As a new season of cornhole is upon us there are many players, both professional and non-professional, looking for sponsorship. But how many actually know what a sponsorship is and what is involved? A sponsorship is a partnership between a company and a player. A sponsorship deal has to add mutual value for both parties involved.
Before you ask for a sponsorship, ask yourself what value am I going to bring to that company? We are going to break down what we feel a Cornhole Addicts sponsorship is and what’s involved from both parties.
Sponsorship needs to benefit both parties
We are not going to go into much detail about what the different levels of sponsorship offer because that is up to the sponsor and the player to negotiate and it is different for each company. What we do want to talk about is the commitment that you as a player are making to obtain the sponsorship. Many people don’t understand what their job as a sponsee is after the deal is made and think it’s just a matter of a company giving you money to travel and play cornhole.
So from the company standpoint, we are seeking players that are going to get our brand maximum exposure on a nationwide level. So in other words, if you’re a player and you only stay in your local area playing tournaments and blind draws then that really doesn’t offer any benefit for us. So why would we throw that guy cash and apparel when it’s only going to be seen by the same hundred people each week?
But if you’re a player that likes to travel and loves to compete in big tournaments then yeah, you are the person we are looking for to represent our company. Whether it be a sponsorship deal or a brand ambassador. In my opinion, both of those are important for any brand. Â
How will you represent our brand?
A sponsorship is a two-way street. We understand that you are seeking benefits such as paid travel and entry fees, etc. but the sponsor needs to benefit as well. After a deal is made you are not finished. In fact, you have not even started to fulfill your end of the deal. You will now need to represent the company as per the contract. This can include things like wearing our gear during play, being a good person and representative on and off the boards, being vocal on social media to promote our brand, pushing sales of our products, etc. The terms of your deal will all be laid out in a contract and could differ from person to person.
So, before hitting someone up for a sponsorship, make sure that you are committed to the game and that you’re ready and willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill your duty as a sponsored player. As well as figuring out ways that you are going to represent the brand. An example that comes to mind is Nascar. After the driver wins the race and is about to be interviewed, he removes his helmet and someone slaps a hat, from his sponsor, on his head. Or maybe they give him a can of RedBull, if that is his sponsor. Get the idea?
Sponsorship is not just for Professionals
While we do focus on the ACL Pro players we don’t just stop there. We feel that all skill levels are important and worthy of either some sort of sponsorship or to be labeled as a brand ambassador. But with that being said, we only have so much budget and definitely cannot take on everyone. So we need to pick and choose the right people to represent our brand. We need to find those people that can get our brand in front of the most eyes, as mentioned above and we usually start with people who support us.
If you are a supporter of Cornhole Addicts and seeking sponsorship, be sure to reach out at the beginning of the cornhole season. We FIRST look to support those who support us. Click here for more info. We can not sponsor everyone, we need to make money to survive.
