Recently a call for entries for the 9th annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs) was issued by the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada (SMCC). Since their inception in 2005, the SMAs have recognized companies that have maximized their investments in sponsorship marketing by developing creative leveraging strategies that meet business objectives.
The submissions deadline is Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced at the SMCC’s 10th Annual Conference on April 25, 2013 in Toronto. A blue-ribbon panel of judges, chaired by Gavin Roth, Vice President, Multiplatform Sales at Rogers Media, will consider entries in eight categories: Sports; Arts & Entertainment; Cause (for not-for-profit programs); Special Interest (activation of sponsored programs in areas other than Sports, Arts & Entertainment, or Cause); Sustained Success (for programs that demonstrate delivery of business results over three consecutive years or longer); Small Budget (for programs budgeted at less than $100,000 annually, which includes rights fees and activation); Media Sponsorship (activation of sponsored programs experienced primarily via media such as broadcast, print, online, etc.); Business-to-Business (primary target is business customer, not mainstream consumer).
“I’m honoured to be asked to Chair the Sponsorship Marketing Awards,” Roth stated. “The level of sponsorship activation in Canada gets better every year. From Sports to Cause to Arts and Festivals to B2B, there is so much diversity and creativity on display. The judging panel will have a tough task in selecting the best of the best. The health of the Canadian sponsorship industry has never been better, and the SMAs will yet again be a tremendous showcase.”
The SMAs are open to any company or organization that uses sponsorship marketing to further its goals in Canada. To be eligible for the 2013 SMAs, cases must have taken place within the past 36 months (January 2010 – January 2013). Winning entries are a reflection of sponsorship effectiveness rather than size, and are evaluated based on their success at meeting objectives.
Complete SMA entry rules and guidelines are posted on the SMCC website (www.sponsorshipmarketing.ca). The online entry process is being facilitated by adbeast, a division of MIJO.
Formed under the auspices of the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), the SMCC was created to further the development of best practices and accountabilities in the field of sponsorship marketing. Membership is open to client marketers; marketing communications agencies; property-rights owners; media companies; researchers; consultants and suppliers.