F
or as long as I can
remember I’ve been asked
the same question time
and time again. How do I
get sponsors? It almost
seems nowadays that kids
are searching for
lucrative sponsorship before even lining
up for their first race.
Sometimes the motivation is
genuine, because the family is
struggling to just find petrol money.
But, more often than not, it is because
little Johnny wants to run stickers on
his bike and put up social media posts
thanking his sponsors.
In order to truly understand
sponsorship and how it works it would
be great if all the aspiring athletes who
are chasing sponsorship could switch
roles for a week or two and don the hat
of a business owner who has a product
that needs promoting. This would give
them a much better idea of what is
expected from an athlete who is a
brand ambassador.
Of course, this switch is almost
impossible. So how do we get modern
riders to understand the expectations
that come with sponsorship? If we can
get the information across to them with
different examples of how it is done the
right way (and the wrong way) then
they have a much better chance of being
one of the rare ones that manage to
secure good sponsors and manage to
keep them.
I’ve been with Fox Racing for 19
years, Honda MPE for 12 and Silkolene
Oils for 13 and one thing I can tell you
is that it is a two-way street. Nothing
comes for free and you should always
be trying to do more for your sponsor
than what they expect from you. Which
isn’t always easy.
And one of the biggest surprises
you’ll find in the relationship is that it
isn’t all about you’re results on thebike. Yes, results are a big part, but
still just a part of the package of being
marketable and promotable.
I’ve recruited some of the biggest and
best names in the industry to give their
opinions on just what a company is
looking for when it comes to signing an
athlete to promote their brand. Some of
these people you would have heard of
before, but a lot of the ‘super powers’ in
the sport you will have never heard of.
They sit quietly in the background
but, trust me, they take in everything.
And it is important to remember that
not all companies want the exact same
thing from their ambassadors. For
example, in my major sponsors we have
two completely different companies
with different values and policies.
Honda is a traditional Japanese
company that is extremely corporate
and rather conservative, while Fox is a
lot more edgy in everything from logo
design to marketing campaigns. So it
goes without saying that they have
slightly different expectations of me.
And understanding this is one of the big
secrets to keeping everyone happy.One of the
biggest
surprises you’ll
find in the
relationship is
that it isn’t all
about you’re
results on the
bike
An athlete’s fanbase is important for a brand
Your relationship with other riders mattersBranding needs to be visible Winning Dakar opened more doors for Tobyhttp://www.adbmag.com.au JANUARY 2018 | 175