Sponsor events – 1, motivate staff – 0

I read your article on the benefits of sponsoring sporting events “Wide open goal for sponsors” (MW World Cup Special, last week) with interest.

Organisations spend millions of pounds getting their message across to their customers, but their employees are at best an afterthought. Staff aren’t stupid. They will be aware that millions have been spent to associate their brand with a major event. However, aside from a few tickets going spare for the chosen few, what benefit is it to them?

Perhaps companies need to cotton on to the fact that they would reap as much benefit from communicating their branding messages to their staff as they do from getting their name out in front of their customers. If an organisation is sponsoring an event that will portray them as dynamic, cutting edge and energised, investing in staff development to ensure that ethos is reflected within the company would be a worthwhile exercise.

As MasterCard’s Jeremy Nicholds stresses, simply securing a major sponsorship deal does not guarantee a successful return on a brand’s investment. However, if a fraction of the amount spent on getting your customers excited was invested in getting your staff enthused, an increase in motivation – and thereby loyalty, productivity and retention – among your workforce would be inevitable. While these metrics might be seen as the territory of the HR director, they could represent surprisingly fertile ground for a marketing director desperate to prove a positive return.

Matt Rogan

Head of commercial strategy

Lane4

Bourne End