell you who ere sponsoring the event. Yet, they will answer favorably if asked to comment on the products marketed by the sponsoring company. There have been conditions in some way. Conditioning the mind is what advertising is about. Believe it or not, straight advertising is a far more expensive way of promoting your image than sponsorship. And what’s more, sponsorship is known for tax free.
To sum it up, today we have talked about sponsorship of sports events by companies, the reasons behind and a few related points. I hope this will help you gain some insight into the issue.