How to Get Sponsored by AEM Performance Electronics

AEM Performance Electronics makes engine management, data acquisition, sensors and fuel components used in everything from import drag cars to UTVs. Lawson Mollica, its director of marketing and PR, has been reviewing sponsorship requests there, on and off, for about 20 years. On Meet the Sponsors, he was blunt about what works and what doesn't.

Know what kind of sponsor AEM is

AEM's deals are product, not cash: full or partial in-kind sponsorships, which Mollica described as "a product in exchange for deliverables on that marketing agreement." ▶ Watch Lawson Mollica explain AEM's deals

Who gets one depends on what AEM is trying to accomplish. He asks: "Is it a relevant avenue for us? Is it an emerging market? Is it something that we're focusing on? Is it somewhere where we're trying to grow market share?" ▶ Watch the clip

So don't ask a parts company for a title-sponsor check. "All we need is 150 grand. And I go, it's not going to happen," Mollica said of the pitches he gets. "If you're looking for money, look for non-endemic sponsors whose demographic fits your audience." ▶ Watch the clip

Use the product before you ask

When a proposal lands, the first question is simple: "Are they using anything that we make now? That's a big one... and if they aren't, why not?" Switching brands is fine if you can explain it. ▶ See the full answer

The racers Mollica likes best are already customers. One racer who ran AEM parts throughout his car needed a spare sensor at the track. AEM gave him one, he said thanks, and that grew into support for his next build. "That guy is highly engaged. We already know he loves our stuff because he had already purchased everything for his previous car." The opposite is the racer who threatens to go elsewhere. "Please, please go to our competitor... If you're fishing for free parts, it's not gonna happen here." ▶ Watch the full interview

Expect to be researched

AEM gets roughly one proposal a day, and Mollica's team checks the promising ones before replying. "When we get a proposal and it looks pretty good, we start our due diligence before we ever respond." They follow your links, read your posts and study your engagement. AEM sells racing electronics, which he calls "sort of an esoteric segment of the niche segment," so follower counts alone don't impress him. "I'll take a guy with a fraction of that audience with super high engagement because he's wrenching, he's stopping, he's taking the time to explain not only the process of how to get this thing on properly, but once it's on, how it works, how it's helping him." ▶ Watch Mollica explain what AEM looks for

He also checks your references. "Not all companies will call them. We will. So if you provide them, make sure they have good things to say about you." His warning: "Whatever you put into that proposal, anybody who's serious about potentially working with you, they are gonna check everything." ▶ Hear the full answer

Sell the story, not the sticker

A decal alone won't do it. "If you're a hardcore race guy, we're probably not gonna sponsor you if you're like, yeah, I'll put your sticker on my car and I'll run, I'll go to these races. It's not gonna work." What gets AEM's attention is a racer who says livery is part of it, "but what I'm more interested in is talking, is telling or showing people why I chose your product and how it's helping. Those guys, they get our attention really fast." ▶ Watch the clip

Results matter less than you think. "What we're looking to sponsor are winners. That doesn't necessarily mean the guy in the winner's circle every week. I mean, it's the guy who is well respected, is well trusted, works hard, competes, plays to win, goes to every race prepared to win." Bad weekends are still worth reporting: "That doesn't mean you want to ghost your sponsors when you don't do well. We still want to hear from you. We want the photography, we want the videos, we want the story." A story about a part that solved a problem at the track "goes a lot farther for a company than did I make the winner's circle, believe it or not." ▶ Watch Mollica on deliverables

The reason is trust. AEM tests its claims on dynos and in independent labs, but "people are still going to take our claims with a grain of salt. Who they want to hear it from is you, because you don't work for AEM. You've chosen to use our products." ▶ See why it matters

Send raw content and let AEM amplify it

You don't need to be a writer. "Get us pictures... do a brain dump. I don't need a well-written, you know, 2000 words on your weekend. I just need some highlights." AEM has an in-house video editor: "Just turn the phone sideways and shoot something cool. It doesn't need to be produced. We'll produce it for you. Just get us the content. We'll take care of the rest." The racer benefits too: "Now they're piggybacking their messaging out through our social channels, and even though that messaging may be about the AEM product, they're still going to see the branding of their other sponsors." ▶ Watch how AEM boosts racer content

Time your approach

AEM budgets on the calendar year. "We work as hard as we can in Q4 to basically project out what we know we want to do, and then from there it becomes a discretionary budget on what kind of opportunities are out there." At a trade show, introduce yourself rather than handing over a stack of paper: "If you hand me a proposal, I'll take it. I will eventually look at it, but I'd probably look at it faster if you came up, said hello, talked, you know, had a conversation with me about what you're doing... and then you email it in at a later time." ▶ Watch the clip

Do your homework first. "Go to our website, take a look at what we're doing. Go on social media, search AEM hashtags. Take a look at who's using our products. Does that align with your property? Because if it doesn't, you might be saving yourself some time." He also suggests signing up for AEM's email alerts: "If you see new products dropping and it aligns with what you're doing, that's a great opportunity to reach out." Deals typically run a year or two, and the renewals go to people who exceed the deal: "For the guys that over-deliver, they're my first call in December or November. Hey, what are we doing next year? How can we help?" ▶ Watch the full interview

Your checklist for AEM

• Run AEM products first, or be ready to explain why you're switching.
• Ask for product, not cash. Take money requests to non-endemic sponsors whose customers match your audience.
• Show engagement and technical content, not just follower counts.
• List only references who will praise you. AEM calls them.
• After every race, win or lose, send photos, phone video and a quick summary of what happened.
• Make your pitch in Q4, and meet Mollica in person before you email the proposal.
• Do more than you promised. That's how you get the call in November.