Latest Thinking from IEG

Louis Vuitton Connects The Dots By Leveraging Artist Collaboration
The partnership between Louis Vuitton and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama shows that the arts are every bit as exploitable as sport. It just takes creativity.

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Filed under: arts, digital media, fashion, international, museums/zoos/aquariums, retail, activation

Designer “Haute-Eliers” And Their Brand Partnerships
Over the last decade, upscale fashion brands found on New York City’s Madison Avenue, Paris’s Avenue Montaigne and London’s Sloane Street have extended well beyond apparel and accessories into housewares, sheets and textiles, lighting and furniture.

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Filed under: international, trends, venues, fashion

Italian Cultural Partnerships Bear Watching
As oil is the Middle East’s natural resource, culture is Italy’s. The country is home to more UNESCO World Heritage sites, museums and archeological sites than any other in the world.

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Filed under: backlash, cause marketing, destination/tourism, fashion, government/municipal, international, museums/zoos/aquariums, arts

The Fashion Games
Design of Olympic apparel has radically shifted from costume to fashion at the 2012 London Games.

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Filed under: international, London 2012, olympics, fashion

Orange You Glad It’s Glastonbury Sponsorship Time? (And A Personal Note)

My colleague Julie Kimball passed around the latest in a long line of cool Orange ideas that get us geeking out not only over the smart technology but also the smart use of sponsorship.

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Filed under: entertainment, fashion, festivals, green, telecommunications, activation

Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami And Sponsors Deliver For Audience

Although Audi was not the primary sponsor of either Art Basel Miami Beach or its sister event, Design Miami—roles that belong to UBS and HSBC Private Wealth respectively—it was the most ubiquitous.

Eschewing auto shows in favor of the Miami events for the unveiling of its 2010 A8, Audi of America spent north of $6 million but south of $10 million building out its presence.

The automaker, which has increased its marketing budget by 20 percent this year to seize share from its more distressed competitors in the luxury car segment, did not merely sponsor the Miami happenings. Instead, Audi took on the roles of cultural creator and arts curator. For example, in addition to providing the vehicles for the shuttle service for VIPs attending the events, Audi:

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Filed under: arts, automotive, events, fashion, festivals, financial services, retail, activation

Izod and Indy Will Be Interesting Partnership To Watch

Media reports indicate that the IndyCar Series will announce its first title sponsor in eight years with a Thursday announcement that Phillips-Van Heusen Corp.’s Izod brand has purchased naming rights.

Much of the current commentary around the deal involves speculation of how much Izod is paying. The Indianapolis Star quoted the series’ sales rep, Zac Brown of Just Marketing, as saying the “asking price” was $10 million a year to be allocated across IndyCar and its media partners.

Conventional wisdom says that no property is getting its asking price these days. And that $10 million starting point is down from where it was three years ago, when an exec for a company that had been pitched the series title at that time told me IndyCar was seeking $15 million a year for 10 years, not including TV ad buy commitments.

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Filed under: fashion, sports, activation

Go For Sponsorship Gold: One Simple Rule

Remember the Golden Rule (for those academics reading, you may be more familiar with it as the “Ethic of Reciprocity”)? Something to the effect of “do unto others as you’d have done unto you” (not sure if I got that exactly right, I’d be overstretching it to say I’m the most virtuous person), but I’ve always loved the zen utility of being able to answer every question or solve every problem with one simple tenet.

So what’s the Golden Rule of sponsorship? If, as people, we’re supposed to treat others how we want to be treated, what as sponsorship pros is the golden statute to employ? Now, I’m no Buddha and I don’t claim to have the mystical, sage wisdom of the ages, however, I have seen a lot of sponsorship – good and bad – and while it may not be sexy, I think it comes down to this: enhance the consumer experience. 

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Filed under: branded entertainment, digital media, entertainment, fashion, activation