2023 Motorsports Sponsorship Summit at Mechanix Wear

A deck is eye-catching marketing material used to attract initial attention and start a conversation with potential sponsors - it can be a postcard, video, website link, PDF, or pamphlet with lots of imagery showing what a brand could get involved with. You send decks when first meeting someone to 'fish' for interest. A proposal is a detailed Word document created AFTER you've established a relationship and learned what the sponsor needs. It lists specifically what you will deliver and what you expect in return. Never send a proposal to someone you just met - you don't propose to someone on a first date. The proposal becomes part of your contract and what sponsors will hold you accountable to.

Multiple brand representatives emphasized that logo placement alone doesn't provide enough value anymore. What sponsors want is: 1) Content creation - videos, testimonials, and explainer content they can repurpose, 2) Authentic product promotion and education that helps with the buyer's journey, 3) Extension of their marketing team - helping with social media, retailer relationships, and events, 4) Activities that drive actual sales through affiliate codes, coupons, or lead generation, 5) Building relationships and providing value between race events, not just on race day. VP Racing Fuels noted their top-performing content pieces were actually unplanned authentic moments, not the contracted minimum deliverables.