Sometimes, research is a powerful tool. Think about this as a model.
You start by asking questions about an issue that is live in your market. You give respondents the option to remain completely anonymous when they fill in your questionnaire. But, if they wish, they can leave a name and address and receive a full copy of the report when it’s complete. Give respondents an incentive to respond in the form of a donation to a charity.
Now, get the results in and compile the report. It should look credible and properly presented.
You can deliver that report to all the people who wanted it. You can feed the report into your PR campaign. (”Here’s what 200 managers said about…”). You could host a reception or seminar to tell clients or others about the results. You can use your web site to display headlines from the report you’ve written.
Do this once and it gets you noticed. Repeat it, and it begins to demonstrate your leadership qualities, and starts the all-important dialogue with potential clients that leads to new business.
We’ve successfully completed this programme with a law firm and a software company. It works!
Published on
July 23, 2009 in
Direct, Marketing and Sport.
Tags: Citroen, European marketing, marketing pack, Motorsport, Sailing, sales brochure, Soccer, sponsorship, sponsorship activation.

Sports Media International commissioned this dramatic brochure to sell the Citroen Sport WRC package
Sports Media International help companies to select and evaluate sponsorship packages in many different sports – motorsport (cars and bikes), soccer and sailing are the principal ones used by the company’s clients – but from time to time it also sells sponsor packages to clients, like the Citroen World Rally Championship sponsor package. (More at www.citroen-wrc.com)
To help win attention, Wild West produced this stunning brochure, (in two languages) which utilised excellent photography and stunning design to deliver a real Wow! factor when it arrived on the desks of busy senior marketing officers at leading European companies.
Result? The sponsorship package was sold in weeks, even though it had a substantial price tag, which reflected the kind of multi-country brand exposure that the sponsorship would provide.
Sports Media International are a long term Wild West client and partner too. Read more about what they are able to offer and the valuable experience they can provide on http://www.sports-media-intl.com/
As Sports Media will tell you, sport can be a huge factor in establishing brands (especially new brands from overseas) into the European market.

We’ve created corporate ties for Charles Taylor and branded a pub for an internet security company (so that they could meet exhibition visitors in comfort!). We’ve packaged remote-control cars to launch a new company in the UK (our most successful piece of direct mail ever), and put a DVD in a briefcase to promote a software company to corporate clients. But probably the most visible of our unusual assignments is to produce the ribbons that adorn the trophy awarded to the winners of the Premier League each year.