How to Get Sponsored by BOB the Cooler Company

BOB the Cooler Company makes premium coolers and drinkware, and it has moved fast in motorsports. It took the title sponsorship of a major motocross national and even covered registration costs for one of my Sponsorship Summits. Its CEO, Jordan Cochrum, spent 21 years helping build Rockstar Energy Drink before starting BOB, so he has seen athlete sponsorship from the inside of one of the biggest brands in racing. When he closed out one of my summits, his advice for getting sponsored by a young brand like his was blunt.

Build the relationship before you send the deck

The pitch BOB sees most is also the one it likes least. "Don't just send an email, don't just send a DM, say 'hey, sponsor me, here's my deck.' I think that's probably the biggest turn-off from a sponsor side," Cochrum said. "If I could make any recommendation, it's reach out and build a relationship first. Reach out and say, 'I'm super stoked on your product, I use it in this way,' or 'I'm stoked on your brand.'" ▶ Watch Jordan Cochrum explain this

That means being a real customer first. "Maybe it requires you buying the product first, and if you haven't used it in the past, buy it, try it, talk about it," he said. "Especially in a brand that's in its infancy like ours, we see that stuff. We see when people repost on social media, and I guarantee you some of these bigger brands are paying attention to it as well." ▶ See the full answer

Come in genuine, and plan to crawl, walk, run

Cochrum's message to grassroots racers was to stop asking for a handout. "Just don't have your hand out. Come in, be genuine, let them know that you're really interested in their product, in their brand, what they're doing, and let them know that you'd like to find a way to crawl, walk, run." He acknowledged that some athletes deserve a check and an agent, but said that "for probably the majority of people on this call, they're in a grassroots position that money is not flying at them." ▶ Watch the clip

Product deals mean something different when the product costs hundreds

Coming from energy drinks, Cochrum had to rethink what a product sponsorship is. "It's not like it used to be. We couldn't give out cases of product and say, 'hey, thanks for signing up, you're on our athlete endorsement program for free product.' We're still doing that, but the product has a much higher value and we hope that that goes a lot further." When BOB hands over a cooler worth several hundred dollars plus drinkware, it expects to see it used at the track: "It's part of the requirement, whether it's a water bottle on the sidelines or a cooler at the camper." ▶ Watch Cochrum on cooler vs. drink sponsorships

The marketing he's after is simple. "Word of mouth is still the best form of marketing there ever will be," he said. That can happen "even if it's in a small community of being in the pits and being like, 'hey, I've got my BOB,' and it's not even always saying something, it's just actually using it and being stoked on it." ▶ Watch the clip

Help BOB sell through dealers

BOB has to sell coolers to fund its riders. "For us to exist and... have a budget to be supporting other riders, we've got to sell, and for us right now our primary focus is powersports dealerships," Cochrum said. That opens a door most racers never think about. He described the email he'd love to get: "'Hey, I'd really like to work with you guys. I actually have a great relationship with the dealer down the street. If I could help you guys get some sales with our dealer, is there something that we could do to work together?' I know that sounds kind of far-fetched, but it does happen more often than you think." Small-town dealers that haven't heard of BOB are exactly where word of mouth helps most. ▶ Watch Cochrum on what gets his attention

Your other sponsors can open doors too. When I suggested a rider backed by an energy drink or food company could bring BOB into a cross-promotion, he agreed: "Collaborations, brand partnerships, it goes so far, and not all of it's got to be money tied." Connecting brands, he said, matters most for a young company: "If you can bring people together at the B2B level, that's so important, especially for small brands to be able to work with other brands." ▶ Watch the clip

Start with the affiliate program, then keep going

BOB, like many brands that sell direct, has an affiliate program. Cochrum pointed riders to the Affiliates link at the bottom of BOB's website: "Sign up and we'd be stoked to start a relationship there." ▶ Watch the clip

Expect to hear "no" before you hear "yes." Cochrum reads many of the support and sponsorship emails himself, and his rule cuts both ways: "Don't just send an email with your hand out, but also don't give up when I say not right now." What BOB can do for riders, he added, may change a lot in six months to a year. ▶ Watch the clip

He finished with the advice he gives his own daughter: find a way to win, on and off the track. "If you've got to put the time in, put the dues in, don't give up, keep reaching out, keep being a pest if you have to, but do it in the right way." ▶ Watch his closing advice

Your checklist for BOB the Cooler Company

• Buy the product, use it, and post about it before you ask for anything.
• Open with a genuine note about how you use BOB, not a "sponsor me" deck.
• Use your coolers and drinkware visibly in the pits and at the camper.
• Offer to connect BOB with a powersports dealer you already know.
• Bring cross-promotion ideas with your food and beverage sponsors.
• Join the affiliate program, and treat "not right now" as "keep in touch."