episode 27 of the dsmsports podcast w/ j.w. cannon of ups: snippets

Snippets from Episode 27 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 27 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

@njh287 DSMSports.net


Episode 27 featured Senior Project Lead for Sponsorships and Events with UPS

J.W. Cannon

Cannon discussed why brands like sports for sponsorships, how they're valued and executed, where the space is going, and more.

What follows is a collection of snippets from the podcast. For the full episode, visit DSMSports.net



J.W.'s Career Path

Studied kinesiology with concentration in sports management and English & business minors

Then took a job with the Georgia State Games Commission and sold sponsorships for them → Then sold umbrellas and high-speed scanners for a small business start-up company



→ Shifted more to brand marketing and was first hire on Octagon's account with Home Depot, when they were starting a partnership with ESPN College Gameday; [also worked with other clients like Bank of America and Auto Trader]

→ Then went to ING and managed their sponsorships, especially in sports → Moved to UPS in his current role about 3 years ago



“The personalized access to your favorite athletes, to the games themselves, t the venues, etc. has grown leaps and bounds since I first started...

“When I first started, everybody was looking at impressions, at signage, video board mentions, etc. as a way to measure the industry and, nowadays, it has evolved into much more complex metrics like engagement and moved well beyond just counting what the value of an impression is.

“(With these changes), there has been a lot more interest and, with that, the price has gone up, which means that companies are really looking to sponsorships to provide more value to their organization that they have to work much harder at.”



“People have always been passionate about sports...it's the one thing today that people are still willing to tune in (and it is) almost DVR-proof...people are very passionate about their teams, many times over their lifetime...

Sports, in a way, is kind of timeless and it has grown with the amount of attention media has paid attention to it (in terms of content).”



J.W. Describes how differentiating in the financial services with industry, with ING, meant a deep level of trust with the client and this affected partnership strategy

“It's based on a level of trust. Our partnerships were designed to build connections and trust with those we were targeting...

(describes partnership with marathons as analogous to marathon of lifetime money planning while also connecting with affluent running audience.

“The running space, more so than anything, is built around a level of trust. Runners are very passionate about their sport and they trust the people invested in their sport...We found, more often than not, the number of people doing business with us went up because they were willing to invest with someone willing to invest in their activity.”



On UPS partnership strategy –

“Our role is to connect with business decision-makers. The way we leverage sponsorships that's different (from ING) is (not as much brand recognition-focused) because people know us...our role is to drive revenue for the company, as well as to showcase how our partnerships can be a differentiator.”

[cites NCAA partnership as opportunity to host clients + employees, showcase business solutions they provide, etc.]



“The one big difference (with infusion of data) is research has become so proprietary nowadays...once you get into these sponsorships, you tend to establish your own objectives, your own KPIs, and your own form of measurement that is customized to what you're doing in the space...

That is what has changed. Everyone looks at a little bit differently. It's very personalized and very unique.”



“You have to know what you're trying to accomplish going in (to a partnership), so you set certain macro objectives when you're going in to try and negotiate a partnership. Together, you negotiate the best mix of assets to accomplish those objectives...

I don't think the property itself is responsible for developing those KPIs, but I do think they;re responsible for feeding into those and opening up their access to a lot of data points you may be able to get a hold of.

At the end of the day, you guys are both in this together. They call it a partnership for a reason. You guys are both working together for mutual success on both sides, so you both have a stake in the outcome. If only one side is pulling its weight and the other is not, that is not really a partnership.”



This episode's Helpful Tool → Bio Is Changed; get updates on any changes to the Twitter bios of those you follow

www.BioIsChanged.com


http://www.BioIsChanged.com/


“No sponsorship is successful without a) organizational buy-in and b) cross-functional support...If you operate in silos...it doesn't work. You have to be integrated. Partnerships come off well because they are integrated across all facets of the organization...

If you don't, it comes off as a fractured partnership...It's not easy and it takes time and you have to have a patient management team...but, once it all comes together, it creates a wonderful partnership that comes off well to the general public.”



“Brand recognition is still important in the right ways for us...(especially recognition for the right things, like their array of business solutions to all sorts of customers)...it's recognition beyond that point A to point B delivery...

“On the revenue side, we have a very good way of being able to track customers that come to our events and the revenue we're able to generate from the partnerships we have...While it's difficult to pinpoint opportunities to actually draw out that revenue number, that shouldn't always be the measure of success.”



On how partnerships originate and form:

“There are times when relationships are established and people put in a pin t and...years later come back to it...Very rarely have I seen partnerships just come up on a whim...Most of the long-term partnerships, talks may start many many years in advance before you come to an agreement.”

“You have a pretty good understanding of what you're trying to accomplish and which property can generally help you get that...That may mean they have the proper audience and you think they may have the proper asset mix and you think they're going to be good partners...but you may find (other factors). There's always a significant amount of reach before talking to a partner.”



On evaluating a property's mix of partners when looking to join:

“You want to know the folks you're going to be running into and whether or not there is a potential of business with them, as well, to leverage these relationships...Other partners are integral to our business model and how we look at our partnerships, but that is not always the same for every company.”

(does cite aspect of seeing how other partners leverage the property, too)



On types of partnerships – static, activations, etc.:

“There are some companies where the logo is quite powerful. It depends on the company (and their goals)...Sponsorships are much more than just advertising and logo placement. “

“When you get into sponsorship, you're investing in the property because there is a passionate fan base behind it that you are trying to target and you see value in leveraging that relationship to target them using the trademarks and intellectual property associated with that.”

“You have to be willing to invest in a (sponsorship) to make it successful.”



On companies that seek to valuate sponsorships (like Repucom and Navigate Research):

“They're great companies and I think they've really established themselves in an area that no one wanted to touch...They've created models that allow you to measure impressions...Some take it for the face value and some actually discount it...

