According to the Independent Evaluation Group, global sponsorship spending on sports, entertainment, arts, causes and events is projected to increase from $60.1 to $62.8 billion in 2017. While sponsorship of sports-related properties is the largest share of spending, other forms of sponsorship have grown to the billion-dollar level in North America.
Despite the size of these investments, companies lack reliable metrics that can tie sponsorship spending to brand and business outcomes. According to a 2013 Association of National Advertisers survey on sponsorship and event marketing activities, fewer than 50 percent of marketers have a standardized process for measurement and 70 percent say the need to validate results has increased.
To determine sponsorship contribution to brand and business, MASB, the Marketing Accountability Standards Board, has launched the Sponsorship Accountability Metrics Project with the objectives of documenting sponsorship spending as a percentage of total marketing spend, identifying various sponsorship metrics and providers, and identifying sponsorship better practices. Protecting sponsorship from long-term risks will also be considered.
Research will be conducted throughout 2018 with preliminary results expected by early 2019. A sponsorship marketer panel is being organized for MASB Winter Summit 2018, Feb. 22-23 in New Orleans.
Marketers and others interested in following SAM Project progress can join the Brand Sponsorship Accountability Group on LinkedIn. Inquiries regarding the project team may be sent to info@themasb.org.