Latest Thinking from IEG

Five Relevant Lessons from Red Bull on Using Digital to Activate Sponsorships
The Red Bull Stratos mission— that saw Felix Baumgartner jump from more than 23 miles above the earth on Oct. 14, 2012—did not just break the world records for longest distance free fall, highest jump from a platform and maximum vertical velocity, it was the biggest digital live event on record, raising the bar on how brands can activate sponsorships in social media.

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Filed under: beverage, branded content, digital media, events, social media, sponsored content, activation

Analysis: Motorola/NFL And Dr Pepper/Chicago Bears Sponsorships
News this week regarding the end of one partnership and the beginning of another raises some interesting questions.

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Filed under: beverage, pro sports, telecommunications, activation

Pepsi Refresh Still Plagued by Bad Practices
My IEG Consulting Group colleagues and I have been pleased to help hundreds of nonprofits— from UNICEF and World Wildlife Fund to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the American Heart Assn.—generate millions of dollars in nontraditional revenue. We also have teamed with some of the world’s leading brands to value, measure and maximize their ROI on nonprofit partnerships.

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Filed under: beverage, cause marketing, social media, soft drink, backlash

The Secret behind Jones Soda’s Phantom Sponsorship

I should start by saying I don’t actually know what really happened behind the scenes of the very interesting turn of events that unfolded last week regarding the NBA New Jersey Nets and the switch of the team’s official soft drink sponsorship from Jones Soda to Coca-Cola.

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Filed under: pro sports, soft drink, venues, beverage

Return on Engagement: The Art and Crafts of Sponsorship

Leading up to the 2011 IEG Sponsorship Conference, Return on Engagement: Sponsorship’s Impact on Business, I will be blogging on measuring sponsorship’s ROI: How to do it, what the research reveals, improving the value of sponsorship, etc.

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Filed under: cause marketing, evaluation, IEG conference, international, new media, nonprofit, social media, sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, beverage

My Experience with Pepsi Refresh Leaves a Not Great Taste

In the midst of the second week of trying to rally support for my stepdaughter’s Pepsi Refresh grant application, I’m struck by my response, which is counterintuitive.

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Filed under: beverage, social media, soft drink, backlash

Sponsorship Potential From New Caribbean Brew

For those properties with room in the beer category, a new player has entered the U.S. market and is looking for opportunities to create buzz and interact with consumers on the grassroots level. Presidente Beer from the Dominican Republic wants to establish itself as a leader among imported Latin beers, according to the marketing agency it has hired to help in that effort, Miami-based ViVA Partnership.

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Filed under: beverage, international, prospecting, beer

Why Aren’t Corporate Sponsors Optimizing Search Terms?

Official corporate sponsors of the 2008 and 2010 Olympics failed to optimize social media opportunities by ignoring search engine optimization. Now the official corporate sponsors of the 2010 FIFA World Cup—including Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates and Hyundai/Kia—are missing the boat.

All are failing to link their activation to online search terms such as “soccer world cup” and “world cup 2010.” There is a huge volume of traffic surrounding these terms and sponsors have the rights to use them. So why aren’t they optimizing? Why isn’t FIFA advising them to do so?

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Filed under: ambush marketing, beverage, cause marketing, digital media, endorsements, international, music, olympics, social media, soft drink, sports, activation

Interesting Developments At Major Sponsors

(This blog post originally appeared as an opinion column in IEG Sponsorship Report on April 19, 2010.)

In recent private conversations with a number of key sponsorship professionals, I picked up the following tidbits that I thought were worth sharing:

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Filed under: beverage, motorsports, NASCAR, retail, social media, soft drink, trends, activation

Festival Sponsors Get Creative With Activation

Festivals are going from strength to strength, especially in Europe. Just one indication of their prominence is the special limited edition jeans Diesel produced for Denmark’s Roskilde Festival. The run of 1,000 jeans are specially treated to deal with mud, wind, rain and other surprises that you might come across during the course of a festival. 

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Filed under: beverage, digital media, events, festivals, international, music, new media, social media, activation