Sponsorships

Sponsorships of site features or content can also be a popular form of advertising.

Sponsorships generally provide more exposure and branding than an average banner or skyscraper ad on a Web site. What can be sponsored and what advertisers get for the money varies widely among sites.

Types of Sponsorships

Two somewhat common types of sponsorships are for:

• Site tools.
• Focused content sections.

In the screenshot below, Harris Direct has sponsored the "Site Search" function on nytimes.com. Every time the site search is shown on the page, their logo is displayed. This does not mean that Harris Direct has provided any of the technology behind the search or that they've tinkered with the search results to be "Harris-friendly." They've simply paid to be associated with this tool on the site.

Charles Schwab is the sponsor of the Investing section of BusinessWeek Online. For their money, they've received a fixed placement near the main content area of the page and a smaller tile-sized ad [LINK] in the left navigation. Again, this does not imply that Schwab has influenced the editorial content of this section. But its sponsorship dollars have given the company more prominent placement than the usual ad units on the page.

On some sites, section sponsorship will also entitle the advertiser to fixed placement in all of the ad units in the section. This, of course, is generally more expensive.

Salon.com employs an interesting example of site sponsorship. In this somewhat unique case, Salon provides a "day pass" of premium access to users who view an interactive ad presented by the sponsor.  By viewing this ad, site users have access to all the content on the site. Without this pass, users either need to sign up for a "Salon Premium" subscription or are extremely limited in what articles they can read on the site.

Although Salon has been using this sponsorship for at least two years, the model has been slow to catch on. Increasingly, however, more sites are beginning to look at paid content or subscription models.

Why Advertisers Like Sponsorships

Like most ad products, the key to developing a good sponsorship program is to think like an advertiser. Unlike some banner and tile campaigns, advertisers who purchase sponsorships are focused more on brand association and awareness than direct response. Instead of specific click-through goals, the benefits lie in raising general awareness of the advertiser’s brand and associating it with the subject matter being sponsored or the respected name of your site. For example, the Charles Schwab sponsorship of the Investing section on Business Week Online leads readers to think of the Schwab brand when considering investment choices, while the placement on the Business Week Web site lends the credibility of Business Week to Schwab. (Incidentally, this can work both ways, where having big-name advertisers gives readers the impression that the site is one of some prominence, too.)

So think about placements that will give more impact and presence on a page than a regular banner ad. Ideally, they should be as close to the main content area as you can comfortably handle and permanently placed on the page for the duration of the campaign. You'll also want to make sure – for your benefit and your advertiser’s – that you have clearly labeled the advertiser as a sponsor and identified what the advertiser is sponsoring.

Sponsored Content

When an advertiser sponsors site content or tools, it does not mean that the advertiser is influencing editorial content.

But sometimes advertisers pay for advertorials, which consist of content that is either provided by the advertiser or is specifically written to be "advertiser-friendly." For example, a home design advertorial section might include articles about kitchen remodeling, the steps involved or the choices in kitchen cabinetry, and also endorse a particular manufacturer's product line because they are sponsors of the section.

It is important to distinguish clearly between such advertorial content and other editorial areas of the site. A common practice in printed publications, and which translates well online, is a simple "Advertisement" label across the top of the page.

Additional reading:

Online Advertising Glossary: Sponsorships

http://www.clickz.com/experts/archives/media/media_sell/article.php/824121