Engagement Not Signage

by Dan Malone

As Home Team Marketing heads into our second decade of existence, it is safe to look back at our first ten years and say that we have learned a number of things along the path to where we are now. These things range from some major like the proper approach to high school administrators when selling our program down to figuring out what types of signs will not blow away in high winds. The subject of “signs” brings me to the point of this post.

One of the keys to our success with corporate partners is that we have learned that they are not just concerned about the placement of customized signage at high school events. Rather, their thinking is now focused on the actual engagement of their product with the attendees of state association events. Whether it is a student athlete, teacher, coach, athletic administrator or fan, the sponsor wants interaction at the events to showcase their product or service. Potential sponsors have challenged the entire market play by saying, instead of telling me how many people saw my sign…how many people are more likely to buy my product now that they have had a chance to experience it at your state tournament event?

Sponsor engagement with fans happens all the time at other levels of sport. You can look at the NFL with their “Experience” at the Super Bowl, the NCAA has “Bracket Town” at the Final Four and PGA often has customized programs at the various courses they travel to. These are obviously huge events in the grand scheme of things, but HTM feels that state association events offer similar, even better, opportunities for sponsors to engage potential buyers. The key, in our opinion, is to make sure this engagement is done the proper way that maintains the integrity of a high school event and is done the right way.