IEG’s Sponsorship Blogs

How to Make Rest Stops a Viable Sponsorship Opportunity

Posted: 3/30/2010 3:22:08 PM by Vinu Joseph | with 0 comments

Plenty of bandwidth has been spent on this site discussing how government entities get it wrong when dealing with sponsorship. And this Philly.com article on a plan to sell naming rights to rest stops on the New Jersey Turnpike will do little to reverse that trend. The stops are already named for New Jersey’s most famous sons and daughters, so corporate naming rights can be expected to inspire particularly heated backlash.

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Filed under: government/municipal, naming rights, backlash

Should Toyota and Cardiac Science Product Recalls Have Any Impact on Their Sponsorships?

Posted: 2/10/2010 1:59:08 PM by Diane Knoepke | with 0 comments

Usually when we’re talking about recall and sponsorship in the same conversation, it’s a discussion of figuring out whether audience members had a positive recall (aided or unaided) of a given property's sponsors as measured by a survey. Today, however, we’re talking about product recalls and what should be done by (and for) properties that have the manufacturers—if not the product brands themselves—as sponsors?

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Filed under: government/municipal, guidelines, NASCAR, non-traditional categories, sports, contracts

Four Reasons CVBs Should Sponsor More and Advertise Less

Posted: 12/7/2009 9:49:23 AM by Diane Knoepke | with 1 comments

Can I really tell CVBs to spend less on advertising? Am I brave enough to court the wrath of media entities and the hospitality and travel industries? OK, no.

CVBs, tourism boards and destinations should spend fewer marketing dollars on one-off advertising and a la carte direct mail marketing. Instead, spend dollars on ads and direct mail campaigns as part of—or activation of—integrated sponsorship packages.

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Filed under: associations, destination/tourism, digital media, entertainment, government/municipal, spending, activation

Extreme Makeover: Sponsorship Edition (Episode #2)

Posted: 11/13/2009 11:45:47 AM by Diane Knoepke | with 0 comments

See Episode 1 for information about this blog series.

Motel 6’s Great Teddy Bear Roundup

Before: This week, Accor North America’s Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands launched the second annual Great Teddy Bear Roundup. This program asks people to donate new teddy bears at Motel 6/Studio 6 drop-off locations. The locations then deliver the teddy bears to local law enforcement, fire stations and hospitals that use the teddy bears “to comfort children experiencing stressful or traumatic situations.” The 2008 campaign yielded 10,000 teddy bear donations across the country. This year, the local police or fire department in the community where the most donations are made will also receive $6,000. Read the Motel 6 press release here.

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Filed under: cause marketing, destination/tourism, government/municipal, hospitals and healthcare, local, nonprofit, strategic philanthropy, activation

Welcome to Apple Station at North and Clybourn

Posted: 10/28/2009 11:06:46 AM by Rob Campbell | with 0 comments

Here in Chicago (and only a couple of stops from IEG) Apple committed $4 million to renovate the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) North and Clybourn stop on the Red Line.

For its commitment to revitalizing the run-down CTA station, Apple receives the exclusive right to buy all of the ad space in the station and, perhaps more importantly, first rights to rename the station should the CTA decide to sell naming rights.

Although a first for Apple, its new relationship with the CTA does not completely come from out of the blue.  Next year, Apple plans to open a new Chicago location steps from the North and Clybourn stop.

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Filed under: non-traditional categories, government/municipal

Stop Using Sponsorship As A Political Football

Posted: 10/15/2009 1:40:39 PM by Vinu Joseph | with 0 comments

Yet again we’re seeing an unfortunate intersection between sponsorship and politics. In this story reported in the Charleston Daily Mail, the West Virginia Coal Association has indicated that increased environmental regulation may force it to cut back on its sponsorships and charitable spending.

