Unplugged: How YouTube & the WCC Could Redefine What a Sponsorship Should Mean

Can a sponsorship relationship change the perception of a conference or program? (Spoiler alert, the answer is YES).

I wanted to come back to the story we started to cover on Wednesday... The West Coast Conference did a LiveStream on YouTube. I loved this for many reasons, but the biggest was it helped me think about a new model for sponsor/program relationships: Mutual Benefit.

Mutual benefit is something that we haven't really come to in the past. We've seen it as "You pay me money and thus I benefit. I put your brand out there and thus you benefit." But is that really the case? I'd challenge you that for a mutual benefit to truly exist it would mean for two brands to put themselves out to consumers as they really are, to build each other's brand simply by working together.

The West Coast Conference wants to become more innovative in their approach overall. They want to be a digital leader, and are exploring new ways to get their brand out in front of a rapidly changing consumer base. Meanwhile, YouTube is looking to become a source of original content -- not simply a place to watch other people's content.

So, as a mutually-beneficial move, the WCC live-streamed their coaches on YouTube this week.

The act of putting WCC content out live only on YouTube served to position the WCC as authentic and YouTube as a place for original content.

The move was a success, whether or not dollars were exchanged (Confession: I have no idea if they were or not).

But it's only step one. Let's dream big.

What if YouTube became the Official Sponsor of the WCC? What if the WCC got rid of its website altogether and only had a YouTube channel page? (Along with their Facebook & Twitter pages to use for daily connection) Is that crazy? Maybe. But maybe it's the value needed for YouTube to in exchange live stream all WCC events - games, weekly shows, end of year banquets, pre and post game press conferences. And maybe that could be monetized through ads and/or sponsored original content.

Would a third sponsor want to join into the mix with a YouTube + WCC partnership? If I was Zappos (current WCC title sponsor), absolutely yes. And the mutual benefit that could be constructed by YouTube + WCC for Zappos clearly outscales what the WCC can do alone.

Now not everyone has a chance to work with YouTube. This is only one example. But the point applies everywhere -- think about the way that sponsorships can work without money first. Can you do something together that wows the world and grows both of your brands? I'm betting the answer is yes!

Come back on Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy