This is the 23rd in a series of business tips from industry leaders that Enterprise Times has interviewed.
Enterprise Times recently had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Griffin, CMO of Smartsheet. She had a fascinating and powerful take on the balance between the art and science of marketing. An example of innovation, or the art of marketing that she has started to develop, is around sponsorships. She views the sponsorship as something that goes beyond putting a logo on a venue or event. When asked to elaborate about her views, she stated the following:
“I love co-creation with relevant brands and partners. In this past year, we have co-created versus just doing a sponsorship with the Climate Pledge Arena, which is going to be the world’s first truly carbon-free sustainable entertainment arena in the world.
“We partner with the Climate Pledge Arena and Kraken, which is Seattle’s newest NHL franchise and going to be housed in Climate Pledge Arena. While you could buy a sponsorship and say ‘Hey, we’re proud sponsors’, one approach and the new trick that I’ve been deploying this year is co-creation with that partner.
“What can we build together that solves a really hard business challenge for you? You’re taking on a massive construction feat during a pandemic. You’re launching an NHL franchise, built from the ground up in a completely different way. How can Smartsheet help you launch in post-pandemic, to full stadiums with fans in a town that’s never had or even cheered on a sport like this before?”
More than just using PPM
“We’ve created some really interesting solutions together, not only to accelerate the project management. We’ve created some really interesting joint marketing solutions. Smartsheet for Marketing is enabling a new level of campaign management, event deployment, asset management. To fill the stadium seats and create a new fan experience that’s never been seen before.
“That will be launching in October of this year. It’s an interesting way to show, not tell. To show what you’re capable of, doing it on a world stage where the solution is needed. It’s going to do something really exciting for a business that’s doing something really exciting, right when the world wants to be entertained again.”
