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Sponsorship – State of the Union
I wanted to be sponsored (1). Even when I sucked, I believed I was good enough to be sponsored (2). Back when I was working at a hobby shop, I even got sponsored by HRP. How? I answered their invite to be sponsored (3). I got a 40% deal from them … which wasn’t a sponsorship. It’s like selling knives or energy drinks in a pyramid scheme yet believing you’re operating a legit business (4).
Twenty-five years later, this continues, in much how they have dragged Star Wars along the same way as Star Wars has “continued.” How many people do you know who are “sponsored?” In most sports, it’s a rarity; but in RC, it almost seems as though everybody is sponsored. I won’t use the “direct sales” term yet, but there are definitely pros and cons to this current trend in the industry, and rather than offering just my opinion, I’ve decided to pose this question to the industry and get their take on it. So in this issue, you will hear from those offering sponsorships, the hobby shops it affects, the manufacturers that don’t do it, and even a random person who doesn’t know anything about it.
You still want to be sponsored?
1. I still do.
2. At one point, I was good enough to be sponsored. Seriously.
3. I had to write them a letter. Really, I wrote an application.
4. Harassing your family to buy a knife isn’t a good business model.
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