A sponsorship manager is in charge of establishing and growing a partnership between a company and an outside marketing asset. This person can work as a corporation employee or as an asset employee. The sponsorship opportunity is provided the asset, which can be any viable pairing of the corporation’s name with the asset’s marketable collateral, such as a special event, an athlete’s fame, or a university building.
The sponsorship manager is part of a group of marketing professionals who coordinate outside collaborations for special events. The manager, who works on both sides of the relationship, is in charge of the partnership’s day-to-day operations, including communications, negotiations, proposals, problem-solving, project design, and implementation. This position is typically assigned accounts with low to medium exposure and is on the entry level of the marketing position spectrum.
Potential sponsorship deals start with a pitch, which is usually delivered the company’s most valuable asset. This could include a sponsorship proposal package sent out event organizers or an endorsement profile presented a famous person’s agents in some cases. He is in charge of the process and the initial development of the relationship, whether he works for the corporation or the asset. On the corporation side, he is in charge of opportunity selection, while on the asset side, he is in charge of shepherding the application through channels.
The sponsorship manager handles contract negotiations for new sponsorships and contract renewals with existing partners once the relationship has been established. Strategic relationship management is his ongoing responsibility. From a marketing standpoint, this entails devising a unique strategy for maximizing the benefits of each partnership and, whenever possible, adding value to the equation. On the asset side, this could mean attempting to sell the corporation for a higher price over time, while on the corporate side, it could mean looking for ways to promote the partnership beyond what was originally planned.
The sponsorship manager is also in charge of assessing the investment’s effectiveness. He plays a key role in defining the partnership’s goals and objectives. It is his responsibility to set milestones and benchmarks in order to determine when and if key goals and objectives have been met. He must set up a system to track progress toward goals, as well as write a report and make a final recommendation on whether the partnership was worthwhile. Finally, whether the sponsorship is renewed year after year is determined the manager’s recommendation.