Avoid Missing the Target With Event Sponsorships
- Posted on 16th February 2011
- in Art Based Solutions, Community Change Management, Event Marketing
- by ydubel
The radical shift in racial diversity is going to have a dramatic impact on the way event marketers, among others, connect with their potential and existing customers. Historically event sponsors seeking sponsorship would pay close attention to racial demographics accessible via a given event property. Increasingly marketers and businesses will have to reevaluate concepts like "target racial demographics" in the context of "Race Remixed", where cultural diversity has new meaning.
In looking at event marketing there is a clear disconnect between the present approach to demographic targeting and the rise of diversity. This diversity is amplified by the increase of people who are of "mixed race". A recent NYTimes article writes: "One in seven new marriages is between spouses of different races or ethnicities, according to data from 2008 and 2009 that was analyzed by the Pew Research Center. Multiracial and multiethnic Americans (usually grouped together as "mixed race") are one of the country's fastest-growing demographic groups. And experts expect the racial results of the 2010 census...to show the trend continuing or accelerating."
It is hard to get around the reality that some people are obsessed with knowing which box individuals fit into and many businesses/organizations still feel they need to have a demographic breakdown that makes sense to them. That being the case, how do businesses and organizations adjust their understanding of cultural identity to move beyond outdated notions of race? A starting point is to consider exploratory opportunities within activities like art based event marketing. This definitely means that your standard event marketing is not going to fit the bill to advance this understanding.
Managing the Risk of Change
The problem is that this requires decision makers to take the risk required to make new discoveries. One of the things one quickly learns about change management is that it is really an attempt to manage a transition from what has been to what is emerging. Effectiveness depends on flexibility. Cultural Fusion Art as Philosophy is one example of a flexible art based solution event. One of the primary benefits of Arts Based events over more traditional options is almost one-half (48%) of Americans with an interest in Art and Cultural events indicated that they hold a "Higher" trust in companies that sponsor these events compared to those who do not, while only 16% of Olympic Games enthusiasts claim a "Higher" trust in their sponsors. Why does this matter to you as a business owner or marketer? Because clinging to old notions of race will alienate you from a growing population of potential or existing customers. It may also exclude you as a suitable sponsor for innovative events and damage your brand equity. Therefore, you need to get help from experts that can help you develop innovative campaigns and events that support you in engaging individuals in the marketplace to share with you who they are. This creates an exciting opportunity for progressive business looking for sponsorship opportunities to increase understanding of self defined cultural identity and affiliations that are less than black and white Yvette Dubel is an artist, researcher, event marketing producer, and community change management consultant. She specializes in innovation, art based solutions, and social capital for meaningful marketing, customer retention program development and seeing the connections between the seemingly unconnected. She customizes art based events for suitable sponsors: http://www.sponsorpark.com/sponsorships/sponsorship-proposal/4140/cultural-fusion-art-as-philosophy/ You can read her Community Change Management blog at http://webantiphon.com and Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yvette_DubelTags: Art Based Solutions, demographics, Event Marketing, event property, green event marketing, race, sponsorship, Yvette Dubel
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