We’ve heard it all before, Polly

Polly by name, parrot by nature. Polly Devaney’s regurgitation of celebrity endorsement and sponsorship fallouts (MW February 26) had little new to say. But what really ruffled me was her 20th-century view of “marketing partnerships”. The sponsorship and endorsement deals she described have nothing to do with one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors.

Such partnerships involve the exchange of goods and services between two or more brands for mutual benefit. Ad and media agencies hate them as there is little or no creative and no juicy commissions. Rather, they are measurably the most cost- effective marketing there is.

You can’t open a newspaper, watch the television or walk into a store without being assaulted by such partnerships. They reach target markets and cost less than a dead parrot. Say no more.

Chris Reed

SP Partnerships

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