Last week I was fortunate enough to attend ‘The Innovation in Sport Business Summit’, which was in conjunction with the Turkish Airlines Final Four in London. The first topic of discussion was ‘Innovation as a revenue driver in Sports’. Unsurprisingly the general consensus was that everything is moving towards digital, social and mobile; making fan accessibility easier and increasing online activity. All the panellists rightly mentioned how the sofa experience has transformed
Last Thursday I attended the Innovation in Sports Business Summit, which was focused upon the theme of last weekend’s Euroleague Final Four. It brought together sports experts from various fields such as media, gaming, digital content, marketing, sponsorship and social responsibility. In times where marketing and CSR budgets increasingly overlap, the second panel, “The Power of Sport. How can Sport create a legacy?" was especially poignant . Headed by former Chelsea FC legend Graeme Le Saux and Simon Cooper, Head of Sport at Mayor’s London Office, the panellists discussed the influence and more importantly, responsibility that sport has
Continuing from Jackie’s most recent blog, which expressed the inherent need for an understanding of sponsorship in every industry, I wanted to lead this blog in a similar vein. The past couple of weeks have seen the re-emergence of the platform Kickstarter into the blogosphere – a crowd-funding site that offers entrepreneurs, film-makers, artists, techies etc. a platform through which they can raise funding for specific ideas and projects. Until a few weeks ago, many were unaware of Kickstarter until
I recently attended an event last week in the events industry. In a slightly different frame of mind than usual (buying rather than selling) I found myself suppressing my usual routine of championing our agency and our unique approach to the rest of the world. However, I did get caught in a conversation in which I was explaining what we did to an attendee of the event. It took somewhat longer than usual, and even in layman’s terms, he still didn’t understand what a sponsorship agency was. Finally, when I
I recently attended the ESA Summit: a gathering to discuss the state of the sponsorship industry against the backdrop of the ever-changing digital landscape. A number of the Slingshot team made it down to the British Film Institute for the proceedings. An action packed day ensued, full of great keynote speakers and some incredibly insightful panelists, discussing everything from how technology is blurring the traditional sponsorship model, to the future for sponsorship agencies. While a number of attendees have already summed up the major take-homes from the day (Ben Wells' blog for
Slingshot’s Managing Director, Jackie Fast, appeared at Debut Contemporary last week to host a sponsorship workshop with emerging artists. Debut Contemporary is an innovative platform aimed at talented and eager artists who wish to turn their art practice into a successful career and a viable business. Debut is the only professional development and career empowerment platform of its kind in the UK. Artists on the Debut Contemporary benefit from a wealth of opportunities including weekly workshops, access to a network of collectors, one on one mentoring sessions and the opportunity to exhibit at high profile events and gallery spaces.
For a long time brands have revolved their marketing campaigns around ‘Above the Line’ (ATL) strategies, which consisted of utilising all types of broadcasted mass media. Although the reach of ATL marketing is undoubtedly wide-ranging and a great platform for unique concepts, the economic downturn and the rise of digital technology has forced companies to think more ‘Below the Line’ in regards to their goals for a profitable future. Sustainability One of the primary reasons why ATL campaigns have not had as drastic a growth in recent years is due to the extraordinary
On Friday 26 April, Slingshot hosted our very own Spring Online event, “Slingshot’s Online Skills for Beginners.” Spring Online in association with Carphone Warehouse takes place every year between 22–26 April and is an award-winning campaign that provides a unique platform to help people understand, explore and enjoy digital technology. The campaign encourages residents to throw open their doors and hold free digital taster events for their local communities; all with the aim of helping thousands of older people and other less
I love the Newsagent – the whole Slingshot Sponsorship office pop around to the one on Upper Street at least twice a day. Mr Ozza owns the shop, we love him – and I especially love that he sells my favourite Fizzy Blue Bottle sweets at the counter, a real delicacy around these parts. However, whenever I pop in I tend to buy the same thing – water, Diet Coke, sweets. The orders rarely change and no matter how much value Mr Ozza provides us with his convenience, we will never
Deloitte Digital has been announced as Digital Design sector sponsor for the 2013 D&AD Awards, raising industry awareness of their new digital solutions service. Globally renowned as the pinnacle of any creative’s career, the annual D&AD Awards celebrate and honour the best work produced from around the world within that year. The Awards have developed to now stand at over 130 categories spread across 25 diverse disciplines – each rewarding those brave enough to
Walking into a fabulous advertising agency the other day, I will admit, I was envious. Envious of the beautiful office building, elevators, stairwell, art work, great tea - even the receptionist wooed us with her timely wit. There were whispers of “...and they also have a free cafeteria!” when we entered the large doors into a reception area that is bigger than the entire Slingshot office. It was hard not to be smacked in the face by success the moment you walked through the front door. And yet, the meeting with
Slingshot’s very own Mark Mylam was Highly Commended last night for the Barrie Gill Award for Most Promising Young Executive at Hollis Sponsorship Awards which were held at the Marriott Hotel in London. Having only been in the sponsorship industry for two years, Mark’s High Commendation reflects how far he has come in such ashort period of time. The Barrie Gill Awards for Most Promising Young Executive recognsises young executives working within agencies, client companies or rights-owners who are making
