"if you can't measure it you can't manage it - why it all starts with insight"
So why am I such an insight advocate?
- Well insight actually tells a brand / sponsor / rights holder who your fan actually is, what they look like, what brands they buy and why your sponsorship actually works....or doesn't. It will actually enable rights holders to keep sponsors and find new ones. Sounds dumb and like teaching grandma to suck eggs? Well read on Macduff.....
- Another reason is that the MD's whims / "Chairman's choices" don't actually stand up to scrutiny when challenged by a few focus groups; or actually 50,000 followers on twitter, 500,000 likes on facebook or 6 million unique website visitors....and of course the research and analytics that go with it.
- Yet another reason, if you needed another, is to get one over on the budding marketers who work in finance and accounting who decimate budgets around September just because the company isn't hitting profit targets. Or why the Chairman likes Tennis, cricket, golf, fill the blank in. Whatevs!!
I actually stumbled across insight a couple of times in my career on some cracking brands like Tropicana (£292m), Copella (£60m) and Wall's sausages (~£70m), where I had the luxury of spending £150k on insight, and have used it fruitfully on World Rally Championship when some qualitative video footage of real fans from Wales Rally GB scared the bejesus out of my colleagues!! I can't repeat the terms used but they couldn't believe how old, beardy and weirdy they were!
Now I get that spending £150k isn't realistic for every agency or sport, but no insight isn't the answer either and insight doesn't have to be expensive, just be creative.
One of the definitions of insight for those who don't know is "a penetrating discovery about needs and motivations that unlocks opportunities to create shareholder value".
Read another way, insight helps drive commercial growth through customer centric marketing strategies...a statement to please even the most hardened CFO!
So insight = who is your fan, what do they buy, where do they shop, why do they love your sports and will they part with their hard earned cash for your over-inflated merchandise made in China?.....plus given the fact that most sports fans eat and drink, what brands do they buy - Pepsi? Maximuscle? Gatorade? Red Bull?....and therefore where can the sponsorship teams look for great partnerships.
For instance the current Dove partnership with rugby.....a great idea that has delivered results, obviously through measuring response, sales and insight.
The brand has taken major strides into rugby union with the announcement of partnerships for its Dove Men+Care brand with both the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU).
These deals complement the brand's existing partnership with Europe's club tournaments the Heineken Cup, the Amlin Challenge Cup, as well as its title sponsor of Wales' Autumn Internationals, the Dove Men’s Series.
Another is from the insight & sports agency two circles, (http://www.insidetwocircles.com), and their work with the ECB....clever, clever, clever. In their own words: "The programme ensured every cricket ticket buyer at every international and domestic Friends Life t20 fixture during 2012 was asked for feedback through an online survey, within 1 hour of play ending."
They go on to say: "Cricket is one of the most popular sports on television in this country and the insight is essential to help the sport attract more people to the grounds through assessing the needs of its customers and improving their match day experience."
In summary an Einstein equation is needed - In the great man's own words "A well defined problem is 90% solved".
No insight = no brand; no property that can be monetised efficiently and effectively for the long term.
Long term partners =long term success, and insight is the route to success.
Good luck with the insight!
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