A lot has changed in the 25 years ago since Karen Earl, chairman of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) and Synergy set up her sponsorship agency in her own name.
Over the years the term sponsorship has increasingly become outdated and Earl believes will eventually be replaced with terms more representative of what the industry is really about.
Terms such as partnership will become the rule rather than the exception. And I’ve had enough slaps on the wrist from Locog about referring to its partners as sponsors in my news stories to agree whole heartedly with her prediction. So, I guess that means the ESA itself will need a rebrand in coming years. ‘It’s on the to do list!!’, says Earl.
In the future, Earl argues, rights holders will work even more closely with their partners than they do today and that how rights holders operate will fundamentally change. While for their part brands will increasingly look to create – and thereby own - their own content. Earl prefers to look forward rather than at the past, but reflecting on the past 25 years she notes how sponsorship has gone from being on the periphery to being a central part of the marketing mix. ‘I’m no longer trying to sell the idea of sponsorship to clients. Today it’s about helping people do it better.’
Read Karen Earl in her own words
