It’s hard to scroll very far down your LinkedIn feed these days without seeing something about how the Internet has gone wrong. Social media is now ‘anti-social’ and the platforms that were supposed to bring us together are now driving us apart.
The ‘intelligence’ of algorithms that are purported to serve us not only what we want, but what we NEED have actually just fed us a steady diet of what we already had and already knew… or at least thought.
The more we hear (or read) our own thoughts replayed back to us from other voices, the more we believe we’re right - that our ‘stuff don’t stink.’ The sound of our own ideas is music to our brains and we slowly but surely become more adamant in our viewpoint. Any differing perspectives seem so clearly wrong that they’re not even worth listening to. All we want to hear is the sweet sound of our own views echoed back to us. Just another form of blissful ignorance.
This ‘echo chamber’ effect keeps people engaged, and to platform execs and advertisers that’s all that matters. Engagement, yes. Education, learning, evolving, not so much.
Sponsorship Echo
The more I read about this the more familiar it sounds. This is the same script that has been playing out in sponsorship for decades. The sponsorship echo chamber is easy to fall into, but also easy to escape from… if we really want to.
First of all, as with the internet, we have to recognise the problem. What is the sponsorship echo chamber and why is it a problem?
Well, it goes something like this…
We’re running a fairly significant sponsorship that required a significant investment - so significant that it’s the primary reason for our employment and significant salary.
Given all this significance, we recognise the need for some clear objectives. Sponsorship is not charity, so we must see some meaningful business impact. Objectives will point us in the right direction… and they’re also helpful in talking to the media, our customers, and of course our activation agencies.
With objectives locked in, we then may or may not set clear and measurable targets or KPIs. This is where the echo chamber can begin to take form. Beware!
Data Echo
OK, so now we get to work and the event or competition begins. As the sponsorship campaign kicks into action, the data begins to roll in. This comes in many forms from brand exposure, engagement and perception, to CTAs, client entertainment incremental sales and many, MANY more.
All this data is great. And the great thing about it is that there is so much available that you can almost always find a nice little pile of data that tells you your objectives have been reached… especially if you’ve been sufficiently vague about your KPIs.
This ‘selective data’ provides the perfect acoustics for your own little sponsorship echo chamber. Similar to the self-assuring internet algorithms that are pulling society apart, the sponsorship echo chamber is separating sponsorship leaders from reality and optimal sponsorship impact.
Just as the internet echo chamber prevents us from truly learning and evolving, this sponsorship chamber prevents us from gaining a true understanding of what is AND ISN’T working. More importantly, we miss the opportunity to make our sponsorships better.
Climbing Out
So how to we avoid the chamber? It’s really quite simple. When objectives are set, we have to go one step further and ask ourselves “what does success look like?” and the answer MUST be specific.
‘More’ is not specific. ‘Increase’ is not specific, and neither is ‘better.’ Capiche?
Specific is ‘3.5 million’ or ‘8.5 out of 10’ or ‘increase brand consideration amongst 18-35 yr old fans from 37.5% to 45%.’ All objectives must have at least one or more KPIs that specifically and measurably paint a picture of what success looks like.
This is how you assure an honest assessment of sponsorship performance. This is how you improve and make meaningful progress toward more positive sponsorship impact. This is how you avoid the echo chamber.
HELLO!… ello… o… o… ECHO!... echo… o… o…
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