Canon's photo opportunity: following UEFA EURO 2004, Toby France discusses how Canon's sponsorship activities are supporting the brand and evaluates whether sponsorship delivers the expected big bang

Brand Strategy, September, 2004 by Toby France

Sponsorship is recognised by business as an effective tool which engages with cynical consumers who are less receptive to above-the-line marketing. Organisations are spending more on sports, music and entertainment sponsorship, aiming to associate their brand with events that connect with the audience. With events like the UEFA EURO 2004 tournament reaching a global audience of 2.5 billion, it's easy to see why sponsorships are attractive, but are they really effective?

Big sponsorships can deliver big audiences; but simply being a sponsor is not a strategy in itself. To ensure maximum ROI, sponsorship must be intrinsically tied to a marketing strategy and its core business. Without this, it's hard to connect with the consumer, or any other audience...