“They do provide some use to being able to talk about the value of things like signage, on-air logo placement, and things of that nature, (but) they're not the be-all, end-all of research. A lot of the value you're going to see come out of sponsorships in most cases are going to come out of that proprietary evaluation that you develop and the KPIs you develop.”



On balance of national, regional, local, international partnerships for UPS:

“We have different levels of partnerships...and how we activate (each) are very different...The national level is an opportunity for us to showcase our brand, to invite high-level clients to larger events throughout the year...

(Others) are an opportunity to do that on a regional level and the local relationships allow an opportunity to target the local business decision-makers.”



J.W. Discusses the #SBChat:

It began with co-founder (former Patriots CMO) Lou Imbriano and they saw a lot of people “selling snake oil,” pretending to be experts in the business on Twitter

“We decided to band together to start this weekly chat where we touch on subjects in the sports business world...It has really grown and is coming up on its fourth year this January...We get anywhere from a couple dozen to a couple hundred every week. It's real fun, but it really all comes from a good place and us wanting to give back to the industry what we have gotten out of it.”

#SBChat – Every Sunday on Twitter at 9:30pm ET



This episode's Shareable Stat:

In a Hubshout survey, 45.4% of respondents said “sponsored content” agreed is a form of advertising that can be more relevant to me

J.W.'s take on sponsored content:

“It's the way of the world today. In order to stand out, advertising and signage no longer does it. You have to have something unique and endemic to your brand...I think the challenge brands will continue to have is to measure its overall impact on its business. That's going to be a challenge for the industry as we move forward and it's here to stay.”



The worst sponsorship proposal J.W. has ever received:

“There have been a lot of them...I have to say I did get a letter from prison to send him some stuff and to sponsor his event after he got out of prison.”



The sports market, geographically, about to take off in the next year:

“There is two...The city of Austin because of the technology that is coming in to play there and, for similar reasons, the city of San Jose, which is right there near Silicon Valley. I think those two are primed for big takeoffs from both a corporate and sponsorship standpoint.”



How J.W. manages all levels of UPS's brand objectives and revenue-generating goals:

“Consumers are an important part of our business and a growing part of our business. Our focus is mainly on those corporate consumers.

Our job is to create good experiences for the customers and use our relationships as a differentiator and to find ways for our sales folks to do business and use our partnerships as an opportunity to connect them with potential decision-makers.”



The best brand activation/partnership in sports J.W. has seen (besides ones in which he has been involved):

“Everybody points to Red Bull as the case in point for branded content nowadays as a really successful activation. They tend to own the events and create the events that they do and then leverage them on the back end. And they're all very unique to their brand.

“It's very admirable. It's very expensive and challenging and it takes a whole organizational commitment to pull that off, but they've really done it well.”



The most impressive or famous person J.W. Has met in his jobs over the years:

Most impressive folks he's met: Pat Williams (former NBA exec), Mike Veeck (baseball marketing exec, part of highly respected Veeck family)

“Both of them have really sound business principles and they're really impressive.”



The most impressive or famous person J.W. Has met in his jobs over the years:

Most impressive folks he's met: Pat Williams (former NBA exec), Mike Veeck (baseball marketing exec, part of highly respected Veeck family)

“Both of them have really sound business principles and they're really impressive.”

Most famous: “I've had the benefit of meeting five U.S. Presidents...I've been blessed to meet a lot of really cool people.”



The most delicious food J.W. has shared on social media, most unusual food he has shared, and most unusual food he has eaten:

Most delicious: “I'm a big Hot Pockets fan and I know that sounds a little strange...There is something very comforting (about it)...I probably eat at least ten of those per week.”

Most unusual: Fried Kool-Aid from the Minnesota State Fair

Best he has shared and eaten: Tuna Tataki from Umami in downtown San Francisco – “I could eat that all three meals per day, seven days per week.”



J.W.'s best tip for the college/high school student aspiring to work in the sports biz:

“You have so many tools that are available to you coming up in the business to connect with pros in the industry. Use that to your advantage – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter – none of these things existed when I came up in the business; you had to do it by old-fashioned hard work.

While (these new channels) don't replace that hard work and face-to-face interaction, people are so much more accessible today than they ever have been. And, if you don't take advantage of that, then shame on you.”

“The key is to position yourself to get to the point where a company considers you before they even put (that opening) online before anybody else.”



Which of the 4 major pro sports teams in Washington DC will win a title next:

Washington Nationals, even though, as a Baltimore Orioles fan, it “pains” J.W. to say so.



J.W.'s Social Media All-Star to Follow:

Brian Gainor, Head of Partnership Activation with Freshwire / GMR Marketing – on Twitter @BrianGainor

→ “Much like myself, I think he prides himself on finding hidden gems in the world of sports business and sharing his wisdom with the up-and-comers of the sports business world and I think that's very admirable.”

(also mentions Brian's Partnership Activation newsletter)


http://www.twitter.com/BrianGainor


How to find J.W. on social media:

J.W. Cannon on LinkedIn, @cannonjw on Twitter and Instagram, and #SBChat every Sunday at 9:30pm ET; also follow the #sportsbiz hash tag


http://www.twitter.com/cannonjw


Thanks very much to J.W. Cannon for sharing his experience, knowledge, and personality with us on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

For more, visit www.dsmsports.net and follow me, Neil Horowitz, on Twitter @njh287


http://www.dsmsports.net/

http://www.twitter.com/njh287

episode 27 of the dsmsports podcast w/ j.w. cannon of ups: snippets

Sports

social media sports

sports management

attention media

collection of snippets

number of people

ups partnership strategy

sponsorships thats different

business solutions