Photo: Coca-Cola Portugal Facebook.

Sponsorship is often misunderstood and poorly utilized, even within the marketing ranks.

So, it’s good to see a terrific example of sponsorship activation from Coca-Cola Portugal.

Building on its sponsorship of Benefica Stadium, Coca-Cola decided to engage its fans with a contest for special access to a luxury suite.  Been there and done that, you say?  Maybe, but not like this!   Coca-Cola created a unique experiential setting for eight fans (teammates) to enjoy in their very own ultimate sports fan dormitory.  Promotion communication included social media marketing with Facebook.  Check it out.

There are so many ways for sponsorship marketing to go sideways.  Here’s a Top 3 Getting Started Checklist for great sponsorship results:

1. Get your strategy right.  This comes first!
2. Align the sponsorship platform with your strategy. Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised!
3. Create and execute a robust activation plan.  If you can’t activate to achieve your objectives, you’ve got the wrong sponsorship platform!

Headline

Beyond getting the strategy and platform right, powerful sponsorship is all about activation and user engagement.  To Coca-Cola Portugal, I simply say, Goaaaaaallllll!

Harvey Chimoff is a hands-on marketing leader and business-wide collaborator who builds marketing capabilities in B2B/B2C organizations that drive customer success.