Can anyone explains how there are riders, drivers, skaters, etc... sponsored by big brands like RB, Monster, Rockstar, and they have minimal social following, they aren't at the top of the game, yet they are sponsored by a big brand, what do they bring to them as athletes? as an example: Riku tahko from Finland, sponsored by monster energy, racing in rallycross, instagram followers 4,200. last achievement in 2015, no one knows this man, why is he sponsored, why would monster put their marketing money towards a guy in Finland with barely any results and no social following to back it up... what's the point?
They could be cheap, they could have friends or family in the company, They could have been something at some time and there is just a loyalty there. They may be just great with customers/distributors and is basically paid as a sales person. He may be buying the seat and the sponsor is actually a team sponsor.
I'll use Hinchcliffe as an example because I know him well. If you look at Hinchcliffe just from a performance standpoint, he wouldn't have the sponsorship that he does. But the man is great with customers and just an awesome PR guy.
Sponsorship is 95% marketing and personal branding and 5% performance.
Do you know the level of his sponsorship? Maybe they give him a lot of money, or maybe all he gets is a case of Monster drink and a T-shirt.
I’d rather talk about how much fun canoeing is, and how few sponsorship opportunities there are for our Olympic Team!
My “race team” (Hammerzeit) is “sponsored” by a well-respected parts importer/distributor/reseller.
His logos are on the car and I tell people he’s my sponsor. But he’s never actually paid me any money. We’re friends and I sometimes abuse our friendship by sneaking the car into the shop when he’s busy with less annoying customers LOL
When I was road racing I chased the sponsorship thing in order to keep the wheels rolling. Sponsorships can be in a variety of forms not just money. Just about all of mine were products or service. My first was a local suspension and brakes shop. I walked in one day asking about his shop and mentioned the car (an ITB Pinto at that time – mid 80s). No money but lots of labor – I helped some and got the parts. Occasionally I would fill in after my regular job. He liked coming to the races and my car was often parked at the front of his lot on a very busy street. Then through some inquiry and cajoling I scored a tire company – Mickey Thompson Tires. Free tires, shaved, tech input (I supplied car and tire data), and stuff (graphics, shirts, hats etc).
Both deals worked out really well for all concerned. When that car got totaled (my bad) the local guy supplied a spot where we could build another. Mickey Tires came on board when I moved up to Production Car in the 90s – they remembered me. Both times I went to Atlanta they sent tires to the track.
For the Production Car I had a local pizza place, a body shop and those 2 connected me to a local radio station. So a few local ‘co-sponsor’ things happened with them.
Essentially the same types of deals happened when I went off road racing.
The thing is you have to “service” your sponsors – get their name out there whenever you can and in a professional looking manor. I got pretty lucky in some ways.
In reply to L5wolvesf :
There is another way to achieve sponsorship. Find a customer. I had a couple of guys who covered my racing costs while I prepped and maintained their cars. I’d be at the track in case anything happened and they covered those costs (entry meals lodging ).
Another wanted me to transport his car so that covered those costs.
For over a year I wound up being a paid driver while he worked up the courage to drive. Finally I hauled my race car to the track and explained I couldn’t drive both.
Unless you're somhow personally connected with a company, or are winning big-time, or are just the greatest outreach person out there in terms of service, media, etc.....don't count on any big money sponsorship.
Even in rally, the only guys really getting "free rides" so to say are Subaru USA and a few other factory-backed teams. Even many of the top guys sponsorships are mostly for companies they are personally connected to. There are a few outliers in rally who get a lot of cash-equivalent stuff (engine builds, wheels, etc) almost entirely becuase of their huge social media blitz and publicity vice any real winning (I won't name any names, but they are mostly the fairer sex). I mean, two of the fastest regional rally drivers around here, who between them have several overall wins and more class wins at major rallies, have next to no sponsors. Many of the big-dollar builds that run a lot of events are sponsored by construction companies and stuff like that....that they own.
I have a couple sponsors. They send me free or discounted parts that I use. I would never think about asking for cash. And yeah, it's not because I win a lot at stage rally (I don't), and RallyCross is not a big-media payday for sponsors. It's mostly because of my really long build threads here and on other forums that these companies sell parts for .
I know plenty of guys with Monster hats or patches on their driving suits. As far as I know, none of them is getting anything other than hats and patches form Monster lol.
We have a "sponsor" for our Cha(u)mpcar team. Essentially we put business logos on our car in exchange for services such as: access to a lift, tire mounting/balancing equipment, machining equipment, pipe benders, maybe a lightbar or something here or there, etc. Not all sponsorships are what they appear to be.
Does his logo get him more views, customers, followers, etc? Who knows. But it costs him very little money to put his logo on our car and very little money to give us access to his equipment, so even if he gets 1 customr per race we participate in, it's a payoff and a mutually beneficial relationship. I'm sure a lot of these "sponsorships" are of the same degree.
Most don't have sponsors as they don't have the grasp of how to create value for their sponsorship partner, the majority of those who do decide that it's not worth the time commitment and media production cost to do so. In amateur motorsports results mean 0.0% with regards to sponsorability, unless it's a tire sponsor, and they shouldn't be sponsoring an amateur racer as you're literally their target market, they should be sponsoring the sanctioning body.
Mods - two posts and two sketchy links for the guy above
Also again I'll say - writing about what you do on forums WHERE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT USE YOUR SPONSOR'S STUFF hang out is important. My biggest sponsor is Condor Speed Shop, which does BMW suspension/bushing stuff (and other interesting parts). Since they make their own parts in-house for the most part, giving them to me doesn't cost them much. But my car is all over the BMW forums (and here, it's been in GRM magazine twice) and i know for a FACT that I've caused about 20 people to buy parts from them (and probably many more I don't know of) - all that comes from having 8 years of build and competition threads, photos, and callouts to the parts.
Same for the guy who makes my skidplates (Red46.net). I know of 4-5 rallycrossers who have bought their protection from there based on my say-so and my using it. The company is making more money off those 4-5 people than they spend supporting me, I'm sure.
Start little, make close relationships with small vendors, especially those starting up, and go from there.
Various private {canoe} rentals are available ... if only the right IP is addressed on your envelope
