sponsors

i see every one in the mags and at shows sportin shop logos and product logos are these people getting the hookup or just wanting to show off what brand of goods they are running and who did what ...i have an az sticker on my truck b/c they did hook me up a few times with parts for thier comp im no longer running(junk)......so when you read the magazine articles and every body list off thanks such and such for the wheels/stereo /bags are they getting these free on the cheap or just naming off stuff theyve got on their truck?......im not big on promoting something for somebody unless they really helped a brother out so no kicker sticker on my truck unless kicker gave me the hookup not b/c they gave me a sticker when i bought my speakers ...so how do you get companies attention and parts and products sponsored for you? im mean if i was featured someday i wouldnt give thanks and props to best buy just b/c i got my cd player there however if alpine sent it too me for free hell yeah id be thanking them in the mags.... any other takes on this?

Sponsors are hard to get and usally a sponsor will only sponsor you if your truck is getting ready to be shot for a cover feature or something like that. Sounds retarded I know but thats how it plays out for the most part. Other sponsors will only do things if they know thier name is going to get a ton of coverage like the FFF Yota that they raffled off. Those sponsors knew their name would get seen by thousands of people so they chipped in. Other then that I think sponsorships are VERY hard to get

sponsors are actually not all that hard to get. they may be hard to get on your first ride, but if you build your first one and get some coverage, they are actually quite easy to come by. then from there, just dont screw em over and youll always have good references to get more. also helps to speak dire4ctly in person to the highest up person you can. dont talk to some pisshead in some dept that "claims" he can hook you up, get up that chain. after you get your first couple and prove your for real, the rest are easy. trust me, ive had many over the years.

Edited: 7/7/2008 12:58:39 PM by Layumon22s

Edited: 7/7/2008 12:48:36 PM by Layumon22s

I've come to the conclusion that they are next to impossible. Most shops are already building their own rides so getting sponsored for hard labor is impossible because a shop would rather build their own rides for free in their spare time than have your ride in their for free work which they don't even own. The best you can probably ever do is getting some audio equipment but that stuff is usually sent off to big players that are getting trucks into SEMA. I've contacted quite a few companies and no one will touch my truck until someone gurantees that it will be in their SEMA booth. We just sprayed by whole truck with all Hot Hues paints and they wouldn't do anything other than give us like 10% off and House of Kolor wasn't offering much more either.

I'm with you though, I have 0 stickers on any of my trucks because nobody has gone above and beyond or "sponsored" my truck in any way. All my work comes on my own or with my own cash. I'm not going to help out Orion, Viair, Pioneer, Nitto, etc. because they won't do anything for me, so I'm not giving them free promotion

I think the hardest part is getting the first couple of sponsors because once other companies see that someone else is also backing you they would be more willing to help you out as well since it will be getting attention in multiple areas.

edit: any bites I've had come with ridiculous stipulations, like I have to go to at least 10 major shows a year in the south that the sponsor chooses (so basically TX to VA and everywhere in between) and have to put out their flyers and put so many stickers on my truck. 10 "major" shows a year is easily 2-3k in hotels, gas and food. I'm not going to spend $3K to get $400 worth of tires

Originally posted by Layumon22s



Edited: 7/7/2008 12:58:39 PM by Layumon22s

Edited: 7/7/2008 12:48:36 PM by Layumon22s

I've come to the conclusion that they are next to impossible. Most shops are already building their own rides so getting sponsored for hard labor is impossible because a shop would rather build their own rides for free in their spare time than have your ride in their for free work which they don't even own. The best you can probably ever do is getting some audio equipment but that stuff is usually sent off to big players that are getting trucks into SEMA. I've contacted quite a few companies and no one will touch my truck until someone gurantees that it will be in their SEMA booth. We just sprayed by whole truck with all Hot Hues paints and they wouldn't do anything other than give us like 10% off and House of Kolor wasn't offering much more either.

It is impossible to get sponsored for hard labor, period. You can get sponsored for the products used during labor, but no one is going to give away their time.But even then, acquiring products is not easy. Are you guaranteed magazine coverage? Have you spoken with editors or photographers to put them on notice that your vehicle is coming along? Have you shown them progress pictures of all the work that you have put into it? Why would someone give you something for nothing?!? Thats not how life works. If you can promise them something in return and have a signed paper that says that your truck will be on the cover of a magazine, or at least featured where thousands of enthusiasts will see it, thats different.

Originally posted by Layumon22s



Edited: 7/7/2008 12:58:39 PM by Layumon22s

Edited: 7/7/2008 12:48:36 PM by Layumon22s

edit: any bites I've had come with ridiculous stipulations, like I have to go to at least 10 major shows a year in the south that the sponsor chooses (so basically TX to VA and everywhere in between) and have to put out their flyers and put so many stickers on my truck. 10 "major" shows a year is easily 2-3k in hotels, gas and food. I'm not going to spend $3K to get $400 worth of tires

As far as the stipulations go, I think that is more than fair, but I attend 16-20 major shows a year. I don't have a family or a mortgage payment, and I travel everywhere from Missouri to Connecticut to Georgia. If you don't want to play by their rules, then there is no reason for them to sponsor you dude. Don't hate because some guys put in the time and the effort to go to these extreme lengths.

Don't get me wrong, I'M NOT SPONSORED BY ANYONE!!! I work very hard for all of the work being done to my truck, but thats not stopping me from trying to work my way in, alot also has to do with who you know.

Personally I think if you really want to earn a sponsorship you are going about it all wrong. The main thing that I have seen work are professional looking sponsorship portfolios. I'm talking 8-10 page proposals that include a rendering, pictures of past rides that you have built, a list and scans of any sort of previous magazine coverage you have received, a list of all the events you have shown at in the last 2-3 years as well as what shows you are planning to do in the upcoming year. Also what you are willing to do for the company, stickers/windshield banners/ literature at your vehicle at all shows. A list of current sponsors or if you do not have any, other companies that you are contacting for sponsorships. If its possible, a letter from a photographer/magazine editor with an intent to shoot your vehicle upon completion.

All of this should be printed on a nice paper stock and in full color. Enlist the skills of a professional graphic designer to make your portfolio stand out from all the other people wanting something for nothing. If you spend a total of $250-$400 and get $500-$1,000 worth of stuff for free/cost, isn't it worth it?

Or if you spend that money and get nothing, well those are the breaks.

Edited: 7/7/2008 2:38:15 PM by no1lowr

first of all, id say 90 percent of folks with a company sticker on their truck is running it because of a sponsorship, the other 10 percent, probably to feel cool or something. i personally hate stickers and wish to have as few as possible on my truck, but i also like the helping hand of major players in the industry. also, when u do get a sposnor, they usually like to confirm their investment by talking with feature editors about a photoshoot, tech article, or a confimred sema booth number, whatever the case, they dont just give it to u based on your word. as far as sponsors being hard to get, i think it takes a few things, this is what ive experienced.

1. its who you know, PERIOD.2. the vehicle has to be sick, out of the norm for the most part.3. a great, not a good, a great proposal.4. good communication, updates, and follow through.

while we are on the topic.

a huge thanks to: KICKER, TOYO TIRES, KMC WHEELS, WESTERN EDGE PERFORMANCE, FIX & PAINT AUTO BODY, THE AIRBRUSH BRAIN, RAIL IT CUSTOMS.....

All thats been said above seems to be the norm. I think that companys are tighting up a bit with the way the economy is looking. Just remember there are hundreds of people from all automotive scenes that are hitting up the same company as you and like Matt said you have to do what it takes to stand out. I hit up Joels Tire in San Diego this weekend with a copy of my Construction Zone issue and a good sit down conversation and I got a nice set of wheels I wanted for the tacoma. With a good plan it can be done. I'm at the point of needing powder coating and a steering wheel but I'm better off just saving up and getting it myself. Just remember I have yet to see a truck built soley by sponsors......although I wish it were true!

Edited: 7/7/2008 3:44:32 PM by corey0814

Originally posted by no1lowr

1. its who you know, PERIOD.

that's exactly true. a good thing to do as far as labor is find a shop that's just starting out & who's willing to do work just to get their name out there.

i have a new custom audio shop out in gig harbor who's building a whole fiberglass sub enclosure & amp rack setup for my toy at the moment. we bought all my equipment at cost, but he's not a painter, so i'll paint it myself. he just really wants to get his name out there...that & he's a buddy of mine which confirms josh's statement!

on the sticker note:

i'm a sticker freak! i've graffiti'd the hell out of my trailer, toolbox, beer fridge, even a few on my dually. all products that i've purchased &/or companies i'd like to see get the support.



EDIT: i'm not really sure if you'd call that a sponsorship or not, but free sh*t is free sh*t no matter how you look at it. & even then it might not be totally free, since i'm sure sometime in the future i'll end up doing some sort of paint work for him, but again that's because we're buddies. if it was mtx i'd just say...thanks bye!

^^^thats a sponsorship, free labor is hard to come by and is probably the hardest sponsorship to get.

im not looking for sponsors but i was just wondering whats it all about and if rides were only bein sponsored from big shops i understand the labor would be hard to get but yeah on tires/ stereo and so on and no id never be able to meet the sponsors criteria so its more a curiosity of these rides at shows with a bajillion stickers on the windows did these people really hook them up ...and in my neck of the woods theirs not many big players around here to hook you up and sema is a helluva trip so it was mainly to cure my curiosity....thanks ...but it must be cool to have your truck in adds sportin freebies whatever happened to all the stereo adds with minis ??