Latest Thinking from IEG

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Gears Up College Basketball Promotion; Latin Music Sponsorship

Looking for a point of differentiation in an increasingly cluttered category, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, inc. is ramping up promotional activity in the first quarter of ’10 for at least two of its brands.

For Sunkist, DPS will leverage partnerships with the Big 10 Conference, Big East Conference, Pac-10 and other college sports conferences with a national promotion featuring college athletic personality Dick Vitale.

For 7-Up, DPS plans to build on the brand’s seven-month-old Sevenisima Hispanic marketing campaign with a sponsorship of a major Latin music property. The Sevenisima campaign was designed to play up 7-Up’s healthier refreshment positioning by celebrating “flavorful moments experienced through a natural, real lifestyle.” The campaign featured a sweeps this past summer that dangled family vacations, shopping sprees and other prizes.

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Filed under: music, pro sports, soft drink, spending, sports, activation

An Unlikely Partnership: Condoms and Curling

In perhaps the most unlikely partnership of the year, USA Curling and longtime sponsor Kodiak Technology Group this week announced a new promotion in which the two organizations will sell Hurry Hard Condoms as a platform to raise funds for HIV and AIDS awareness.

The two organizations hope to build awareness about the disease by leveraging the buzz around the upcoming Vancouver Games. Proceeds will be split between USA Curling and Central Coast HIV/AIDS Services.

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Filed under: cause marketing, olympics, sports, activation

Tiger, His Transgressions, and His Sponsors

My first thought was not to write a blog item about Tiger Woods, because I figured I would just be reiterating what everyone else was saying. But having perused the marketing and sports business media coverage, I haven’t seen anyone else quoted who shares my particular take on the matter, so here goes.

Let me start by saying I make no assumptions about what Tiger did or did not do in the “transgressions” area. The particulars are not important for this discussion. What matters in the marketing sense is that Tiger is now the center of controversy, rightly or wrongly, so what does that mean for the companies he endorses, or who sponsor his foundation, etc.?

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Filed under: sports, endorsements

Taking a Closer Look at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

While I know that you are disappointed because Britney Spears no longer occupies the top spot for number of searches on yahoo.com, it isn’t surprising that it was Michael Jackson that knocked her out of the top spot.

However, what I found to be more surprising is that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is number three on the list. Unexpectedly, the only other sport in the top ten is NASCAR at number ten.

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Filed under: entertainment, events, sports, activation

Casino’s Ambush Marketing Gamble Craps Out

Harrah’s Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind.—just over the state line from Chicago—took a chance at the beginning of the ’09 MLB season by renting ad space on the rooftop of a building across the street from the left-field bleachers of the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field.

For a reported $600,000-a-year, two-year deal, the casino received lots of TV exposure during Cubs broadcasts. But the team has now put the kibosh on that visibility, erecting two large outfield billboards that block TV cameras’ view of the Horseshoe sign.

While I have nothing against clever ambush marketing efforts, this attempt by Horseshoe does not fit in that category. It paid what appears to be a highly inflated rate for the rooftop, as reports are that previous advertiser Anheuser-Busch paid just $347,000 in ’08 for its Budweiser sign that occupied the same space. The Cubs—under former owner Tribune Co.—were okay with that ad, as A-B has been a longtime official sponsor of the team.

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Filed under: pro sports, sports, ambush marketing

Eco-Conscience Title Sponsorship for U.K. Sailing Team

Have you ever heard of a property donating an $8.3 million title sponsorship slot? Well you have now! Team Origin, a U.K. America’s Cup team founded by business man Keith Mills, is donating the title sponsorship of their team to Carbon Trust, an independent business set up by the U.K. government to affect positive change regarding low-carbon economies.

Team Origin is an eco-conscience team at heart but they also believe this to be a good financial decision. “This is a different way of marketing sport and a model that has a lot of promise going forward” said Tom Delay, CEO of Carbon Trust. According to Mr. Delay “The team has said it believes in being sustainable in terms of our environmental impact, and we are going to attract a number of sponsors who all want to be associated with that as a core value.”

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Filed under: international, pro sports, selling, sports, cause marketing

Don’t Rip the Gatekeeper’s Arms Off

If you have ever been nervous about giving a speech or presentation, you’ve probably heard that you should picture the audience members in their underwear. If you’ve ever tried it, chances are you know how bad that advice is.

In that spirit, play this 12-second video for some bad advice on how to get past the gatekeeper in your next sales effort.

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Filed under: entertainment, evaluation, how to get sponsorship, nonprofit, selling, sports, agency

New Day In Sponsorship: Nonprofit Pays Cash To Sponsor Nationally Televised Sports Event

Cancer.net Skate America begins today in Lake Placid, N.Y., marking a significant development in sponsorship. The title sponsor is the consumer Web site of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a physician’s membership association.

The professional organization is paying a cash fee to U.S. Figure Skating, and told IEG Sponsorship Report last month that this will not be its last sponsorship. “Doing this once is not going to be sufficient. We’re in the process of talking to other organizations,” said Allen Lichter, MD, the association’s CEO.

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Filed under: beverage, hospitals and healthcare, medical societies, nonprofit, non-traditional categories, sports, trends, associations

Cleveland Cavs Go One-and-One from the Promotion Line

While cruising through the status updates of my peeps on Facebook I saw the Cleveland Cavaliers had posted this offer: “Talk about a slam dunk! We want to share one of our best perks with you! Our friends at Quicken Loans give us a great discount on home loans as part of their exclusive benefit program, The Mortgage Insiders. But you can get it too! Just ask about adding the Mortgage Insiders Benefit Program to your workplace benefits.... Be part of the winning team by participating with the Cavs, Cleveland Clinic, UPS, Microsoft, Dell and others and become a Mortgage Insider today!”

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Filed under: digital media, entertainment, new media, selling, sports, activation

The Business of College Athletics Costs UCF A Future Deal with adidas

This has been a hot topic for several years and it is only getting hotter. The University of Central Florida has had an ongoing relationship with adidas and had a verbal agreement on a $3 million exclusive contract. That of course meant that the UCF men’s basketball team would be wearing adidas shoes on the court. When Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan’s son, wore Nike shoes in the season debut this week, the issue boiled over. Representatives from adidas have now said there will be no deal with UCF.

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Filed under: sports