Terminology
Our thanks to IEG and Lesa Ukman for their contribution to our industry through definitions and terminology.
A
Activation
The marketing activities a company does to bring a sponsorship to life. It’s how sponsors use their partnership to engage audiences through events, digital campaigns, contests, or experiences. Activation costs are separate from the sponsorship fee itself.
Ambush marketing
When a company tries to look connected to an event or property without actually paying to sponsor it. It’s a way for non-sponsors (often competitors) to ride the buzz of an event and gain visibility without official rights.
Arts Marketing
When a brand partners with a visual or performing arts organization, such as a museum, theatre, or orchestra, to reach audiences through culture, creativity, and community involvement.
B
BATNA
BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is a negotiation term determining what type of deal you will accept. Knowing your BATNA helps you understand your leverage and make smarter decisions when negotiating sponsorships or renewals.
Benefits/Assets
The elements a property owns and can offer to a sponsor — like logo placement, VIP access, social media mentions, or speaking opportunities. These are the tangible and intangible items that create value in a sponsorship deal.
Blog
An online journal or article hub where individuals or organizations regularly post content, like insights, updates, or commentary. In sponsorship, blogs often share behind-the-scenes stories or thought leadership.
Brand Experience
A way for audiences to interact directly with a brand — through immersive, hands-on, or emotional experiences that go beyond traditional ads. It’s about helping people feel the brand, not just see it.
Bundling
Packaging multiple sponsorship benefits or assets together into one offer or proposal. Bundling creates more value for both the sponsor and the property compared to selling individual items separately.
Business-to-Business Sponsorship
A sponsorship designed to build relationships and brand awareness between companies, rather than targeting individual consumers. For example, an industry trade show partnership or corporate networking event.
Buzz Marketing
Generating excitement and conversation about a brand through word-of-mouth. It’s all about getting people talking, sharing, and spreading awareness organically.
C
Category Exclusivity
When a sponsor is the only brand from its industry category allowed to be associated with a property, ensuring competitors don’t appear alongside them.
Cause Marketing or Cause-Related Marketing
A partnership between a business and a non-profit/charity that benefits both. Often, it involves the business donating a portion of sales to a cause, but it can also include broader marketing efforts for social or charitable causes. Unlike philanthropy, cause marketing is designed to deliver a measurable return on investment and is an exchange of value, rather than a gift.
Co-sponsors
Multiple sponsors supporting the same property or event.
Cost/Benefit Ratio
A measure of value that compares the expected benefits of a sponsorship to the amount invested. It helps determine whether a sponsorship is worth the spend.
Cross-Promotions
Collaborative marketing between two or more sponsors of the same property, designed to leverage each other’s audiences and amplify impact.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
A company’s approach to running its business in a way that creates positive social, environmental, and economic impact, considering customers, employees, communities, and the planet (note: the term CSR is decreasing, and the terms Impact Investment and Purpose driven Partnerships are becoming more commonly used).
D
Discovery or Exploratory Session
The first and ongoing conversation(s) with a potential sponsor or existing renewal partner to understand their goals, challenges, and priorities. This helps build a tailored proposal that maximizes value for both the sponsor and the property.
E
Event Marketing
Promoting a brand through association with a live event—like a sports game, conference, festival, or concert—to achieve business objectives. While sometimes used interchangeably with “sponsorship,” not all sponsorships involve events.
Experiential Marketing
Engaging customers directly through hands-on, interactive brand experiences that go beyond traditional advertising and leave a lasting impression. They create an experience for engagement, rather than static messaging.
F
Fulfillment
Making good on all sponsorship promises, ensuring the benefits outlined in the contract are delivered.
G
Guerilla Marketing
A creative, unconventional marketing approach that aims for big impact with minimal resources. Think of it as using surprise and ingenuity instead of big budgets to grab attention.
H
Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by “#” (like #YourEvent) used on social media to link posts to a topic, event, or conversation, making them easier to find and follow.
Hootsuite
A platform that helps brands manage multiple social media accounts in one place. Teams can schedule posts, engage audiences, and track results across networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Hospitality
The act of hosting VIPs, such as clients, partners, employees, or officials, at an event. This can include tickets, seating, food, parking, and other perks, often in a special area.
I
In-Kind Sponsorship
Providing sponsorship value through goods or services instead of cash.
Intangible Benefits
Assets that are hard to measure but can be valuable, such as brand exposure, goodwill, or emotional connection.
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
A strategic approach that ensures all marketing channels work together. The goal is to create a unified, powerful brand message across different platforms, such as sponsorship with Government relation, public relations, investor relations, media buys, advertising, etc.
Inventory
A complete list of all sponsorship assets and benefits available, including their market value, cost to deliver, and overall potential impact.
