Former YouGov Sport Man Launches Sponsorship 'Lab'

In Glasgow, Scotland, former RBS and YouGov Sport exec Bruce Cook has launched SponsorLab, a new sponsorship measurement tool for sponsors, agencies and rights holders.

Prior to RBS, which he joined in 2008, Cook's credits include five years working for the United States Olympic Committee, and two as General Manager of Glasgow Rocks Pro Basketball Team. He was Sponsorship Manager and then Head of Group Sponsorship during more than five years at RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), then joined YouGov as Director of Consulting and stayed for seven years. Since 2017 he has also been board Member and Commercial Director of Commonwealth Games Scotland.

SponsorLab aims to improve 'the entire sponsorship strategy process - from purpose to scorecard', helping sponsors to set and weight objectives and KPIs, establish meaningful targets, report results, and make the most of collaboration opportunities along the way. The tool taps user weightings to calculate a performance score for each KPI, objective and sponsorship, and also provides an overall portfolio score for clients with multiple sponsorships.

Cook says the simple-to-use tool addresses 'a very common and critical problem that we have seen in sponsorship at all levels' - the feeling that those managing sponsorships are 'on trial' and under threat if they don't produce positive results - leading to 'selective' reporting. 'It's like being in a courtroom, and sponsorship reports are too often aimed at just getting an innocent verdict. That doesn't help anyone. In fact, that can actually make the sponsorship worse by perpetuating sometimes mediocre activation'. Sponsorship stakeholders should be more like lab partners, according to Cook: 'As in science, the lab is where we test a theory or product, and then analyse the results with a view to future improvement. We need to get out of the courtroom and into the lab'.

The new company is online at www.sponsorlab.biz .