What is a sponsor suppose to do?

I would like to get a consensus on what people believe a sponsor is suppose
to do. The reason I ask, is because I see a statement like this quite
often: "Yeah, I am sponsored by X Company and I just bought my X brand boat
(truck, rod, reel, etc) ." . . . .

--
Craig Bauer
a.k.a Baugher

That's a big can of worms. But in it's simplest form it is:

A sponsor provides either cash or products in exchange for the angler
becoming a spokesperson for them. There are varying degrees of sponsorship
based on the advertising budget of the sponsor and the Pro's name
recognition - skills, potential for producing return on investment etc.


"Craig" wrote in message
...
I would like to get a consensus on what people believe a sponsor is
suppose
to do. The reason I ask, is because I see a statement like this quite
often: "Yeah, I am sponsored by X Company and I just bought my X brand
boat
(truck, rod, reel, etc) ." . . . .

--
Craig Bauer
a.k.a Baugher

For everyone I know, a sponsorship was not a one-way street. For boat
deals, the angler got a discounted rate on the boat. A very good deal, but
it was just the boat. Usually the representative for the engine company
also offered a deal. Again, not a free boat, not a free engine, but a very
good deal. The angler was expected to promote those products. Work shows
and wear company logos. That also meant dressing nice and looking good.

I know guys who have never won a tournament that get these deals, because
they fit the image and are willing to work nearly every weekend in the off
season promoting the products they use. The more visible you are, the
better the deals. The more time you can spend on-camera, to be shown on TV,
the better for you and your sponsors.

There is a lot of hot air out there too. I have heard a lot of that.
Usually from guys that never work the shows. They were told they were being
given a real good deal on a boat, just to sell the boat. That they could
think of it as a sponsorship. That type of selling inflates some folks egos
and loosens their pocketbooks.

Good dealers can only do so much when it comes to sponsoring an angler. If
they are given some free or discounted tackle, they can spread that around a
bit. What they really have the power to do is to make introductions. If
you show the potential, the willingness and desire. If you fit the image.
You might get introduced to the factory reps that can help you, if they are
looking for someone at that time.

Carlos

Craig wrote:
n what people believe a sponsor is suppose
to do.


There is no hard and fast definition of what 'sponsorship' entails in the
fishing industry, so a sponsor's only obligation is to fulfill its
responsibilities under the contract negotiated between the two parties.
Same as the angler's obligation.

95% of the boat "sponsorships" are really nothing more than memo-bill
deals. On reality, anyone running a memo-billed boat is nothing more than a
very low volume boat dealer for that manufacturer.

When it comes to rods, reels, lures, etc., truth be told, there should be a
delineation between "product sponsored" and "paid" anglers. At the
local/regional level, there are some guys who get lures for wholesale or
distributor cost and call that a sponsorship. Other guys get product free.
But it's really only in the upper third or so of the "pro" populace that
you get into guys who have contracts that involve payment of cash, entry
fees or expenses.

Even at that, I wonder about the effectiveness of those deals for the
sponsor. Take a mid-level guy who has fished 2 or 3 classics over the past
decade, and has maybe one or two BASS or FLW wins to his credit. Depending
on how good he is at marketing himself and how much extra work he's willing
to put in, he might be getting 500 to 1000 a month from 3 to 5 larger
sponsors, and 100 to 500 from the little guys. If he is aggressive in
marketing himself, he can cover his expenses at that rate. He'll have to
generate some winnings to actually make a living though.

But is the sponsor paying him a grand a month getting its money's worth?
90% of the fishing tackle sold in this country is sold either through
distributors or at the distributor price level. That means the mfg gets
about 2.25 for that $5 spinnerbait. Which means that mfg, packaging, etc.
cost him somewhere between a buck and a buck and a quarter. Which means
that each pro he gives let's say $750 a month to, must increase his sales
by about 9000 spinnerbaits a year JUST TO COVER HIS BASIC COST, before he
ever put an extra nickel in his sponsor's pocket. The sponsor is in
business to make money. He SHOULD be able to get at least a 40% return on
that sponsorship, shouldn't he? Well, unless that pro somehow incrased his
sinnerbait sales by 12,000 units or so each year, he's not.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

"RichZ" wrote in message
...
Craig wrote:
n what people believe a sponsor is suppose
to do.


