A well known, large, UK ground care equipment supply company offerd to give me and the boss some sponsorship a while back. The exact details weren't really discused but I assumed he was meaning clothing such as cutting trousers, maybe a jacket, fliece and a couple t-shirts. I thought saws would be too expensive to give away so didn't get too excited. When I colected the bag of gear from the embroiderers there where only 4 polo-shirts, two for each of us.
My question now is, do two polo-shirts really qualify as sponsorship or is it just a quick way of the sponsor getting their logo on show for cheep?
I've never tried to negotiate a sponsorship but I'd want cash as part of the deal. Also wouldn't agree to any company being my sole sponsor unless they were paying me enough to make a good living. Racing teams have several sponsors each...
A polo shirt? That's sponsorship if they pay you every time you wear it. I get free hats from my Stihl dealer but that doesn't make them a sponsor.
Back in the day when I was getting free stuff from Stihl Australia ... before the drought nearly drove them bust ... the big boss guy at Stihl at the time put it this way. Sponsorship is when they give you lots of MONEY and fly you places to represent the company and take care of you really well (a la Echo Carving Team) ... support is when they give you products and consumables that they can write off as a business expense ... and ugly t-shirts make good cleaning rags (especially if they are cotton). I was being supported. Regardless ... it is still nice to get support if you can ... but you need to discuss what they expect from you in return.
I had an experience several years ago when I was green where I was invited to carve at a big gig here in Oz ... nationally, in every capital city. It evolved that I was to wear a t-shirt for a glue company that was paying my wages which annoyed me (I didn't read the fine print ... I didn't see the fine print ... live and learn). As part of my involvement I carved on morning shows all over the country including Good Morning Australia. They wanted me to wear the t-shirt on GMA and I refused as I wasn't being paid to wear it on national television ... I was only being paid the $500 a day to wear it while at the gigs (I told you I was green). So we had a big fight and they tried to intimidate me into wearing it. I figured it was live to air so they weren't going to tackle me to the ground, strip me and dress me again and I did the show to huge success My way. Guess I wont work with those dudes again. Actually ... this year they got Deb Lloyd from New Zealand so there are always plenty of others to do the job instead.
So there's your answer ... you are not being sponsored ... you are being supported and are giving support back in kind.
Or are you ????? LOL
I think its foolish to advertise for any body but your self. Unless there paying you to do so. Tell me what other business advertises for some one else just because they give them a free tee, hat, now and then.
I see guys pay big bucks to ware, Harley, Nascar, foot ball shit, etc. on hats, shirts. In the big picture who really cares, other then the big corporation your making richer.
So if they dont pay ya with cash tell um to stick it, you'd be better to advertise your self. Thats what its all about ain't it.
I hadn't thought of it as support but you guys have got it dam right. I've alredy got clothes so I'm no better off either. If they're gona pass a couple saws and some consumables my way then great, otherwise I think the polo-shirts can stay in the bags.
When I waS a youngin' I raced mountain bikes. Smaller developement comapnies would send young racers some test parts, and t-shirts, and tons of stickers. They did this so we would talk up their companies, and they sent us promo info that we could put out at our tenets, and encouraged us to start riding groups, and further push the sport. Tehy were forming "farm teams", which some of the better racers got on, and got full sponsorship( they got discounted bikes, and parts, free jerseys, paid travel....ect...). This worked, and now all the companies that were doing this for us kids are million dollar companies, and producing some of the highest quality parts in the industry. Getting free shirts alone is only a companies way of using you to advertise. I have gotten free stickers, hats, and tees from both stihl and husky, just for sending in a testimonial on their web site, but that doesn't mean they sponsor me. The real definition of sponsorship lies within the loyalty you hold toward a company when you are in the public eye. If they want you loyal to them they should provide you with a little more, and they should try to get you guys saws, or at least free oil, or some thing related to their business. I don't see how you guys wearing only some golf shirts with their company logo would benefit iether of you. You all could have gotten the shirts if you had been employees. Sounds like they are making an effort, but maybe you could come up with a creative proposal, like "...loan us your truck for a weekend, with an enclosed trailer to house our carvings, and your name will be known at that event, makes us both look good."
