When Kim announced she would be doing a 4th edition of her fantastic Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit, I was a bit surprised. The 3rd Edition is not terribly old, and it had already outlined best practice and "Last Generation" sponsorship in a way that was clear, understandable, and seemingly comprehensive. What more was there to tell?
It turns out, a lot.
The 4th Edition of the Seeker's Toolkit (sounds like something Harry Potter fans would read) takes the core elements that made previous editions fantastic and expands on them, extending the reader's depth of reach and really exploring how to line up sponsorship with the brand cycle. The deeper understanding a property has of the partnering brand's position on the cycle and how to best serve those needs, the better and more effective a relationship can be created. The root ideas are still present, but Kim also includes revised and additional sections on impact and measurement (in fact, I think these sections could have been further explored - it strikes me that she has more to say on the topic, and I know she does, because I've heard it in consulting sessions). She also gets a bit deeper into approaches to negotiation and ways to retain value integrity, which is a real difficult thing within the industry.
If the book falls short anywhere, it is simply in terms of the nitty gritty of actually executing a integrated sponsorship to its fullest effect, which Kim says time and time again is up to the sponsor to activate their investment. The reality is that if we as property owners do not do our own significant activation, the competition of the marketplace makes it hard to demonstrate our value fully. Additionally, I think the book could discuss potential ways to set up a development, research, and activation team - perhaps explore some setups she has seen amongst properties and discuss positives and negatives. Being properly staffed and deployed is just as important as having the right strategy, approach and philosophy.
With that said, this is a foundational work within the realm of marketing partnerships. Kim provides a framework for approaching sponsorship that is fresh, upbeat, and challenges those among us who still do things the traditional way. And it helps lend focus to those of us who are trying to engage best practice, so we don't become lazy. Very pleased to have this as a work to always refer back to and find nuggets in, use, and apply in our quest for truly amazing sponsorship.
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Top reviews from other countries
Adam Watt
Very thorough, detailed, and informative look at the sponsorship sales and management process.
Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2021
