NewsLine Column: Is Sponsorship The Silver Lining?

Following a week of high-profile sponsorship deals, which saw the Network Chart Show secure a multimillion pound tie-in with Woolworths (see Woolworths Signed As New Chart Show Sponsor), Media Planning Group’s Denise Turner discusses the pros and cons of broadcast sponsorship in the changing media landscape.

Last week it was reported on MediaTel NewsLine that that Woolworths has been signed as the multimillion pound sponsor of the Network Chart Show, in what is thought to be the biggest sponsorship deal in British radio history. The Woolworths Hit 40 UK, which started on Sunday, replaces the long-running Pepsi Chart. Sponsorship is a key area of growth for commercial radio with revenues increasing, but can Woolworths succeed in making the show its own after such a lengthy relationship as Pepsi had with the UK’s commercial pop chart?

There have been similar stories of sponsor changes over the media fence to television, some of which have been more successful than others. The whole idea behind sponsorship is that the brand more closely associates itself with the programme and ‘borrows’ the brand values. One of the most memorable associations ever was one of the first when Beamish Stout sponsored the much-loved Inspector Morse. It can be dangerous when a programme changes the brands that borrow its values – perhaps even devaluing them to a greater or lesser extent.

One programme that has arguably changed its sponsor too many times is Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I’ve lost count of the number of different sponsors it has had since it began several years ago. It is debatable how much the latter sponsors are benefiting from their association. From a consumer point of view, learndirect, the current sponsor, does seem to be sticking with it for a while and does seem to be a more relevant sponsor than some of the previous ones.

But despite the issues associated with sponsorship, it is still a very important vehicle that brands use to communicate with consumers. A large number believe that the sponsor has paid at least some of the money needed to make the programme at all. And its importance could well increase with all the new technologies becoming available that could well affect the whole media industry.

Research published by the Economist last year offered some challenges to advertisers, especially on television. It claimed that PVR technology such as TiVo will “bring far greater changes to the way we watch television than most of the digital interactivity tried so far”. However, it did bring some reassurance, saying that PVR’s will not necessarily spell the end for TV advertising. Rather advertisers will need to respond by injecting more imagination. One of the examples of ways to grab viewer attention is sponsorship. It does stand out from the clutter of the 30-second slot.

So only time will tell if Woolworths will be successful in becoming the brand associated with the network chart on radio. But sponsorship is arguably one of the forms of communication that will survive the digital age in broadcast media as more traditional forms of advertising become obsolete.

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