Latest Thinking from IEG

Keep Your Eye On Online Gaming As Potential Blockbuster Sponsor Category
Just a little over two years ago, the Internet gambling industry in the U.S. was under siege from the federal government. It was declared illegal and the operators of its largest concerns were the targets of criminal and civil lawsuits.

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Filed under: prospecting, selling, spending, non-traditional categories

Musical Airline Sponsorships in Barcelona
Turkish Airlines, a “Premium Partner” of FC Barcelona since January 2010, is being displaced by a change in the club’s shirt sponsor.

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Filed under: contracts, endorsements, international, negotiating, pro sports, servicing, spending, sponsorship strategy, sports, backlash

Sponsor Survey Outlines Steps Rightsholders Must Take
In case you missed it, IEG has released the finding from the 12th annual IEG/Performance Research Sponsorship Decision-makers Survey.

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Filed under: IEG, research, selling, servicing, social media, spending, sponsorship evaluation, sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, sponsorship strategy, trends, activation

Chase Paid $30 Million And Didn’t Get Title? Smart Move

The news that JPMorgan Chase signed a 10-year agreement with Madison Square Garden for a reported $30 million a year certainly raised many an eyebrow across the sponsorship industry earlier this week.

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Filed under: naming rights, pro sports, spending, sports, trends, valuation, venues, financial services

The Lists Have It: Corporate Sponsorship Works for Brands

Pat yourself on the back. Not only do you look fabulous today (oh, c’mon, you know you do), you’re pretty brilliant. Specific evidence of your above-average intelligence? You already knew that leading brands use corporate sponsorship to drive/reinforce their brand value and market leadership.

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Filed under: spending, sponsorship measurement, IEG

Behind The Numbers: Sponsorship’s Spending Decline

We recently released IEG’s 25th annual sponsorship spending review and forecast, delivering the historic, if unwelcome, news that sponsorship spending by North American companies declined in ’09. If you haven’t had a chance to read the report and see the specific numbers, click here.

The fact that less was spent on sponsorship last year does not come as a huge shock to properties who have had to work much harder to close deals at fair market value, nor to sponsors who have been directed to make budget cuts. As we reported on new deals and success stories in IEG Sponsorship Report last year—success defined mostly by the oft-repeated phrase “flat is the new up”—we also heard many tales that could not be published about discounting and sponsors who were going back and revisiting existing agreements intent on decreasing their commitments.

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Filed under: associations, cause marketing, entertainment, events, festivals, IEG, spending, sports, trends, arts

Add This Sponsorship Resolution to Your List: Measure Everything

Is a new-year’s-resolution post a tad predictable? Yep, and I’m embracing it, as you should embrace the idea of embedding predictability into your world in 2010. 

Put measurement (and results-driven action) at the top of your 2010 To (Really) Do List and you will have a more prosperous new year and a more bankable future.

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Filed under: evaluation, spending, sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, activation

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Gears Up College Basketball Promotion; Latin Music Sponsorship

Looking for a point of differentiation in an increasingly cluttered category, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, inc. is ramping up promotional activity in the first quarter of ’10 for at least two of its brands.

For Sunkist, DPS will leverage partnerships with the Big 10 Conference, Big East Conference, Pac-10 and other college sports conferences with a national promotion featuring college athletic personality Dick Vitale.

For 7-Up, DPS plans to build on the brand’s seven-month-old Sevenisima Hispanic marketing campaign with a sponsorship of a major Latin music property. The Sevenisima campaign was designed to play up 7-Up’s healthier refreshment positioning by celebrating “flavorful moments experienced through a natural, real lifestyle.” The campaign featured a sweeps this past summer that dangled family vacations, shopping sprees and other prizes.

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Filed under: music, pro sports, soft drink, spending, sports, activation

Four Reasons CVBs Should Sponsor More and Advertise Less

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

GlaxoSmithKline Provides Valuable Service as Olympic Sponsor

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline recently signed on as the 25th sponsor of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As part of the three-year, estimated $15 million deal GlaxoSmithKline will assume the designation ‘Official Laboratory Services Provider.’

Perhaps the most important part of this deal is that as the Official Laboratory Services Provider, GlaxoSmithKline will provide the laboratories and equipment to test Olympic athletes for illegal and performance-enhancing drugs as they compete in London.

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Filed under: international, packaging, spending, contracts