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how to get truck sponsors

4K views 31 replies 10 participants last post by  frontierfreak7 
#1 ·
so, as the title says, how can one get a sponsor?
 
#3 ·
Competition gets recognition.
 
#5 ·
Sponsors want exposure for their product.You need to convince them that they will benefit by sponsoring you.I never actively seeked sponsors.Most were parts at cost,helped with entry fees,an electric impact,gps,small stuff.Nobody is going to write you a check unless you are somebody.One thing that helped was I was entered in the Baja 1000 .They got a lot of exposure.Daniel Spalinger has a fair amount of sponsors.He rally races and has competed in Mexico ,States,Canada.
Are you going to compete,shows?
 
#6 ·
^ exactly... it's all about exposure. And if you want real sponsorship, don't expect to say "I go to local places to show of my ride every week" or "I have xxxxx YouTube followers" because that's not good enough... realistically, ANYONE can do that. I don't know how many times we've had sponsorship requests at my office and a lot of times the best the person tries to offer us is local-level exposure, and it's not really much to offer if we are already selling our products across the country.

Also consider that getting sponsored isn't a free ride like many think it is; sure, you may travel to car shows or events, win competitions, etc. but up front all that cost is on you. The result of all that investment and hard work would be getting a real sponsorship. Not only that but you basically have to become a travelling salesman for the company sponsoring you. I've been sponsored before (for other things) and being sponsored becomes a job on its own that you have to keep up with.

But if you don't have much to offer then you still might find some smaller companies that may give you "partial sponsorship" which still means you're spending money because the partial sponsorship will generally be in the form of items at discount, some random freebies, etc.
 
#11 ·
Haha no worries beano.

Right not being on the east coast I'm limited on what I actually get todo. It's just a thought. I have over 15k in the recent work I've done. And there's still stuff I need to get , like a winch and some other stuff. I also daily drive the truck. Once I get a real daily driver car I can be a little rougher with the truck. Just popping ideas. I know there's a lot of people following the build. But as far as real competitions out on the east coast I don't know of a lot or any off the top of my head. I know I'd like to run the overland challenges in the next year or so.... But right off hand I can't think of big events on the east coast.
 
#16 ·
The cost of building a truck is crazy and you will never come close to recouping the money spent.The satisfaction of building it is better than money by far,anyway.Don't get me wrong.You built a beautiful truck.Problem is it is not unique.It's a kit conversion.Same with my truck,dime a dozen in the real world.So just enjoy the truck and don't sweat the money.
 
#17 ·
There's two frontiers with rugged rocks kit, including mine. It's 1 of 2. And the other guy is on 35's I'm on 37's I would say it's quite dime a dozen. I'm also the first person todo it , not have rugged rocks install it.
 
#18 ·
It's still a kit.What is trick about it?This is my friend's Titan(co-driver).You talk about 15 grand? He has 30 grand in shocks alone!Order this from Rugged Rocks!
 

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#19 ·
Oh yeah.he is not sponsored but gets some discount.
 
#20 ·
More dimes.
 

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#21 ·
If you want to seriously gauge your chances of getting true sponsorship, try this (modified a little from what I tell customers when they ask the company I work for if they can get sponsored):

Write a resume.

List out the accomplishments you've completed with the truck - paid-entry events where you've shown the vehicle off, "official" trail runs (meaning something professionally organized that you entered in), competitions, any awards the vehicle received, etc. Make a complete list of all your mods... but if it's mainly just bolt-ons, I hate to tell you this but whether you spend $15k or $30k - if someone else can spend the same amount of money and replicate your vehicle with off-the shelf stuff and a little elbow grease then it's not that unique. Truth is, however much money you spent is not a factor - it's a part of the big picture of sponsorship consideration, but it's a small part. Just telling a company that you dropped $15k into the truck does nothing... if anything it just tells the company that you are a paying customer who can afford to drop that much money on parts... which means that they know that you can afford to buy their parts if they decide not to sponsor you.

Companies like to sponsor vehicles that stand out with custom mods or personal touches that truly make it stand out. Vehicles that are constantly exposed to the public - and the main places companies consider as wanted "exposure" is at competitions or show-type events. That's what I meant by "paid-entry" events.

Also... you said "There's two frontiers with rugged rocks kit, including mine. It's 1 of 2. And the other guy is on 35's I'm on 37's I would say it's quite dime a dozen. I'm also the first person todo it , not have rugged rocks install it." Can you be sure of that? Are you absolutely certain that in the entire country (not just on one or two forums) that no one else *other than that other guy) has done what you've done? If I bought a Frontier like yours, bought an SAS and 37's like yours, and built up a rig like yours, would mine be the same? Or are there notable things your truck has that mine won't?

When you're done writing it out, look at your resume and ask yourself truthfully:

1. If I were a company, what kind of exposure would I gain from sponsoring this vehicle?
2. What has this vehicle done/accomplished/won that tells me that it stands out?
3. What reason does the owner of the vehicle want out of the sponsorship?
4. Who is the owner and what do they bring to the table as an individual that would make me want to have them represent my company?

The last one is the most important one.
 
#25 ·
this is what I'm looking for.....

and P.S. i know I'm the only person todo the kit besides steve & Kenny, because steve told me. and we planned out almost 8 months of shipping parts to my house on the other side of the country. the owner and president of Rugged rocks (steven) will tell you I'm the first person that has not had the kit installed at his shop. and by no means is it bolt on. look at my build thread.

and the photos whistler. first two is roast beefs. last two are Aaron's. half the pictures on the internet is Aarons truck.
 
#23 ·
They did a rendering.
 
#26 ·
Sure okay - name dropping aside, like I was saying: If I bought a Frontier like yours, went SAS (doesn't have to be from "Steve at Rugged Rocks") and put on 37's, then what? Don't get me wrong - that's great that you installed it yourself, that's something you can put on the resume for sure. But my point is still the same - it's not just about the parts list... it's about the complete package.

BTW being "the first" to do something only matters if everyone else wants to do it. I can be the first to install a merry-go-round in the bed of my truck, but it doesn't mean I'll get sponsored for it.

...or will I?
::wink::
 
#27 ·
So what are your plans?You are not even legal to enter most rock crawling competitions.
What parts are unique on your truck?My truck has hundreds of parts machined,welded,designed,engineered by me.It's still a dime a dozen truck.The owner of Xterra Performance and races with Team Xterra in BITD competitions has a hard time just making entry fee. He even has a "Go fund me" account.Hope you find sponsorship,I really do.
 
#31 ·
Agreed... it is a cool truck, but it's not the only SAS'd 1st gen I've seen either. He asked about getting sponsored, and as an employee who works for a company that sponsors, I gave him the reality of it.

Truck of the month is a small step though. ::smile::
 
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