Data - the four letter word that has been uttered over and over again in recent years. Mentioning the word data has the ability to cast confusion, spread fear and ignite inspiration throughout brands and agencies alike, all in two syllables. Indeed, the influx of data has left marketers confused at the best of times, yet slowly but surely more and more are coming to realise its true potential. Yet despite the many upsides to the use of data, a shadow has been cast over it, flagging debate within the industry over its ‘Orwellian’ nature and its misuse
Sponsorship campaigns have always relied on brand synergy and mutually benefitting concepts but now it is imperative to incorporate the partnerships through a digital platform. Here are three of my favourite digital sponsorship campaigns... Nike and Apple (Nike+) The Nike+ sponsorship campaign stands out for simply the sheer size of the two brands involved, as corporate logos go, few are as identifiable. For Nike and Apple there was no case of ‘clash of the titans’- merged products (shoes, sensors, kit) allowed joggers to be notified of progress by
Slingshot’s very own Mark Mylam has been shortlisted for the prestigious Barrie Gill Award for Most Promising Young Executive at the Hollis Sponsorship Awards 2013. The awards will be held at the Marriott Hotel in London on 26th March, 2013. The Hollis Sponsorship Awards represent the pinnacle of any Sponsorship Executive’s career. Honouring the very best in the sponsorship industry for 19 years, the Hollis Awards have become a highlight in the sponsorship calendar. Throughout its lifetime, the
As the backbone organisation to a trailblazing and innovative industry, D&AD is looking for like-minded brands to join them supporting their prestigious Awards Ceremony in June. Championing creativity and originality within design and creative communication for over five decades, the annual Awards celebrate the very best work produced from around the world within that year. Last year saw some of the world’s greatest creative minds such as Sir Jonny Ive, Tony Kaye and Sir John Hegarty gather to celebrate
In a recent article, Rebecca Walton, the newly appointed head of brand for UNICEF expressed the need for the charity to develop a central brand narrative. The reasoning behind such a claim is in sight of two main aims – firstly, to better integrate its marketing and secondly, to boost its appeal to supporters within the UK. Reading the article triggered an initial thought in my mind, which traced back to a piece I read at the end of last year in Direct Marketing News
On February 17th 2013 Michael Jordan, one of sport’s great personalities, turned 50. Not only is ‘Mike’ a sports legend but also the face of arguably the most successful brand endorsement deal of all time. Due to the recent headlines involving sports stars such as Oscar Pistorius and Lance Armstrong the value of brand ambassadors is being questioned more than ever (see Mark Mylam’s blog). Michael Jordan’s sponsorship deal with Nike however, proves what kind of positive impact such an agreement can have for both the brand and
Slingshot Sponsorship has been announced as the exclusive sponsorship agency for Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity’s 10th Anniversary Concert, which will be held at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall 6 July 2013. Set in one of London’s most beautiful and exclusive venues, the Rays of Sunshine Concert promises to be a night of unprecedented music and entertainment. With past line-ups featuring a host of Britain’s most treasured pop stars ranging from JLS to Pixie Lott, Rays of Sunshine’s Concert is shaping
Digital Unite has announced that Carphone Warehouse will act as headline sponsor for Spring Online, one of the nation’s largest, annual digital inclusion campaigns which runs between April 22-26 2013. Over 7.5million people have never used the internet, of which around 6.5 million are aged over 55 years and many more don’t have basic online skills such as searching the web and sending and receiving emails. Spring Online is an award-winning campaign that provides a unique platform to help
Naming rights aren’t a modern introduction to the world of sport, brought in as an additional revenue stream over the past twenty years to help pay the inflated wages of our beloved superstars. In fact, stadiums named after an associated corporation or sponsor far precede the internationally broadcast versions of basketball, football, rugby and baseball that we know and watch today. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, was named after its owner’s realty company all the way back in 1912. Perhaps more commonly known, William Wrigley, founder of the chewing gum company and owner of the
Last week Olympic bidding city Istanbul announced the signing of 7 leading Turkish companies as sponsors of their bid for the 2020 Olympic games, a $20m deal that organizers feel could swing momentum away from the favourite Tokyo. While to some extent this announcement was simply a show of financial strength and a dig at Japan’s stagnant economy, it raises a question that has been increasingly important in the bidding for the Olympic Games and World Cup in recent years; How important has the ability to attract, and successfully handle sponsorship become in winning the
After much anticipation, the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in association with Warranty Direct took place on Wednesday 9th January 2013 at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. The event was by far the biggest and best to date with all of the leading manufacturers from the motoring industry in attendance. The Awards were visually spectacular with the stage placed in the middle of the room
The world’s leading creative industry body, the D&AD, have appointed Slingshot Sponsorship as their exclusive sponsorship agency for the prestigious D&AD Awards. The awards will be held in June at the Roundhouse and are attended by the leaders in advertising and design from around the world. Fifty-one years ago this inspiring community developed the event to recognise creative achievement and it continues to drive the industry forward today. Honouring the very best in advertising and design, the awards now include 130 categories spread across
Sport is the best known platform for sponsorship, and sadly often the least inventive –money exchanged for logo awareness on kits, stadia and perimeter boards. However, the recent £150 million sponsorship deal between Emirates and Arsenal F.C. is a great example of a shift from traditional sponsorship to a relationship where shared resources drive mutual benefits – what all sponsorship should be aiming for. Is this creation of a genuine partnership a one-off or might we be seeing a wider move in this direction across
