Sponsorship

I've been sponsored a few times, both times I put together a package and showed the vendor the media coverage I'd be getting, where/when/how much etc. 

They saw the marketing value and signed on.  I didn't get product for free, but got it at a discount and got shop labor thrown in sometimes too.

Didnt reference the GRM forums or any forum related inside jokes or memes. Denied. 

yupididit said:

Had the balls to try. Hopefully, he goes and progress from here. And he used commas better than me. LoL

I don't know why everyone thinks the teenage generation we have now are terrible. I've learned from my little brother who is 18, no their values aren't 100% the same as you old guys but they have the same goals and faster, smarter, and more efficient than us. Don't let the drooling, entitled, lazy teens you see paint the picture for the whole group. Besides, the same tards are in every generation. Must be an old man thing. 

This.  I'm so sick of "kids these days..." BS all over the place.  Old grumpy people have, and will always gripe about the younger generations thinking they are entitled. Electricity, the telegraph, telephone, vaccines, automobiles, television, internet, cell phones, smart phones.  They all have been responsible for the next generations incompetency and entitlement.  Just let the damn kids play on your lawn.  You'll be surprised how resourceful they are using the modern tools of society.

Yeah, asking for free stuff is totally a new thing. Never happened before.  Of course ONE single person is completely representative of the millions of people in a certain generation too.

The kid is 16, he thought that's how you get sponsorship.  Now he knows it's not.  If he's determined he'll do some research and figure out how to properly market himself.

NEALSMO said:

 

The kid is 16, he thought that's how you get sponsorship.  Now he knows it's not.  If he's determined he'll do some research and figure out how to properly market himself.

This is why I applaud him a little bit. From what I see of people even my age, 30, let alone his age, he's at least trying to learn something, which is more than I can say for most. 

To be fair though, when I was  teenager myself, I thought everyone was a complete and total berkeleying moron because they wanted everything handed to them and refused to learn how to do anything else. It still frustrates and annoys me to no end meeting people of any age who refuse to learn to do things for themselves or to work for things for themselves. Like anyone that refuses to learn basic computer or smart phone operation, or those people who are PROUD of the fact they don't know how to do things like drive stick or setup a TV, or cook without a microwave. 

Was this the right way to do it? No. Is it better than "Someone bought me a car, now GIVE me wheels, tires, tools, knowledge, experience"? YES. 

Who knows, maybe finding out this isn't how you get a sponsorship will wind up with this kid getting to the top of nationals ranking hunting for one. 

I can applaud his guts at attempting. Somewhat agree to both sides that have been discussed here. But correct me if I missed something. This kid isn't racing or anything like that. He's just driving around, cruising per say and wants better equipment to "drive around" that he can't afford. Yet. He'll get there if he continues to strive towards the goal.

My mtn bike team manager is a master in the Art of the Schmooze. We rarely get totally free parts, but we do often get a significant discount off retail. It's not a bad deal for a bunch of relatively slow, middle-aged guys (and a few girls) who don't really race that much.

These days, the industry term for a team like us is "Brand Ambassadors." Personally, I try to take the role fairly seriously. When people ask about the gear on my bike, I do my best to talk it up. If someone asks to try my bike, I generally don't have a problem with it.

I agree if the kid wants to get free or discounted stuff, he needs to work on becoming a "brand".  YouTube is filled with types like this, but they also work their butts off creating content and accumulating subscribers. It takes time to build, however.

I have never landed a sponsor without doing some kind of work for them, which I am glad to do since it really is a marketing partnership to sell their brand. When I was younger, I asked for free, now I just ask for a reasonable discount..or free shipping, very few times have I been turned down.  My approach is what can I do for you. I have noticed that many others are doing the same which changes the market, and for some business it is better to spend the money sponsoring a series.