Latest Thinking from IEG

A Perfect Fit: Jockey’s Support of the Fight against “Cancer below the Waist”

On any given Saturday, I have a sneaking suspicion that most people will find themselves lying around in their underwear at some point throughout the day. On a recent Saturday, the Jockey brand challenged Chicagoans to take it outside.

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Filed under: cause marketing, nonprofit, strategic philanthropy, activation

The Power of Spider Webs in Sponsorship

The spider web has long been known to be one of the strongest materials on earth. One strand on its own does not serve much of a purpose, but when hundreds and thousands are woven together, the true strength emerges.

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Filed under: assets, activation

Sponsorship Messaging: Creating a Link between Sponsor and Property

Often, companies sponsoring non-endemic properties are able to create a link through a clever messaging campaign. Developing the messaging strategy for a non-endemic sponsorship campaign requires a three-step process:

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Filed under: motorsports, pro sports, sports, trends, activation

How Social Media Is Impacting Sponsorship, Part 4

Returning to a topic I have addressed in previous blog posts, I thought I would share some insights presented by the two major social networking players at last week’s Leaders in Football conference in London.

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Filed under: assets, digital media, new media, pro sports, activation

Your In-kind Sponsorship Agenda: Questions to Ask Before Signing

In-kind is on the brain. Big time. I’ve talked with no less than a half-dozen clients in the last ten days about one or more in-kind and/or barter sponsorship arrangements they are negotiating. In some cases, companies are trying to leverage product or promotional inventory to eliminate part or all of their cash outlay; in others, properties are targeting companies based on the potential for access to their product. Yet the common thread throughout our conversations has been more about the questions they need to be asking than the type of inventory they are negotiating.

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Filed under: in-kind, negotiating, valuation, activation

Platform Exclusivity: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

One concept that I’ve seen properties begin to adopt lately, and which could become a larger sponsorship sales trend, is platform exclusivity. The idea is that only one corporate partner is permitted to activate in a specified channel or manner, e.g., mobile-device marketing, in-store retail promotions, use of video content, ticket giveaways, etc.

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Filed under: assets, negotiating, packaging, selling, trends, activation

A Print Media Sponsorship That Actually Qualifies As A Sponsorship

When I receive word of a “sponsorship” or “marketing partnership” that has at its core a relationship between a corporation and a magazine publisher, I tend to disregard it as nothing more than a media buy that’s been given a gussied up name to try to generate some additional buzz.

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Filed under: assets, automotive, media sponsorship, retail, what is sponsorship, activation

Signs of Good Sponsorship: Old Style Shows Us How to Use the Most Old School of Sponsor Benefits

With family guests in town and Chicago’s perennial summer uptick in my and everyone else’s social calendar, the past couple weeks have been chock full of city fun: Cubs and Sox games (full disclosure: I bleed Cubby blue), symphony at Millennium Park, The Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science & Industry. . .

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Filed under: beer, how to get sponsorship, local, sports, what is sponsorship, activation

P&G Example Shows Activation Leads To Bigger and Better Deals

Procter & Gamble's success at the Vancouver Olympic Games—which prompted its new TOP deal with the IOC—was a result of great activation of its USOC sponsorship.

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Filed under: international, olympics, activation

The Conundrum Of Size In Sponsorship

As with many other things, size both does and doesn’t matter when it comes to sponsorship.

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Filed under: what is sponsorship, activation