Latest Thinking from IEG

Strong Opinions on Kid Leashes and Ambush Marketing

Earlier this week during a staff lunch, there was a heated discussion around child safety harnesses (kid leashes). There were strong opinions on both sides, with the pro-leash group citing safety and peace of mind and the anti-leash group calling the leashes “lazy”, “restrictive” and of course there was the mention of dogs. However, it is interesting to note that almost no one in the group has children.

If you do a quick search online, it is apparent, that parents and non-parents definitely have a lot of strong-held opinions on the subject. I really don’t see anything wrong with child safety harnesses, although I have had strong initial negative reactions when I have seen people with them. Really if you think about it, how is it that different than child safety gates or baby cabinet locks? No one seems to have a problem with those and it is the same concept really, you are restricting where your child can go for his/her safety. Nobody claims that parents that have child safety gates are lazy because they aren’t watching their children. So, really, it all depends on your perspective.

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Filed under: IEG, olympics, ambush marketing

The Power of Nostalgia and What is Old is New Again

What is it about nostalgia that is so engaging and why do brands that have successfully captured it stir up such an emotional response? Additionally, what are some current examples and what is the role of nostalgia in sponsorship?

I don’t quite understand it, but consumers (me included) seem to respond to almost anything that is reminiscent of earlier times in their lives, and strangely enough, people often have a fondness for decades that occurred before their birth (think Kenley Collins from “Project Runway” and her fascination with fashion from the 40’s and 50’s).

In fact, although most of us were not alive during the Great Depression, the 1930’s depression era is currently in vogue as we experience our own modern day economic uncertainty. Apparently, especially in times of turmoil, there is comfort in the familiar.

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Filed under: automotive, entertainment, music, olympics, sports, activation

Gaming and Alternate Reality Games (ARG) – An Exploration of New Media Sponsorship and Marketing

Gaming is part of our daily lives, not that this is necessarily new information, but when you stop to think about it, it is pretty amazing. Video games have evolved light years, not only in terms of technology, but in their appeal. Following are some statistics from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) from their published “2009 Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry.”

68 percent of American households play computer or video games

35 is the average game player age

60 percent of game players are men

37 percent of heads of households report that they play games on wireless devices such as a cell phone or PDA

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Filed under: branded entertainment, entertainment, new media, olympics, sponsorship measurement, activation

An App For Just About Anything

If iPhone apps are all the rage, why should sponsorship be immune? The Chicago 2016 bid committee has introduced a “Countdown to Copenhagen” app that marks the days left until the October 2 IOC vote in Denmark to select which candidate city will get the 2016 Summer Games.

Each day brings iPhone users a historic fact about either the Olympics or Chicago along with the days remaining until the vote. Chicago is the first bid city to take advantage of this technology. Given the relatively low cost of developing apps, we expect to see plenty of other properties offering updates and info through this new platform.

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Filed under: new media, olympics, sports, digital media

Would Your Ad Agency Pay To Sponsor?

When it comes to sponsorship, the Olympic movement has long been able to do things no other property would be able to pull off, from providing clean venues that eliminate TV-visible sponsor ID to commanding nine-figure fees for rights that are limited to one country. The latest example comes from London 2012, which according to the Financial Times is set to sign McCann Erickson as its official ad agency for a reported fee of 10 million pounds.

Let’s see if we have this straight: Many properties actually pay agencies to create and place their ads. Some properties are fortunate to have agencies provide ad services pro bono. The London Games will have an agency that not only will handle all its advertising, but will pay the equivalent of roughly $15 million for the privilege. The phrase “must be nice” comes to mind.

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Filed under: olympics, sports, non-traditional categories

IEG Appears on Fox Chicago Discussing Olympic Sponsorship

With the IOC Evaluation Commission arriving in Chicago today, Fox Chicago examined the topic of Olympic sponsorship during its primetime newscast last night...

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Filed under: international, olympics, sports, IEG

Insights from Sportaccord 2009

With sold-out attendance and a full exhibit hall, the first Sportaccord conference to take place in the U.S. was seemingly unaffected by the economy. Held last week in Denver and produced under the auspices of the General Assn. of Int’l Sports Federations (AGFIS), the Assn. of Summer Olympic Int’l Federations (ASOIF), and the Assn. of Int’l Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), it draws the heads of sports federations, Olympic bid committees and scores of vendors with products and services for them.

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Filed under: international, olympics, sports, Canada

Tuesday Session Recap from the 2009 IEG Sponsorship Conference

Something that many Americans like to do first thing in the morning is get a jolt of the latest headlines. Therefore, it was a sense of irony the first session of Tuesday’s IEG Sponsorship Conference dealt with media sponsorships.

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Filed under: cause marketing, digital media, evaluation, how to get sponsorship, IEG conference, media sponsorship, new media, nonprofit, olympics, sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, sports, Canada

Insights from J. Johan Jervoe, McDonald’s Corp.

In his keynote titled Sponsorship, Screens and Sociology: McDonald’s Ahead of the Curve View of Marketing, Jervoe walked attendees through the quick service restaurant’s groundbreaking The Lost Ring program around its sponsorship of the ’08 Olympic Games in Beijing.

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Filed under: digital media, IEG conference, new media, olympics, sports, activation