I read with great interest (those of you who know what I do will understand why!) that Nokia are reported to be looking for a global sponsorship platform to “re-engage with its target 18-24 yr old market“.
If the decision is between backing an existing global property or creating a new, owned concept, then I don’t expect anything to happen for quite a while. And thats fairly important given the next big marketing spend for them is the ‘Comes With Music’ service, which if amplified properly would give them at least a slight chance in establishing a footing within their target market. But to amplify that properly isn’t going to happen in time, and rushing it would just create another property that no-one notices.
If you take the Sony Ericsson Ibiza Rock’s property that is cited as a successful example, then you need to remember that it started life as a small scale sponsorship that essentially brought to life a new idea (rock music in Ibiza), and did so in a very credible way (the right promoter partner), and as a result has created an original heritage as far as the consumer is concerned (I don’t think all brand heritage stories need to be 50yrs old).
I hope this is something that is more than a knee jerk reaction to falling sales, as the brand entertainment market could do with a cash and idea injection from a major global brand like Nokia.