Projects /
Arts & Culture
More brands, not just bigger ones
How a UAE arts foundation reduced its reliance on a few headline partners by creating sub-category sponsorships and sponsorable activations that opened the door to many more brands.
Client
Confidential
Sector
Arts & Culture
Services
Get More Sponsors Accelerator, Activation Studio
Delivered
Sub-category rights, sponsorable activations, partner pipeline
The outcome
More
partners sharing the load
Revenue is spread across more partners, so losing one no longer puts the programme at risk.
New
entry points for brands
Sub-categories and sponsorable activations give smaller budgets a way in.
Every
season, a reason to pitch
The new activations give the foundation a reason to approach new brands each season.
The Challenge
Most of the foundation’s revenue came from a handful of headline partners. That looks like success until one of them changes strategy, because a single exit takes a large share of the budget with it. Plenty of brands would have liked to be involved, but they had no way in. The only offer on the table was a headline package priced for the biggest budgets.
WHY IT MATTERS: INDUSTRY DATA
71
%
Spend going to sport
Of European sponsorship
62
%
Firms open to culture
Would consider arts deals
+
103
%
Giving at the very top
Top 15 UK arts bodies
What we did
1
Split the categories
We broke broad categories into sub-categories, so several brands could partner without conflict and smaller budgets had a real entry point.
2
Created sponsorable activations
We designed activations a brand could put its name to, from programmes and commissions to digital content and events, each with its own price and audience.
3
Took them to market
We built a target list for each new right and approached brands that had never been offered a way in before.
Most of our revenue came from a handful of headline partners, which felt risky. Sub-category sponsorships and sponsorable activations have opened the door to many more brands.
Commercial Director, UAE based Arts Foundation
What happened next
Revenue is now spread across more partners, so no single exit puts the programme at risk. New activations give the foundation a reason to talk to new brands every season.
