What should sponsorship look like?
We have hundreds of people contact us every year to be sponsored. Some want free parts, some want discounts, some want to test parts, some want to simply represent a company they love, and others simply want the satisfaction of saying, “I’m sponsored!”. What should sponsorship look like though? We have only a handful of sponsored drivers because we believe that sponsorship should be a relationship, not just money thrown at someone. At the same time we have thousands of customers who want to support us, and hundreds of customers that ask for sponsorship. So the real question is how do we provide a sponsorship program that is best for everyone? A program where we can sponsor more people, the right people, AKA the people YOU want sponsored.
Why do we sponsor people?
We sponsor people for several reasons.
- We like you: We have so many amazing people in the Mazda community and we want to support the growth of the Mazda modification scene.
- When you get support, you give support: It’s a proven fact that when someone tells their friend about a great part, product, service, or event that it can be better marketing than Google ads, billboards, TV commercials or any other form of typical advertising. The best advertising that we can have is simply by providing the BEST customer service, BEST parts, and a great experience for all Mazda owners. One way to do this is too sponsor drivers who can tell you exactly what our parts are like!
- Testing: We are always working on new parts for your car and the best parts are the ones that get tested, revised, tested, revised, and tested again. Though we have plenty of cars at our disposal in our shop or personal garages, often the best testing comes from YOU. Plus when you can say “I beta tested this, and that shit WORKS” it lets others know that we aren’t just making stuff up.
How does it Benefit you?
It depends on what you are looking for. As a sponsored driver you might get discounts on parts, recognition in the community, or you might even get to work personally with some of our engineers to develop and give feedback on our latest parts in development. As CorkSport rolls out a new Sponsorship program we want to be able to invite everyone into being a part of a team that can benefit you and us, equally. This means that the more you invest in your car and the Mazda community, the more we invest in you.
How does it benefit us?
This one is more difficult to measure. Sponsorship can often appear to be a one-sided endeavor. In many sponsorship relationships you might get paid with free product, or even cash, to say something like “After every race, I drink a refreshing bottle of Sporty Sport Drink“. Now the statistics on how many customers choose to purchase Sporty Sport Drink because of your sponsorship is a tough measurement. In the same way it’s hard to measure how often someone sees your sweet looking Mazdaspeed 3 with a CorkSport decal on the side and decides to find out what CorkSport is and then buy something. Nonetheless it does happen (we hope) but, there is more to sponsorship than just advertising to make more money.
Sponsorship benefits us because it allows us to be a part of the Mazda community. We don’t always get to be at every Mazda event, we don’t get to talk personally with every Mazda customer, and we don’t even get to respond to every Mazda thread, question or email in our great big world. When we sponsor someone we get to make a connection with you, and then you get to be our ambassador for all those people we can’t personally interact with. In other words, we get to be part of the Mazda community, due to our CorkSport Sponsored Ambassador Team.
The Best Part about Sponsorship:
The best part about sponsorship is the fact that it is a community benefit. Sponsored drivers get cheaper parts, or new unreleased parts, or recognition. Mazda drivers that aren’t sponsored get the extra knowledge and help from the sponsored drivers, and get feedback about parts they don’t have. Finally Corkspot gets the benefit of creating a better Mazda community which is why we started the company in the first place! Because we love Mazdas!
Sponsorship is about sharing OUR love of Mazda with YOUR love of Mazda, and spreading that love beyond where we can reach individually.
Have some ideas for when we roll out our new program? Have you been impacted by one of our sponsored drivers, or someone you think should be sponsored? Have a brilliant plan to benefit the Mazda community? Email Sp*****@Co*******.com your feedback and ideas!
How do I sign up to get sponsored I would love to be sponsored
We are not currently accepting new sponsorship applications yet. We would love your feedback and ideas on what you think sponsorship should look like though!
Sponsorship to me is “someone male/female who represents a PROFESIONAL company and it’s products” someone who is gonna be involved with product reviews, have input and talk with fellow mazda owners about the fantastic products your car can be equipped with. From styling to performance. Someone who is involved with social media to promote products. Involved with car clubs and shows! And most importantly the love for custom cars and being a proud owner of your creation through high quality products!
Seeing as how CorkSport specializes in a brand, Mazda, that is synonymous with driver/car synching and the BIGGEST brand in grassroots motorsports as well as one of the most recognized brands with racing worldwide, it would make sense to put more emphasis on sponsoring drivers who follow that mindset. Let’s be honest: Mazda are a drivers car and as such you should want your brand to be associated with driving and competetiveness, not parking for models to sit on.
I would love to get sponsored. I have a lot of money into my speed 6 and they are rare. Plus most of my upgrades have been Corksport. Please contact me!
I want to be sponsored so I get invited to the secret parties with Voltron, Kritz, Kim and Spencer
Sponsorship is great! Currently I have my MS3 sponsored and my MS6 is in the works! I rock I 28×56 vinyl on both sides of the car wear the clothing and show off the parts and pass out cards at every show and driving event I go to. Best part I like about sponsorship is its like being accepted into a family. And thats how mine is I talk to the guys about life not just parts and stuff. I actually make the 5hr drive to visit the shop 2-3 times a year just to say hi. Good luck to any new applicants its truely a blessing
I think it would be a great idea to sponsor Mazda enthusiasts! Getting to test beta parts or to be the go to guy for Corksport product details on forums and local car groups. Myself being quite involved with my Mazda, I’m always researching new products, their benefits, how to make them perform better. A sponsorship program is a good way to further access the Mazda community. It would be quite beneficial for lots of people to get the inside scoop on upcoming products to further modify our cars. If you do go forward with the sponsorship program I know a couple guys that would be very good candidats as they are very knowledgeable to the mazda/mazdaspeed 3 platforms.
A quality company supporting a quality platform is something every make of car needs. Im glad thier are companies like corksport whose agenda is not simply making money.
Before owning my 2013 Mazda3 I never heard about Corksport. But as soon as I joined Mazda forums the first name I heard for aftermarket parts was Corksport. Having a Mazda3 Skyactiv it was very hard to find aftermarket parts. Sure enough Corksport came through. I have bought all of my parts (exhaust, SRI, SRI heats hold box, led fog lights, etc.) from Corksport. So from me sponsored or not sponsored I will continue to purchase Cprksport products for their attention to detail and quality of their products and will continue to promote and recommend Corksport to any and every old or new Mazda owner I meet. thank you Corksport!
My car is too slow to be sponsored.
Yea I love my 2014 Mazda 3 and I work in nascar so send some stickers for my helmet and I’ll keep buying your parts for my Mazda
As long as it’s not all about the thousands of followers and exposure.. I love Mazda because the community is so friendly and everyone is so cool and not always judgmental. I feel like we are not about how many fans you have, but who you are as a person and what personality you bring to your car. Awards at car shows and such events have always gone to the same people with a massive following and it’s all about who you know. It should not be that way. There are so many in our community that truly love their car and everything Mazda. I really cannot wait for this sponsorship program.. maybe I would like to apply one day =) thanks guys, keep it up!
Being a sponsored car makes you an extension of the company. How you act, and what you do, should embody the mentality of the company you represent. So what should it look like? It should look like someone who wants to represent themselves in a professional manor, has a drive to push the platform, and is always looking to help your fellow car enthusiast. Its quite simple actually.