There is no hard and fast definition of what 'sponsorship' entails in the
fishing industry, so a sponsor's only obligation is to fulfill its
responsibilities under the contract negotiated between the two parties.
Same as the angler's obligation.

95% of the boat "sponsorships" are really nothing more than memo-bill
deals. On reality, anyone running a memo-billed boat is nothing more than
a
very low volume boat dealer for that manufacturer.

When it comes to rods, reels, lures, etc., truth be told, there should be
a
delineation between "product sponsored" and "paid" anglers. At the
local/regional level, there are some guys who get lures for wholesale or
distributor cost and call that a sponsorship. Other guys get product free.
But it's really only in the upper third or so of the "pro" populace that
you get into guys who have contracts that involve payment of cash, entry
fees or expenses.

Even at that, I wonder about the effectiveness of those deals for the
sponsor. Take a mid-level guy who has fished 2 or 3 classics over the past
decade, and has maybe one or two BASS or FLW wins to his credit. Depending
on how good he is at marketing himself and how much extra work he's
willing
to put in, he might be getting 500 to 1000 a month from 3 to 5 larger
sponsors, and 100 to 500 from the little guys. If he is aggressive in
marketing himself, he can cover his expenses at that rate. He'll have to
generate some winnings to actually make a living though.

But is the sponsor paying him a grand a month getting its money's worth?
90% of the fishing tackle sold in this country is sold either through
distributors or at the distributor price level. That means the mfg gets
about 2.25 for that $5 spinnerbait. Which means that mfg, packaging, etc.
cost him somewhere between a buck and a buck and a quarter. Which means
that each pro he gives let's say $750 a month to, must increase his sales
by about 9000 spinnerbaits a year JUST TO COVER HIS BASIC COST, before he
ever put an extra nickel in his sponsor's pocket. The sponsor is in
business to make money. He SHOULD be able to get at least a 40% return on
that sponsorship, shouldn't he? Well, unless that pro somehow incrased his
sinnerbait sales by 12,000 units or so each year, he's not.


Rich,

I only partially agree about your assessment. First I think we both agree
that sponsorship of any kind is just another form of advertising from the
persepctive of the sponsor.

I'm also pretty sure you will agree that companies advertise when they need
to increase sales, or if competition is cutting into their sales to save
sales.

Now here is the part that you may not agree with which leads to where I do
not necessarily agree with your assessment.

Advertising does not necessarily have to lead directly to sales.
Advertising can increase product awareness. For example. If a person is
shopping for spinner baits, but has never heard of Secret Weapon Lures they
are no more likely to buy it than any other spinner bait they see hanging on
the shelf. They certainly won't buy it if it isn't even on the shelf. Now
if that same person has heard me say I won big fish at the season open for
ABA on a Secret Weapon Lures spinner bait they might atleast be partially
more likely to buy it. That is the secondary benefit. 99 out of those 100
anglers that heard me make the statement when they handed me the microphone
at that tournament will not run out and buy one. One might just because he
buys anything somebody says is wonderful. On the other hand, when those
other 99 are in Sportman's Hide-A-Way looking to restock on spinner baits
and they see them hanging prominantly on the pegboard next to others they
are much more likely to pick one or two or even restock their whole
collection with that brand. Not one of those anglers are likely to say they
bought it becasue of me, but they now recognize the name when they see them.
In addition, Lannie at the store is going to stock them because I went in
there and handed him a couple. I went the extra mile to show him what was
different about them, and I was there when he called Joe, so I could make a
telephone introduction.

In addition, every guy I have fished with since I started using those
spinner baits has one in his tackle box now. None of those guys will run
out and buy becasue I said so. They will recognize the name when they see
it though. They might even give a second look at the quick change blade
system, and the swing away no trailer hook needed design.

A sponsor needs to evaluate the big picture. Even at the outrageous price,
they could probably get exposure to more people per dollar spent by putting
a 30 second advertisement on during the Super Bowl. They also have to look
at the quality of the exposure. The dollar spent per angler exposed to the
product is probably considerably less than by putting Dave Willhide (the
regional director for ABA) on the prostaff, or giving me a couple free
spinner baits to make up for those I gave away.

Now before one person accuses me of spamming for Secret Weapon Spinner
Lures. I am not on their prostaff. I do not work for them. Joes has not
given me any free spinner baits, although he did say he would replace those
I gave away. I dd not list their website on this post, but anybody who is
interested can find it easily enough bydoing a Google search or evne asking
in this newsgroup.

So, in conclusion. I agree that advertising must be cost effective. I
disagree in how the numbers are measured to determine that.

I also add these:
1. If you can't produce fast enought to meet sales stop advertising.
Unsatisfied customers are bad advertising.
2. Advertsie, promote, and sponsor when you need to increase sales.
3. Increasing sales will never make an inefficient operation better.

Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
Promote Your Fishing, Boating, or Guide Site for Free
Simply add it to our index page.
No reciprocal link required. (Requested, but not required)

Advertising does not necessarily have to lead directly to sales.
Advertising can increase product awareness.

Seems like product awareness leads to sales, and it doesn' t matter if it is
that day or a few days later. It still increases sales.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

There are so many different types of "sponsorships" that you could talk
about them till the cows come home...it's all about advertising, and
participation. It's the participation that makes the difference for the
majority of anglers that have not hit the top in the sport yet, but are
still sought after by many of the various companies in the fishing
industry . My son does very well with his sponsors, but he
participates...does the shows, helps with catalogue layouts, lure and
rod designs, accepts interviews, and promotes the sponsors products when
it's appropriate. In several cases he is on staff with the sponsors
management. In return he is rewarded (paid) in different ways, he has
signature rods and lures that provide income, he has entry fees paid,
and is supplied with product. He also receives bonuses for tournament
wins...the larger the win, the larger the bonus. There are also outright
payments for "advertisements", and show appearances. John understands
that the sponsor is in business to make money, and for him to
participate in any profits that company enjoys, he must contribute to
those profits. In short...you are paid in accordance to your "work", not
too different than any other "job" g.

JK

"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
Advertising does not necessarily have to lead directly to sales.
Advertising can increase product awareness.

Seems like product awareness leads to sales, and it doesn' t matter if it
is
that day or a few days later. It still increases sales.
Ronnie

Ultimately you are correct. I guess my distinction is that advertising /
promotion of any kind may have benefits that are awfully hard to credit
directly to the advertisement.

In my example, if Lannie has SWs on the shelf he will sell some. If people
recognize them he will sell more of them. Who gets the credit for the
sales?


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
Promote Your Fishing, Boating, or Guide Site for Free
Simply add it to our index page.
No reciprocal link required. (Requested, but not required)

To me, you are not sponsored unless you are getting paid or receiving free
product. Discounts are just that, something you negotiate, and I can
negotiate my own discounts without the need to feel obligated to anyone.

I also agree that sponsorship is all about salesmanship and promotion.
One's ability to help their sponsoring company sell more product. The more
product one is able to move, the more they are worth.

When I see the words bought and sponsor in the same sentence I have to
smile.
--
Craig Baugher

I think you said it all there. Just as there are different levels of
sponsored guys, so are there different levels of sponsorship. The rarest
form of sponsorships are paid sponsorships. Only the very best & hottest
guys get those. Much more common are smaller sponsorships where anglers are
given product, or in the case of expensive items like boats & vehicles, are
given discounts on products.

Warren

"Illinois Fisherman" wrote in message
.com...
That's a big can of worms. But in it's simplest form it is:

A sponsor provides either cash or products in exchange for the angler
becoming a spokesperson for them. There are varying degrees of sponsorship
based on the advertising budget of the sponsor and the Pro's name
recognition - skills, potential for producing return on investment etc.


"Craig" wrote in message
...
I would like to get a consensus on what people believe a sponsor is
suppose
to do. The reason I ask, is because I see a statement like this quite
often: "Yeah, I am sponsored by X Company and I just bought my X brand
boat
(truck, rod, reel, etc) ." . . . .

--
Craig Bauer
a.k.a Baugher