Well, you’d think the world has come to an end. Sponsorship spending didn’t hit the slight increase IEG projected. Bottom line: spending was down less than one percent, shaving $100M from the marketplace. I am not crying in my beer about this.
Here’s why: big-ticket categories such as those sports packages got hit hard. Our neck of the woods (associations) increased almost three percent. Even with that increase though, results were mixed. Associations with year-round relationships did just fine with increased sponsorships. Those who sold events and piecemeal items didn’t get the deals.
IEG predicts a 3.4 percent increase in sponsorship spending for 2010. But that’s only for those who play by a new set of rules.
Tags: associations, branding, Marketing, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan