Latest Thinking from IEG

IEG 2010: Wednesday Wind Down (Thursday Wind Up!)

While I can't speak for all my colleagues at IEG, I will, just this once: thank you, from all of us, for your energy, your humor, and your hunger for purpose.

We capped off the last day of IEG 2010 with great round tables and sessions from impossible2Possible, State Farm, GM, and STIHL. Especially if you had to head out early, I recommend you check back on the dashboard to look at any handouts and the session notes once we get them posted.

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Filed under: IEG 2010, IEG conference, IEG

Shelley’s Number One Lesson from IEG 2010: You Are Not an Island

For a long time I’ve prided myself on being an independent gal, a true “Single Lady” that even Beyonce would give a head nod to in the club. Not surprisingly, I value this quality in others. I like the ballsy, brashness it takes to pack up your car, drive cross country with no idea what awaits you, or to start your own business on a whim and a prayer. However, as I reach the ripe old age of thirty, I’ve learned that this independence does not serve one well in all situations. In fact, if anything, it can be downright detrimental to tapping in to a greatness that you have to offer that lies on the other side of independent bad-ass-itude.

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Filed under: IEG 2010, IEG conference, selling, activation

IEG 2010: A New Model For Media Partnerships

Properties looking to step up their sponsorship sales effort should consider revenue-share agreements with newspapers and other media partners.

That’s the advice of David Wise, marketing director with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has struck revenue-share deals with several properties over the past year.

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010

IEG 2010: Clorox Cleans Up With Sponsorship

While many companies have cut back on sponsorship spending in the recent past, The Clorox Co. is embracing the medium more than ever.

In his presentation “The Rewards of Expanding in a Time of Contraction,” Drew McGowan, senior group manager, public relations & sponsorships, provided insight into sponsorship activity on behalf of the following three brands:  

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010

IEG 2010: BIC Uses Major League Gaming to Rejuvenate Brand

How does an old razor brand with loads of awareness but an aging consumer base rejuvenate its image, draw a younger audience and boost sales?

For BIC Consumer Products, the answer is a partnership with Major League Gaming.

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010

Wait, I’m the Expert??

While this year’s sessions at Unbound are as thought-provoking and info-packed as ever, the highlight of this year’s conference for me has been participating in IEG’s Meet the Expert sessions—short meetings with attendees who have any number of sponsorship questions, from the basic to the bizarre.

Just in the last 24 hours, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with an attendee who founded a super-niche jazz festival, one who is creating a unique cooking Web site and another who wants to save the world by teaching children how to play.

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010

IEG 2010: Key Takeaways for Nonprofit Partnerships

The evolution of cause marketing, CSR and the entire spectrum of nonprofit partnerships has been an enormous topic of conversation at IEG 2010: Unbound. From the pre-conference session with panelists from Allstate and Children’s Miracle Network to sessions presented by Green Mountain Coffee and Susan G. Komen, there have been some very clear common themes.  Success in nonprofit partnerships for brands and properties alike can be defined based on the following elements:

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Filed under: cause marketing, IEG 2010, IEG conference, nonprofit, branded content

Short and Sweet from IEG Conference

Partially since I am pressed for time and partially since there are other blogs posted about the IEG Conference, I am going to keep my Conference blog short and sweet. I am sure once I have more time to digest the Conference material in the coming weeks there will be session topics that I revisit in future blogs.

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010

IEG 2010: Virgin Mobile Re*Generates Sponsorship

In an insightful keynote interview with IEG CEO Lesa Ukman, Bob Stohrer, Sprint Nextel Corp.’s vice president of marketing, Sprint prepaid group, provided insight into Virgin Mobile’s sponsorship strategy, including the brand’s use of cause marketing.  

Below, four topics discussed during the interview: 

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Filed under: IEG 2010

IEG 2010: Emerging Sponsor Categories and How to Sign Them

Several sponsorship sellers that weren’t able to make it to IEG’s Unbound conference asked me to highlight some of the hottest industries discussed today at my roundtable on emerging sponsorship categories. Below, three categories that every property should have on their radar screen:

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Filed under: IEG conference, IEG 2010