How to Get Sponsored by BRP (Can-Am and Sea-Doo)

BRP is a powersports giant. James Ort told the Off-Road Sponsorship Summit that 22 brands sit under the BRP umbrella, led by Can-Am, which is now split into Can-Am Off-Road and Can-Am motorcycles, plus Sea-Doo and Ski-Doo. Ort was the second employee in BRP's sponsorship department after working at Oakley and Red Bull, and he estimates he has received sponsorship proposals "probably in the thousands." His 1-on-1 with me was one of the most organized talks we've had at a summit: a frank picture of how hard BRP is to crack, and a step-by-step plan for doing it anyway.

The odds are long

Ort didn't soften the numbers. "I've probably received 500 to a thousand pitches this year, and on the Sea-Doo brand in particular, we've approved one of those pitches," he said. And that one was an easy call: "It was one of Yamaha's only ambassadors that wanted to switch to Sea-Doo, and it would have been really stupid for us not to pursue this partnership." ▶ Watch James Ort explain this

When he spoke, BRP was in a tight year. "This year we've essentially been told to just say no to everything," Ort said, calling it a rebuild. His advice for a slow market was to use the time: "I think this is a great time to really develop those relationships with the people in the industry and at BRP." He said LinkedIn is a good place to reach him, and that he'd share strong fits with the rest of his team. ▶ Watch the full 1-on-1

Think of it like dating

Ort wants racers to aim higher than a one-off collaboration. "Ambassadorship or partnership is more of a long-term collaboration, and I think that's what everybody should be aiming for," he said. He compares it to finding a spouse: "You want to marry a brand who's going to help you grow, challenge you, support you." In a down market, he added, "just be patient, the industry will work through it." ▶ Watch Ort's dating analogy

Know which of the four kinds of value you bring

Ort laid out a seven-step plan: establish your brand, know your value, build your audience, keep learning, find a gap, sell your value and over-deliver. The heart of it is knowing what you're actually selling. In his experience, ambassadors fall into four groups: "content creators, influencers, community leaders and product experts." That matters, he said, because "it indicates what your value is, what you're selling, you know, what you bring to the table." ▶ Watch the full 1-on-1

The best partners cover all four. "A good example for us on Can-Am is Dustin Jones. He's really overlapping all of those circles, you know, he's consulting on product design, he's creating content, he's influencing his audience, and he's leading his community." ▶ See the full answer

Building the audience part takes time. "This can take years," Ort said. "Building an audience in a community is tiring and, you know, excruciating at times, but if you're passionate about it, just keep chipping away. Consistency's key." ▶ Watch the full 1-on-1

Find the gap BRP hasn't filled

BRP already has big names, so Ort wants racers to think like consultants. "You really can act as a consultant to the brands that you're pursuing and identify a pain point that you can resolve," he said. "If I'm BRP and we've got Travis Pastrana, I'm convinced that our bases are covered. So what do you have to offer that Travis doesn't, and you know, what gap do you fill that we're not already filling?" ▶ See the full answer

He also reminded racers that they often know the sport better than the people they're pitching. "You guys are the experts, and a lot of these people at brands, for better or worse, are not as knowledgeable on the industry as you are," he said. "So really come to the table with that expertise." ▶ Watch the full 1-on-1

Pitch something specific, at the right time

Generic interest gets nowhere. "I hate when someone hits us up and they're like, you know, hey, I'd love to partner with you guys. I'm like, all right, what do you got?" Ort said. "Hit me with a very specific idea, like, I want to do this content piece at this location, this date, here's what it's going to cost, and here's what I need from you. The more specific you can be in that pitch, the better." ▶ See the full answer

Timing and the right person matter just as much. "I would recommend pitching in June, July, August for the following year. That's typically, from my experience, when budgets are being decided," he said. Use LinkedIn and your network to find the right contact, and find a way to stand out. "Like, no one's ever done this, but if someone mailed me a letter and said, hey, I would love to have a conversation, I would be stoked." ▶ Watch Ort on timing and pitching

Over-deliver once you're in

Ort's seventh step is where many partnerships die. "Once you're in with a partner, just crush it, and professionalism goes so far in this industry," he said. "I can't tell you how many times I've had people miss a call that they were scheduled for." He wants partners who build relationships beyond their main contact, engage with BRP's content and announcements, contribute to the industry, and report back: "Sending recaps, like once you're working with a brand, recap monthly, quarterly, annually, how you did, what you did. Those really go a long way." ▶ Watch the full 1-on-1

Your checklist for BRP

• Expect very long odds and plan for a long-term partnership, not a one-off post.
• Decide whether you're a content creator, influencer, community leader or product expert, and ideally become more than one.
• Identify a gap BRP's current roster doesn't cover and lead with it.
• Pitch one specific idea with a location, date, cost and what you need.
• Send pitches in June through August, when budgets for the following year are set.
• Stand out with something personal, such as a mailed letter, and build relationships even in a no year.
• Once signed, show up on time for every call and send monthly, quarterly and annual recaps.