cultural sponsorship in France ?

I do not have a real experience about sponsorship, however, I could notice two kind of sponsorship in my own country.

There is a huge part of this in the world of elite sport; indeed, each football or rugby teams for example got their own sponsor, and a lot of money has been spent for this. There is also the boats’ race, such as La route du Rhum where the medias call the ships by the sponsor’s name. And maybe the oldest and more traditional sponsorship’s act is during the Tour de France, the famous bicycle race which take place all around the country every years. During this, all bicycle teams are called by the name of the sponsor (like the ships during La route du Rhum) and the legendary « caravane » (the caravan, procession of sponsors) travel the runner’s itinerary like one hour before them, to give lot of little gifts (such as candies or key-rings) to the spectators. Sadly, this festive tradition is going too much commercial, and the sponsors are now just doing advertaising, and don’t look like they care about the people. Besides, this kind of sport event is becoming really old-fashion, but that’s still -I think- the most famous way to use sponsorship in France.

The other kind of sponsorship I noticed is about all local events. Most of the little sports events, parties, markets got made in collaboration with local enterprises. I think it’s a good way, and everybody wins because the money or materials given by the enterprises can allow those events, and that’s a kind of advertaising for them, and they also can keep a good image for the people; the local sponsorship contrary to the « big event’s sponsorship » can make a link between custumers and the enterprise.

Anyway, sponsorship about culture in France is no sense because of the system. Indeed, the state collect lot of money the cultural minister give back to the cultural events. In addition, the local official institutions spend also money to them; in that way, I think the cultural’s institutions prefer have a public institution as mecène than a private firm, waiting for a return on investment. Anyway, enterprises in France prefer to give money to some charity associations because after that, they get a discount on the public taxes. So, it just looks like in France, private enterprises and cultural institutions don’t care about eachothers.

 

Cédric B.