Comments on: Thinking Of Being An Event Sponsor?… Learn From SXSW.

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By: Caitlin McCabe » Do Your Online Homework Before Sponsoring An Offline Event… The Renegade Craft Fair Example.

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:22:43 +0000

[...] the bored looking employees with no people around them (except Lulu B but we’ll get to that). I have written about this before. The whole sponsors-need-to-be-doing-a-better-job thing. I talked about it when I got back from [...]

By: Miri

Miri — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:51:39 +0000

I love the tailored sponsorship idea. I’ve gone to so many conferences where they give out free lame stuff. I agree – Chevy is onto something. You probably already thought of this but it sounds like a cool service offering — helping conference sponsors tailor their giveaway/presence to their audience for more effective time and dollars spent (and more fun and useful for participants too).

By: caitlin

caitlin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:50:03 +0000

DShan – So great to finally meet you too – the feeling is mutual!!
I agree with your point on it being pretty budget friendly to be a better sponsor as well. It just takes some thinking…. in a lot of ways it could actually be much more economical than “the booth”.

Royce – On the bright side of that… I could moonlight at Sonic pretty easily.

By: Royce

Royce — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:30:23 +0000

Hey a DShan sighting on C-Mac’s blog! How exciting! The same DShan who Nicoleisbetter once called her “old age advisor”

I feel like everyone knows everyone, it’s pretty cool. Now DShan, please help encourage C-Mac to become the rollerskating consultant.

By: DShan

DShan — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:18:13 +0000

First of all I’m REALLY glad I got to meet you. You’re so whip smart.

I’ve been recapping the trip down to all the young companies up here, and my number one recommendation was to go down there to do something interesting. If you want to get word out, stop thinking traditionally – stop hiring swag girls to hand more crap out.

Put together something fun; how come Foursquare’s the only team who thought, “we should just play a game and award t-shirts”? Ning gave away free pie. That kind of stuff moves around the conversation because the crowd down there is used to the old stuff.

What’s interesting too, is that it doesn’t really take much of a budget; just be out there making it a better experience for people…the days are long and the sun is hot and it’s a huge opportunity to introduce yourself to forward-thinking (and highly influential) people.

By: caitlin

caitlin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:54:15 +0000

Connie – Glad to see Chevy responding here I’m sure the connections you made with grateful bloggers and interactive folks will be a great takeaway for Chevy. Also, it’s such a win-win for both the attendees and the brand. No one feels “sold to”

Karl – I think the tiered approach certainly provides a level of product (vehicles) to the event however… I’d be interested in hearing how many test drives were taken and how Chevy feels they went. I would have been hard pressed to stop the fun for the drive.

Royce – Chevy showed us that they “got us”. They didn’t show up expecting it to be about them, their products, and their message. They came to the event knowing what kind of things the event goers would need and I think when it comes to sponsorships, that’s what it should be about. Like I said, it’s a softer sell – but I remembered it was Chevy.

Brian – They were like magic helpers there weren’t they? There would have been a lot of dead batteries if not for them. I have been at conferences where people were offering $10 for 10 minutes to charge on someone’s charger!

By: Brian Dresher

Brian Dresher — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:37:43 +0000

Great post! Completely agreed. I carried my charger with me everywhere and couldn’t be happier when I saw those magic words, “Chevy Recharge Lounge.” They identified a need that most everyone at SXSW could relate to and effectively addressed it. While the Zone Bars serve a purpose, the Chevy presence clearly knew its audience and how to engage.

By: Royce

Royce — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:32:14 +0000

I think Karl makes a good point, the additional connections with attendees all make a good impression. And people who do the test drive thing can then come back and write about. Although Connie made a grave error by not reaching out to the greatest key influencers of all – us at FIWK. I have been meaning to test drive the new Equinox.

I guess my question C-Mac is this: what did Chevy do “to speak with online thought leaders” that Zone didn’t do? I understand they sponsored the charging station, gave rides, and had a test drive area, but in what way did this “speak” with attendees? Versus just get Chevy’s brand name and goodwill out there, which is basically what Zone did?

By: Karl Sakas

Karl Sakas — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:07:02 +0000

Chevy's SXSW marketing worked partly because GM provided several layers of interaction for different segments: exclusive test drives for key influencers, rides to events for the motivated people who check-in with a location-based service, and useful (and well-named) Volt laptop/phone/PDA charging stations for anyone who wants to use them. Of course, a three-year exclusive automotive sponsorship isn't the cheapest way to get publicity coverage...