Everywhere I turn, places are named.
My local hockey arena, thanks Xcel.
My baseball stadium, thanks Target.
Corporate support can add a lot to a community. Does it make me feel warm and fuzzy about the corporation? Not really. Does it better position the corporation in my mind’s eye? Not usually. Do I understand what they do because of who they sponsor? Rarely. Do I know the sponsor better? Almost never.
Sometimes…Sponsorships work AND makes sense.
The manufacturing plant at my children’s museum is sponsored by 3M. This little plaque is seen by hundreds of parents every day as they play warehouse with their kids — moving blocks on hand-turned conveyor belts, moving blocks to the shipping center, shouting orders from floor to floor.
Who is 3M? Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.
They’re big, they’re local, they’re philanthropic. They make stuff and ship it around the world–just like my little people in the Warehouse at the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
More importantly do I know them better because of this? do I like them more? do I think they’re pretty shrewd marketers?
What do you think?
Do sponsorships work for you?
Sara Kerr 