It's no longer a level playing field

Brands face unparalleled change in consumer and media behavior. In their quest to find the 'holy grail' of consumer engagement, brand-owners have spotted the opportunity and are, increasingly, turning to explore the relatively untapped potential of partnerships.

In a world where the traditional advertising model struggles to engage consumers, sports, entertainment and cause-related properties offer an attractive landscape for brand-owners to harness consumer passion and build meaningful relationships with their audience.

Today's partnership industry carries a powerhouse of over $40 billion behind it

Partnerships have been around for almost as long as traditional advertising and, more often than not, occupy a distinctive role within a communications strategy. What is startling is just how far this discipline has come from the simple brand association. As digital and content opportunities explode, we're looking at a very different game.

Today's partnership industry carries a powerhouse of over $40 billion behind it but in these tough economic conditions, its foundations are under threat. Much of today's commentary, both trade and consumer, focuses on partnership investment as a luxury item within brand-owners' portfolios.

We believe these views are misinformed, often based on a lack of understanding that this is a complex marketing discipline. More than ever before, brands have a significant opportunity to explore this commercial potential. With this much at stake, it's imperative to seek the right advice in this environment, which is why we've put together a comprehensive guide on how brand-owners can make the most out of partnerships and why this should be considered as a relevant marketing vehicle.

The changing playing field Percentage growth in global spend Source: IEG Sponsorship Report Vol. 27, December 2008

We'll cover current market dynamics, building successful partnerships, where we see key opportunities developing over the next few years and how to make sponsorship effective and accountable. We also believe that rights deals can be made to work harder and deliver greater ROI in the current economic conditions.

Content

• Today's Partnership world
• The ten principles of winning partnerships
• Towards 2012: The future of partnerships

Download the full report (pdf, 2.4mb)