Sponsoring Sports Events

　　赞助体育赛事

　　It is common nowadays for companies and industries to sponsor big sports events.

　　如今，各公司、企业赞助大型体育赛事已经十分普及。

　　But what exactly do companies and industries get out of sponsoring big sports events, such as international games? And why need they do so?

　　但是通过赞助大型体育赛事，如国际比赛，公司企业究竟能获得什么呢?这样做有什么必要呢?

　　There is an obvious answer and a not so obvious one.

　　答案既显而易见，又不是那么一目了然。

　　The obvious answer is that they get know worldwide, particularly if they are the principal sponsor of an event.

　　显而易见的答案是：可以使之闻名世界，特别是对于赛事的主要赞助方来说。

　　This is especially important when you consider the number of countries around the world that might show the event on TV.

　　考虑一下世界上转播这一赛事的国家的数量，这就显得尤为重要了。

　　The not so obvious answer is that sponsorship can help firms to save money.

　　不是那么一目了然的答案是：赞助活动可以为公司省钱。

　　Then how can they save money in this way? Ccompanies can claim expenditures on sponsorship or “support to sport and the arts” against the amount of tax that they owe.

　　但是公司怎样通过这种方式来省钱呢?公司可以赞助或“支持体育、文化活动”需要开支为由来抵消他们必须要付的税款。

　　So, if they are going to have to pay tax anyway, why not spend the money on promoting their name or product?

　　所以，反正他们要缴税，何不花钱来宣传自己的知名度和产品呢?

　　However, sponsorship is surely a very expensive business.

　　然而，赞助活动的确需要花费巨资。

　　So, how does one decide which events or activities to support?

　　那么，是怎样决定该赞助哪些项目或活动的呢?

　　Companies spend a lot of time making sure that they have a perfect match between the products to be represented and the activity that needs sponsorship.

　　公司要花费很多时间来确认要宣传的产品和要赞助的活动完全匹配。

　　Basically, companies have to make sure that the image is right and that the product gets maximum coverage through the event.

　　主要是，公司必须明确要传达的形象准确无误，其产品通过该项活动获得充分的宣传。

　　I mean, you wouldn’t expect a company whose product has a young international image to sponsor a sport that has a following among older people.

　　我的意思是，如果一家公司在国际上拥有的产品形象很年轻，那么就不会去赞助拥有老年观众的体育赛事。

　　There are all sorts of reasons behind sponsorship.

　　企业赞助的动机各种各样。

　　That’s what the game’s about for those who are trying to sell it.

　　对那些尽力推销的人来说，这类活动的目的就在于此。

　　There are some important points to consider before agreeing to sponsor an event.

　　同意赞助某一赛事之前，有一些要点需要考虑。

　　First and foremost, I suppose, is the popularity of the event in go-between.

　　首先，我想试媒体对赛事的宣传广泛度。

　　Events like the world cup and the Olympics have businesses queuing up to offer sponsorship.

　　像世界杯、奥运会等赛事，就有很多企业排着队要求赞助。

　　There are the big media events: hours and hours of TV and satellite coverage guaranteed all over the world, as well as press coverage and the possibility of photographs that in some way advertise your product.

　　有些赛事会得到媒体的大力宣传：通过电视和卫星确保向全世界作连续不断的报道，还有报刊对它的宣传报道，还可能有以某种方式为产品作广告的图片宣传等等。

　　Most events aren’t quite like that through.

　　然而，对大多数赛事来说，情况并非如此。

　　Most events appeal to only a limited proportion of the potential audience—tennis, for example. Most of the audience there is young, so products for the young are the ones that you would associate with the event.

　　大多数赛事只吸引数量有限的潜在观众，如网球赛，在场的观众大部分是年轻人，因此，针对年轻人的产品才能和这一赛事联系起来。

　　Then how do you match up the product with the event?

　　接下来要考虑的是怎样才能把产品和赛事匹配起来?

　　The most important thing with the smaller event is to identify the audience it’s going to appeal to, in this instance, tennis and young people.

　　对于小型赛事，最重要的是确定它所吸引的观众群，在这一例子中，就是把网球和年轻人匹配在一起。

　　That should attract drinks manufactures, sports fashion designers, cosmetics producers, and so on.

　　这样，这一赛事就应该会吸引饮料生产企业、运动服装企业、化妆品制造企业等等。

　　Then you look at the potential coverage in the media.

　　然后再考虑可能的媒体宣传报道。

　　It’s the sort of event that might attract Coca-cola or Pepsi maybe even Mcdonalds.

　　因此，这种赛事有可能对可口可乐或百事可乐，甚至麦当劳这样的企业具有吸引力。

　　In sponsoring sports events, it is not just the media coverage that matters. The important question is whether the people who’ve either been to the event or read about it in the press will be more likely to buy your product as a result.

　　赞助体育赛事，重要的不仅是媒体报道，而是了解观看这一赛事或从报刊上看到这一赛事的人最终是不是更有可能去买你的产品。

　　A lot of the advantages of investment in sponsorship are longer-term.

　　投资赞助的许多利益回报需要更长的周期。

　　People who have possible read about or watched an event on TV may not even be able to tell you who was sponsoring the event, yet will react favorably if asked to comment on products marketed by the sponsoring company. They have been conditioned in some way.

　　从报纸上看到或者在电视上看了赛事的人，可能连谁在赞助这一赛事都不知道，但是，如果要求他们对赞助商所推销的产品发表意见，他们的反应却是积极的，因为他们产生了某种条件反射。

　　Conditioning the mind is what advertising is about.

　　对思想的制约正式广告的目的。

　　Believe it or not, straight advertising is a far more expensive way of promoting your image than sponsorship, and what’s more, sponsorship is mostly tax-free.

　　不管你信不信，比起赞助来，用广告直接宣传的方式来提升企业形象耗资要昂贵得多，而且，大多数情况下赞助还可以免税。