Essay Examining Integrated Advertising and Sponsorship in Corporate Marketing Through Televised Sport

Introduction

This article by Peter Smolianov and David Shilbury presents research work to identify the significant techniques that made it possible for an increase in corporate sales. The study identified four objectives and four techniques required to increase performance measures. The article states that sixteen experts validated a theoretical framework from global exploratory research of consulting reports and academic literature. This validation aimed to determine how event sponsorship and integrated TV advertising can be evaluated and managed in the best way possible. Twelve campaigns analyzed via case study were used to compare current practices to best practice integration methods. These twelve campaigns placed advertisements during events broadcasting and also sponsored television events. Among competitions that were investigated included the Olympic Games held in Sydney and the Wimbledon Tennis Tournaments, held in London. The examined brands included retail chains, consumer goods, office equipment, financial services, and automotive. In total, there were twenty-four in-depth interviews conducted (Dudzik & Gröppel-Klein, 2005). For each case, two interviews were conducted. One interview was conducted with an external respondent and the second one was run with an internal marketing executive. While the marketing executive came from the promoted corporation, the external respondents came from; the events management organization, the advertising agency, the television channel, or the market research firm.

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The research presented in this article indicates that the most successful event managers and corporate marketers integrate advertising and sponsorship for to cross-promote these two media. Moreover, the integration of advertisement and sponsorship also helps event managers and corporate marketers successfully multiply the effects these marketing investments have. The article also identifies the major techniques that increase corporate sales. That has been done by effectively investigating practices and theory-integrated sponsorship and advertising. Four campaigns were identified to help increase corporate sales (Dudzik & Gröppel-Klein, 2005). These steps are developing a campaign strategy based on the aim and plans of the corporation. They are conducting test campaigns with corporate managers. Test campaigns with the target consumer. They are tracking how the campaign performs.

Development of a campaign strategy that is based on the aim and plans of the corporate

To ensure the corporate aims are achieved, the article advises on the need for sponsorship and advertisements to be integrated into the campaign strategy development stage. The ultimate corporate aim is considered to be the need to bring change to a target market's behavior. Out of the twelve analyzed campaigns in this research, only three failed to integrate advertisement and sponsorship at the strategy development stage. While the consumer brand firms never showed any achievements, government organizations, on the other hand, only got increased exposure. Only seven campaigns were found to increase corporate sales while affecting audience actions. These seven campaigns had set objectives for sponsorship and advertising.

Conducting test campaigns with corporate managers

Once draft sponsorship and advertisements have been developed in the first step, they move to the second step, tested by corporate managers. The managers ensure that these sponsorship and ads are in line with target audiences and corporate marketing objectives. The article indicates that the judgment made by managers is crucial in achieving the objectives of the campaign. In the study, six campaigns were conducted to test sponsorship and advertisements with corporate managers. It was found that all these six campaigns achieved bottom-line campaign objectives.

Test campaigns with the target consumer

The article also shows that before a campaign is launched, sponsorship messages and draft advertising should be assessed through consumer pre-test ads. That helps adjust creativity based on the feedback of the target market. As identified in the research, the common methods of consumer pre-test were communication effects, and the measuring process for qualitative focus groups. As shown in the research work, only four campaigns integrated sponsorship and advertising at the consumer pre-tests and achieved all campaign objectives. The article advises that a formal consumer pre-test be utilized when a corporate campaign manager is not among the promoted service or product users.

Tracking how the campaign performs

The key prerequisite, of a well-integrated and effective sports marketing campaign, is to evaluate the achievements of objectives set for sponsoring and advertising the strategy development stage. As shown in the article, only three never managed sponsorship and advisement together on campaign tracking out of the twelve campaigns. The three campaigns were only able to achieve one of the four objectives that had been set. The study shows that corporates can increase their sales and achieve their objective by conducting a comprehensive campaign evaluation. Furthermore, this comprehensive evaluation makes it possible for campaign participants such as advertising firms and events managers to retain corporate sponsorship.

Similarly, four major steps increased corporate sales; four major objectives were identified in the article. The four objectives include; increasing exposure, improving processing, enhancing communication effects, and increasing the target audience's actions. The four steps and four objectives form the four-by-four matrix, which can help all players who are promoting brands via televised sports.

Reference

Smolianov, P., & Shilbury, D. (2005). Examining integrated advertising and sponsorship in corporate marketing through televised sport. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 14(4).