Latest Thinking from IEG

Not Sold on Lewis Hamilton’s Secret Life

Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton, and Reebok unveiled an alternate reality game (ARG) yesterday called Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life. Hamilton is the central character in this game, which allows its users to experience a facet of Hamilton’s “life” beyond being a Formula 1 driver. The overall goal of the game is to help Lewis train and prepare to recover priceless artworks, sculptures and manuscripts from thieves. Apparently (or as Reebok would like you to believe), Hamilton is a big “The Thomas Crown Affair” fan and bypassing museum security/stealing priceless artifacts is his secret passion.

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Filed under: branded content, motorsports, new media, non-traditional categories, social media, sports, activation

Paid, Owned And Earned: Sponsorship Delivers All Types Of Media

(This blog post originally appeared as an opinion column in IEG Sponsorship Report on Feb. 2, 2010)

During a meeting with folks from the media buying world in New York, I was introduced to the idea of categorizing media into one of three buckets: paid, owned and earned.

While those descriptors are fairly self-explanatory, Forrester Research has developed definitions for each that are very helpful to those who want to explore the idea in greater depth.

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Filed under: new media, social media, trends, what is sponsorship, assets

Untapped Marketing Opportunity in the NBA

For the record, I am an NBA fan. But aside from my love of the game, it’s my opinion that the NBA has been ahead of its time, when compared to other professional leagues in America, in creating interest abroad, especially in China. The past few years have seen some of the greatest playoff series ever (Spurs-Suns 2007 and 2008, Celtics-Cavaliers 2009, Celtics-Bulls 2009, Pistons-Cavaliers 2007, Lakers-Celtics 2008) and the league’s stars have never been more likable and charismatic from a fan’s standpoint.

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Filed under: social media, sports, pro sports

Maximizing the Value of Social Media Sponsorship

As a property, incorporating sponsors into your social media presence is a logical way to enhance sponsorship value.

However, similar to the old adage that you can’t put the horse before the cart, you cannot successfully incorporate sponsors into social media without a well-established social media presence.

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Filed under: digital media, social media, sponsored content, activation

More Takeaways from the ANA Annual Conference

I shared some of the insights heard at the ANA Annual conference in my last post. Below are more of the key ideas discussed by the “masters of marketing,” as the event is subtitled.

Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO, Google
Schmidt had an optimistic message: “We’re about to enter a time of unprecedented opportunity as optimism collides with expanding platforms and accelerating uptake.”

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Filed under: digital media, entertainment, events, social media, trends, beer

What Twitter Lists Mean for Properties

Last week Twitter fully opened up its Lists function, adding yet another wrinkle to the social media site.

Lists containing any number of Twitter users can be created and followed, offering a great way to tailor the Twitter experience.

For properties using Twitter, there are a few immediate takeaways from this new feature that will allow you to both build the loyalty of your following and give your sponsors incremental value.

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Filed under: trends, social media

Social Media and Sponsorship Join Forces for Marquette Basketball

This past week, Marquette University started posting from a Pepsi-sponsored Twitter account focusing on the home opener for its men’s basketball team.

This development is unique in that very few (successful) forays have been made into the world of sponsored social media.

So far, the only evidence of Pepsi involvement is a Pepsi logo and the text “Pepsi Season Opener” on the Twitter page. There have been no tweets or links posted regarding Pepsi or the sponsorship and the posts have largely focused on information aimed at building excitement around opening night.

If the user’s window is not maximized, the Pepsi logo and blurb receives little visibility, as it is mostly shrouded by text display.

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Filed under: digital media, new media, social media, sponsored content, sports, trends, activation

Hearts And Minds, Not Eyeballs

The news this week that Jack Daniel’s is quitting its NASCAR team and Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra is not renewing title of its LPGA Tour stop in Virginia are but two examples of the scores of sponsors dropping title of pro golf tournaments and motorsports teams.

It is a tough environment for everyone selling sponsorship, but among the most challenged are pro golf events and motorsports teams. Rightsholders in these sectors have often sold on media visibility, and that’s a dangerous path for anyone in sponsorship.

On merely a CPM basis, sponsorship cannot successfully compete with advertising. When times were flush, marketers were willing to pay the higher CPM because intuitively they understood that sponsorship offered more. But intuition is no longer enough, and treating sponsorship as the “added value” piece and media as the main event, no longer works.

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Filed under: assets, digital media, NASCAR, new media, pro sports, selling, social media, activation