Telephone-services marketer T-Mobile has found a new way to use sponsorship marketing in the U.K. to reach young consumers. Instead of sponsoring large-scale events like rock festivals, the company is
inviting small groups--as few as 300 people--to shows by top bands in small venues such as basement clubs or lighthouses. The advertiser's presence at such events is subtle, yet unmistakable. For
example, their corporate logos are nowhere to be seen, but the stage is lit in the unmistakable color pink of the T-Mobile logo. "We're trying to put bands you wouldn't expect in really surprising
venues," says Karen Harrison, brand and communication manager at the firm's UK arm, which has opted for low-key, intimate shows. "Music has become a little bit too corporate," says Harrison. The
company isn't trying to ram T-Mobile down people's throats "because there's no need. People know who we are." The new sponsorship is part of a growing trend in which big brands are creating niche,
low-key events that are low on audience but high, they hope, on cool. They are "breaking the mold" of advertising, says Professor Leslie de Chernatony, director at the Centre for Research in Brand
Marketing at the University of Birmingham. "We're living in a post-brand era where all the rules are being rewritten," he says. "Things are moving toward more one-to-one campaigns. What we're seeing
here is the beginnings of that."
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