Zug is an interesting sponsorship market

Christof Marti from Baar was sponsoring manager at the UBS for over twenty years. He knows that sponsors pursue clear goals with their investments, and can also explain the dependencies such payments create and why Zug offers an interesting market for them.

If you look at the lists of the sponsors of Zug clubs and events, the raw materials giant Glencore, with its headquarters in Baar, appears again and again. Whether it's the EVZ (Zug Ice hockey club), SC Cham (football), the Zytturm Triathlon or the Räbefasnach (carnival) Baar - Glencore is very active in local sponsorships. Most of the recipients of the money have no ethical concerns about this. This is despite the fact that the company is the focus of actions by environmental activists.

Or the Russian fertiliser manufacturer Eurochem, based in Zug and in the headlines in connection with the Ukraine war, but which is also listed among the main sponsors of the Zug ‘Chesslete’ carnival association, along with the city of Zug, the Zug Cantonal Bank and Glencore.

Christof Marti from Marti Management & Consulting AG in Baar is an expert in this field and assesses these commitments.

"Do good and talk about it"
He says: "Sponsorship is first and foremost a marketing tool. The sponsor pursues clear goals with its marketing investments." These goals, he says, are predominantly branding goals and business goals. But goals are also increasingly in the area of "employer branding". In other words, positioning the company as an interesting, committed employer in the region. Put simply: 'Do good and talk about it'," says the sponsoring expert.

For every company, no matter how large, location marketing considerations are high on the list of priorities. It is very important to position oneself as a committed employer vis-à-vis all parties involved and, above all, also vis-à-vis the employees.

The building of the raw materials company Glencore, headquartered in Baar         Photo: Matthias Jurt
Christof Marti                    Photo: PD

"There are countless examples of platforms in Switzerland that benefit from location marketing activities by companies: the Zurich Opera House, for example, or the Schauspielhaus Zurich or the FC Basel," says Christof Marti. In this way, local companies make their contribution to the promotion of social offerings in the region. This also applies to Glencore, and is therefore no exception.

"The partners have to fit together"
"Sponsorship is a partnership. To a large extent, there must be a congruence of values, and the partners must fit well together. Particularly in terms of image and values," he adds. That's why he advises every organiser and every person interested in sponsoring to assess the partner very carefully.

"And not only for image and value congruence, but also for seriousness and stability. If the positioning or image of a potential sponsor does not match an organiser or club, a partnership cannot be successful," he continues. It goes without saying that criteria that exclude certain sectors or companies - for example alcohol or tobacco - can also come into play when evaluating sponsors.

"I was head of sponsorship at UBS for twenty years, and have myself experienced that potential partners didn’t want to be sponsored by a big bank," he adds. So if a club finds that it cannot identify with Glencore, the commodities giant is not a suitable sponsor for the club.

Zug is an interesting sponsorship market
Sponsorship also creates dependency, of course, as it is based on the bond between the two sides. "The sponsor can realise his or her projects thanks to the financial support," says Christof Marti. But sponsorship is always a temporary partnership.

Christof Marti: "The sponsor is well advised to think about the time after the start of a new partnership”. Financing the activities as broadly as possible reduces possible dependence - and thereby the risk.

Christof Marti believes that Zug is an interesting sponsorship market. There are exciting platforms, projects, organisations and associations in the sports, cultural and social sectors. "The potential sponsors who are based in the region have a strong presence at the level of corporations, large companies and SMEs. This makes the starting position interesting," he adds.