Sponsorship in the Dot.conomy - Cashing in on the Internet & Beyond. Joyce A. Schwarz, President, JCOM

Opportunity doesn't knock anymore, it clicks. Everywhere I go people want to know how to cash in on the Internet. First thing I tell them is you have to know how to use the Internet. Many of you have asked me to explain the rules of working with dot coms either as sponsors on dot com sites or with dot coms who sponsor your events or programs on your websites. So I've developed a list of Ten commandments for Sponsorship in the Dot Com era. Kind of the Dao of Dot Com Sponsorship.

Here they are:

The Dao of Dot Com Sponsorship-Or the Ten Commandments of New Sponsorships....

#1 Worship no false gods. Know the background of the dot com your dealing with. Research their management. Find and meet other sponsors or advertisers who have dealt with them before. How to research the company? Check them out on Internet.com or look at their ad campaign on Click Z.com. To do deeper research go to Deep Canyon.com. Even better get yourself a consultant who has dealt with the company before. The last thing you want is to invest time to say nothing about hopes and dreams with a dot com that is NOT around next year.

#2 Do not take thy name in vain. Honor thyself and thy dot com relationship. Dot coms are often hot one day and dead cold the next. They want splash and splendor. Make sure you're not just road kill on the way to their IPO. At the same time just because the dot com you're dealing with is new doesn't mean it's a fly by night operation. Remember Amazon.com is only 5 years old. That's ancient in Internet years but may not compare to the age of the oldest chair in your office or be a fraction of your hundred year old Arts Institution or corporate brand. You can't judge just by the age of the dot com. A good sponsorship works together to preseve your good brand name and build their brand. It's a something for something proposition.

#3 Keep a sabbath day. Make holy thy deadlines. Keep your word and make sure they keep theirs. Make a timeline and make sure that both you and the dot com keep to the deadlines on the sponsorship project. Dot coms work 24/7/365 you work long hours too. If both of you keep your deadlines and the checks coming in on time then you'll reach your goals. Be sure to have some fun along the way.

#4 Honor thy parents. Make sure you are dealing with the dealmakers from the beginning to get the sponsorship off on the right start. Don't put a junior person in to start a big sponsorship without support. You and they report to many masters. Make sure the right cooks are in charge on both sides of the sponsorship program. And get some adult supervision. Remember gray hairs and peach fuzz do mix. Don't trust an intern's intern on either side to do a job that needs experience. Don't underestimate someone younger than you either, remember you were smart when you were young. Don't underestimate someone older than you either, gray hairs do understand the opportunities the Internet holds too.

#5 Thou shalt not kill the deal. By killing the deal I don't mean canceling or walking away from a bad deal. I do mean wanting to do it your way, or the way it's always been done. Be open to new ideas, romance each other with your wisdom and your bottomline results. Don't get hung up on technobabble trying to one-up each other with your knowledge about the Internet or how Sponsorships SHOULD be done. We're all inventing a new economy-together.

#6 Thou shalt not commit dot com adultery. To dot coms this is war out there. Don't double deal with their competitors. To the dot coms, don't promise the sponsor one thing and deliver another. Word travels fast on the Internet and off.

#7 Thou shalt not steal credit from the dot com nor the dot com from you. Billing is golden Hollywood knows that a deal done right is a deal done. A bad deal has a bad smell forever. Dot coms talk to each other and they should know that sponsors do so too.

#8 Thou shalt not bear false witness nor shall the dot com. Make sure what is said in writing is right. Negotiate the best deal possible. Deliver what is agreed upon. Document every step in writing. Don't depend on a series of emails and phone calls on the run to negotiate a deal.

#9 Honor high tech - but remember high touch! One of the coolest branding devices I've seen is the Miller Lite Beer Pager which is a messenger meets calendar application kind of thing. You can store your schedule or the names of your pals in it. Just think of how great it would be to record upcoming marathon races or jazz concerts at your favorite venue. Online needs offline and offline needs online-it's a great duo. Make sure the high tech stuff is easy to use and make sure the offline stuff is promoted online.

#10 Break all the rules of the past. And, Invent something NEW.... Ask the dot coms not what you can do for them but what they can do for you. Rocket Talk can put your brand on their microphone givaways. Another site M Player.com can put your brand on the back of virtual playing cards, Sony Online can splash your brand over online games like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. And I would be remiss if I didn't promote my own clients like Amadeus who can put your dotcom name in Broadway lights, or the Silicon Alley Film Festival and Conference who can sell you a seat or a table at the first IPO ball or even the ball itself. Or Screaming Mouse.com who can make your website talk. Well, that wraps up our ten commandments. 
Thanks Folks.