Sponsorship measurement needs to go deeper

15 April 2009 4:28pm

The importance of digital media in marketing and promoting brands means sponsors need far deeper measures of effectiveness than the traditional metrics such as brand awareness and recognition, according to specialist research company Aha! Research.

Aha! Research Managing Director, Peter Steyn, told Sponsorship News that consumer generated media, such as blogs, YouTube, and Twitter were now having such an impact they could make or break a brand in a matter of months.

He says that Aha!’s research following the last Olympics showed that while traditional metrics couldn’t be ignored, there was a need to measure consumers’ online engagement with the brands.

Steyn said a range of research showed that positive online brand recommendation correlated with a company’s growth, so monitoring consumer media engagement was crucial.

The research showed that sponsorship has an influence on whether a brand will be recommended through online consumer generated media. It also showed that marketers have to get on the front foot to ensure their position as official sponsor is recognised, as this has an impact in social media.

"The distinction between an official sponsor and a non-sponsor is becoming much more important and measuring the likelihood that consumers will promote, or demote, your brand online, is critical," Steyn said.