That spending includes sponsorship of the Friends of Coal Bowl—an annual rivalry game between the state’s two biggest college football teams. The association’s seven-year deal runs through 2012. The story quotes WVCA president Bill Raney, saying, “You're taking today and looking at 2012 and we certainly hope we'll be able to do it, but the destiny lies in the hands of the administration in Washington.”

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Filed under: sports, government/municipal

Is A Sponsorship Sales Agency Working Entirely On Commission A Good Idea?

Posted: 10/13/2009 10:09:21 AM by Jim Andrews | with 0 comments

The City of Indianapolis recently jumped on the municipal marketing bandwagon, hiring agency Third Street Partners to develop a sponsorship plan and broker deals with prospective sponsors.

The five-month old firm was able to beat out more established agencies for the business, and we’re guessing a big reason for that—in addition to Third Street’s local roots—was its willingness to work entirely on commission, with no retainer or expense coverage.

According to the city’s Web site, the agency will take a 15 percent commission on deals it lands during the first two years of the contract and 10 percent on sponsorships signed during the final five months of the agreement, which expires at the end of 2011.

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Filed under: government/municipal, selling, agency

Strength In Numbers: Sponsors Should Work Together On Activation

Posted: 10/9/2009 12:53:08 PM by Jim Andrews | with 0 comments

Often when you look at an event or other sponsored property, sponsor presence is akin to a bunch of strangers attending a party—all lined up against the wall, well-dressed and smiling, waiting for someone to notice and engage them.

Someone—it really should be the party host, or sponsored property—should nudge them and say, “Hey guys, why don’t you start by mixing with each other? That will probably help attract others to you.”

IEG has long been a proponent of cross-promotions among cosponsors as a way to access new channels, share costs and in general, join the party. I consider hosting sponsor summits and facilitating conversations among sponsors as one of the most fun parts of the job.

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Filed under: beverage, government/municipal, non-traditional categories, activation

Now You Can Be Interesting AND Keep Your Soul

Posted: 10/7/2009 1:33:21 PM by Diane Knoepke | with 0 comments

In protecting their ethics and standards, too many organizations avoid creativity. Like cutting fat and cholesterol from your diet and deciding that must mean flavor is bad for you too.

I am pleased to see GOOD Magazine's partnerships with Gap Inc. and Whole Foods. While you could argue that Whole Foods is a like-minded company that is endemic to GOOD's M.O., Gap surprised me a little bit. In a good way. Sure, they have a history of ethical labor practices (including their response to the 2007 child labor problem in India), but it could be tough for a magazine like GOOD to find truly mainstream partners that are in keeping with their image.

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Filed under: associations, cause marketing, digital media, government/municipal, guidelines, hospitals and healthcare, nonprofit, activation

It’s a Memorial, Not a Stadium—When Public-Private Partnerships Go Wrong

Posted: 9/23/2009 2:17:32 PM by Vinu Joseph | with 1 comments

Unfortunately the Australian War Memorial provides another cautionary tale for public-private partnerships. According to this story from News.com.au, backlash has arisen over the sponsorship activity in the memorial, including corporate ties to the eternal flame and to the daily closing ceremony. While I applaud the Australian government for its willingness to engage corporate partners, I’m sorry to see it done in such a stale and unimaginative way. Once again a government entity appears to be looking at its appeal purely in terms of eyeballs, essentially equating itself to a football stadium or a mall.

In this case, visibility MUST go hand in hand with a compelling storyline. Let’s consider a more relevant tie-in for the sponsor of the closing ceremony. At the end of each day’s ceremonies, visitors could be asked to fill out a postcard providing a message of thanks to war veterans. The postcards could be filled out and dropped off at sponsor-branded tables. And, if it wants to put a cherry on top, the company could commit to a small donation to the memorial for each postcard submitted (with both a minimum and maximum threshold).

The memorial gets its money. The consumer gets to participate. The company gets the visibility and a meaningful connection to a cause. It’s not super-sophisticated, but it doesn’t have to be to produce results. Any other ideas?

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Filed under: government/municipal, international, cause marketing