Creating the perfect arts sponsorship: five perspectives

As the early bird deadline for both categories approaches, the UKSA team asked a few leading lights across the industry to share their thoughts on what makes a great 21^st Century arts sponsorship. Here’s what they said.

Gwen Oakden, Director of Development at The Lowry, says the perfect arts sponsorship “should be about much more than money. It should be creative, collaborative and hit multiple objectives on both sides.”

According to Oakden: “Our best sponsorships have involved numerous departments across our organisation. Our marketing and audience development, learning and engagement and creative teams, amongst others, have all worked with sponsors successfully and strategically, and we try to involve the sponsor’s staff and stakeholders as well as our own. That means it feels holistic and meaningful for us and the sponsor.”

Still on the rights holder side, Lily Greensmith, Corporate Development Manager at The Design Museum, says: “For me, a great arts sponsorship is one that goes beyond the traditional offer and produces something truly unique. Cultural institutions are creative by nature and our audiences are incredibly engaged with what we do, which means there is huge opportunity to do imaginative activity and offer brands freedom.”

Echoing Oakden, Greensmith says the most successful partnerships “include elements that tap into all areas of an organisation – exhibitions, learning, public programmes, retail – which maximises exposure and impact for the partner while offering audiences something new at the same time. Ultimately, it’s about connecting with companies that understand the value and potential of the arts, both as an education resource and a powerful way of communicating to a wide audience.”

Emma Reid, Head of Partnerships, English National Opera believes great arts sponsorship is built out of an alignment of messages, objectives and values. “Good sponsorship allows two brands to tell their stories – Great sponsorship allows them to do it in a cohesive and collaborative fashion.”

Reid explains that most successful arts sponsorship is designed to solve a problem: “For example; Uber sponsored ENO Drive and Live and helped us solve a real problem of how do we get an audience to come to a drive-in opera – if they do not have access to a car? (Uber provided the cars).”

And what about the client perspective? Prue Thompson, Head of Marketing & Client Engagement, Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management, says: “We have enjoyed two wonderful arts sponsorships over several years which have not only provided excellent branding opportunities, but also aligned with our business objectives and organisational values and culture. We know the important role the arts plays in society and the lives of our employees and clients, so contributing to the ongoing growth and development of this sector is a no brainer.”

The two sponsorships, with Masterpiece London and The Old Vic, “have deepened our connections with our clients, and the communities where our employees live and work,” says Thompson, “both of which are central to our purpose to help clients thrive and communities prosper.”

One of UKSA’s expert arts sector judges is Rachel Clarke – Director, Albright Special. Her view is that great arts sponsorship starts with “shared values between the arts organisation and the sponsor”. She gives the example of Morgan Stanley’s multi-project sponsorship of Somerset House and The Courtauld. “This partnership is about 'ideas, insights and diverse perspectives'. All three organisations are happy to stand under this banner, because it speaks to who they are and what they do.”

She also stresses the importance of mutual respect and understanding – even though this has been harder to achieve during Covid-19. “Taking time to build relationships becomes more challenging when working virtually. But listening to your partner’s views, understanding their concerns and meeting their needs through regular communication is so important.”

Not to be overlooked either is the importance of achieving a great fit, says Clarke, which is where consultancies can be worth their weight in art treasures. “We brought together men’s health charity Movember and national museum The Wallace Collection,” says Clarke, “to partner on the Frans Hals exhibition of male portraits featuring iconic image of the beautifully moustachioed The Laughing Cavalier and friends. The programme includes shareable content about mental health and Movember Mondays  -  free entry to the exhibition for everyone with a moustache or Mo fundraising page. Both organisations benefit from broadening audiences and raising profile in this relationship of equals.”

If you’d like to enter the arts categories, find more details via this link to the UKSA website. For further reading on why arts sponsorship can make sense for a diverse array of brands, try following this link. And for additional insight into art trends and innovations, take a look at this report which was published on the UKSA website over summer 2021.