AFR Sponsorship Awards and the Winner is....

And while we are still on the topic of corporate community involvement, the results of the Australian Financial Review Magazine’s Annual Sponsorship Awards also highlight the big changes in the world of corporate philanthropy.

The national winner is Kellogg Australia’s sponsorship of Surf Life Saving and the Kellogg Surf Safe Summer Program.

Announcing the award last month was Peter Thompson, Principal of Et2 Sponsorship Strategy and a visiting Research Fellow of the University of Melbourne at the Melbourne Business School.

Peter Thompson told the audience that life in the Sponsorship world is about to undergo an enormous transformation.

He said sponsorship method, effect and evaluation are now all the subject of mainstream research by the marketing science community. Australians are leading the charge, and our sponsorship community may soon be leading the world.

Thompson says if we can adopt an attitude of learning, increase our understanding, question what we are doing and make objective, rational, logical judgements, then the future is unlimited.

‘We must sustain a vigorous debate about our methods and learn to learn.

Thompson says Kellogg and the Surf Life Saving Australia won because they have evolved.

‘The sponsorship did not work in its first year. The sponsors and the recipients reviewed and adjusted the strategy. The partners set out and enumerated specific objectives that each party hoped to achieve. Their entry stated exactly what percentage of the target audience they expected to impact and they developed a comprehensive strategy.

He points out that this approach to a sponsorship is not based on a large budget.

Thompson concluded saying Kellogg’s entry was arguably the best these awards have received, and certainly the best in a year of the highest overall standard of sponsorships.

For all the category winners go to www.afr.com.au/sponsorawards.