L
Licensed Merchandise (Merch)
Products like clothing, souvenirs, or collectibles produced by a manufacturer who has official permission (a license) to use a brand’s logos, mascots, or other marks.
Like
A quick way for someone on social media platforms to show approval or support for a post without writing a comment.
M
Marcom (sometimes spelled 'marcomm')
All the ways a brand communicates with customers and prospects, through channels like social media, TV, print, email, billboards, or direct mail, public relations, and government relations to deliver a consistent message.
Mark
Any official visual representation of a brand or property, such as logos, mascots, or emblems.
Media Sponsor
A media company that supports a property by providing advertising space or airtime in exchange for official recognition as a sponsor.
Mnemonic
A short, memorable audio cue used in advertising to help people remember a brand or message, like Intel’s famous four-note jingle.
O
Option to Renew
A contractual right that lets a sponsor extend their sponsorship under agreed-upon terms.
P
Pass-Through Rights
When a sponsor is allowed to transfer some benefits to another company, as long as that company isn’t a competitor of another sponsor. For example, a beer brand might let a local bar use rink signage, and in return, get more taps in that bar.
Philanthropy
Acts done to benefit others or society, without personal gain, such as donating money, volunteering, or organizing a charity event.
Philanthropic Gift
A donation, either cash or in-kind, given to a registered charity or non-profit without expecting anything in return, beyond minimal recognition (as defined by the CRA – Canada Revenue Agency). Such a gift is entitled to a charitable tax receipt.
Presenting Sponsor
The sponsor whose name appears just above or below an event or property, without fully integrating into the event name. Example: The Skins Game Presented by TELUS (not TELUS Skins Game).
Primary Sponsor
The sponsor contributing the largest fee to a property (when there’s no title or presenting sponsor) and receiving the most benefits in return.
Property
Any event, entity, or platform a sponsor can use to connect with its target audience and achieve business goals. Properties create opportunities by associating the brand with experiences, perceptions, and values that consumers care about.
Proposal
A document or presentation that outlines the property, the sponsor’s goals, and the benefits they’ll receive in exchange for their investment, whether cash or in-kind.
Prospect
A company or organization that has been identified and qualified as a potential sponsor based on research and compatibility.
R
Return on Investment (ROI)
A way for sponsors to measure whether their investment in a property was successful. This can include metrics like brand awareness, sales, leads, audience engagement, employee morale, or community impact, compared against their original goals.
Right of First Refusal
A contract clause that gives a sponsor the chance to match any offer the property receives during a specified period, usually within the sponsor’s product category.
S
Sales Rights
When a sponsor gets the preferred opportunity to sell their products or services to the property, its attendees, or members.
Share
When someone on a Social Media shares your post with their own followers, giving credit to the original poster.
Signage
Banners, billboards, digital displays, and other visual materials at an event or property that feature a sponsor’s name or logo.
Sponsee
A property that is available for sponsorship.
Sponsor (Sponsorship Buyer)
The company or organization that provides funding or resources to a property in exchange for commercial benefits like advertising, publicity, or access to an audience.
Sponsorship
A financial or in-kind contribution to a property, such as sports, arts, health, entertainment, or cause-related initiatives, in exchange for the commercial opportunities the property offers.
Sponsorship Fee
The payment, either cash or in-kind, made by a sponsor to a property for rights and benefits.
Sponsorship Marketing
The ways a sponsor activates or leverages their sponsorship to go beyond simple advertising, such as engaging audiences, creating experiences, or building meaningful connections with the property.
Stealth Marketing
Marketing that is intentionally subtle or hidden, designed so people don’t realize a brand is behind the message.
Strategic Philanthropy Purpose Driven Partnerships
The practice of using philanthropic funds to create social AND brand value.
Using charitable giving in a way that creates both social impact and business value for the brand.
Street (level) Marketing
Targeted marketing done directly within a specific community or niche to promote a product, idea, or service through influencers or advocates within that group.
Supplier
A company that provides goods or services to a property in exchange for recognition. Suppliers receive fewer benefits than official sponsors.
T
Tangible Benefits
Concrete, measurable assets a sponsor receives, such as signage, tickets, or product placement.
Title Sponsor
The main sponsor whose name is fully integrated into the event or property name, like TELUS Skins Game.
V
Value
The real market worth of a sponsorship, asset, or package, based on industry standards. Value reflects the potential impact of the benefits, not the cost of the asset to produce. The actual investment is usually 10–15% lower than the calculated value.
Venue Marketing
Sponsorship tied to a physical location, like a stadium, arena, theater, racetrack, or fairground, to connect the brand with the site and its visitors.
Virtual Signage
Electronic signage added to a broadcast (like TV, streaming, online, OOH.) that isn’t physically at the event, such as the NFL’s digital first-down line.