Fresh Insights from IEG

Sponsorship Sales Tips: Preparing For Pent-up Demand

While sponsorship deal-making usually grinds to a halt during the dog days of summer—a situation that’s been exacerbated this year as a result of the economy—some veteran sellers are starting to see signs of looser budgets and more deals in 4Q ’09 and beyond.

While that’s good news for the sponsorship industry, properties need to be more strategic than ever to capture those dollars.

I recently spoke with Cary Chevat, president of sponsorship sales agency Sponsorship Resources, who shared some tips for securing deals during the 4Q decision-making time period.

More >

Filed under: entertainment, how to get sponsorship, negotiating, selling, spending, agency

Coffee War Percolates New Sponsorship Spending

Today’s coffee lover faces more choices than ever on where to buy their favorite brew, and that has prompted new sponsorship spending on behalf of coffee retailers.

That activity has been driven in large part by McDonald’s Corp., which took on Starbucks Corp., Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. and other coffee retailers earlier this year with the launch of the McCafe coffee line.

Competition also has been fueled by convenience stores, many of which are adding premium coffee blends to their product offering. Coffee can be a profitable item: New Jersey-based Quick Chek reported a 10 percent increase in coffee sales in its fiscal first quarter.

More >

Filed under: how to get sponsorship, marathon, spending, cause marketing

Props To Proprietary Programs

Properties looking for a good way to whet the interest of potential sponsors should consider offering proprietary platforms that give companies “ownership” of part of an event.

That ownership can come in many forms, ranging from title of a cooking area at a food festival to naming rights to an entrance at a sports complex, state fair, or community festival.

More >

Filed under: events, how to get sponsorship, packaging, sports, activation

Is $27 Million Too Much For Primary Status Of A NASCAR Team?

Heard at this past weekend’s NASCAR race that Aflac paid $27 million last year for its primary sponsorship of Carl Edwards’ Roush Fenway Sprint Cup Series team.

Talk about buying at the top of the market.

To be sure, Aflac does a good job activating the sponsorship, at least through TV ads. There’s no escaping that pesky duck.

But really, one has to consider what else that kind of money could buy. Speaking in ballpark terms, $27 million would easily cover the cost of other national marketing platforms—ranging from nonprofits to stick-and-ball pro sports teams—with millions to spare.

More >

Filed under: motorsports, NASCAR, sponsorship measurement

A Good Example Of A Post-Event Fulfillment Report

I’ve recently received a number of requests for examples of good post-event fulfillment reports, and I came across a great one today with Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival.

If you’re not already giving your sponsors post-event fulfillment reports, do it. Without a doubt, the reports play an incredibly important role in your sponsor renewal efforts. And in these tough economic times, properties that don’t produce reports are at risk of losing their sponsors.

Case in point: According to the IEG/Performance Research Sponsorship Decision-Makers Survey, post-event reports are ranked as the most important service provided by a property, valued more highly than research on sponsor recall and loyalty, among other services.

More >

Filed under: music, events

Big Leaps, Big Returns: Watchmaker Hublot’s Approach To Sponsorship
I was in Switzerland last week meeting with Jean-Claude Biver about his keynote at Leap, IEG’s 2012 Sponsorship Conference next month.

More >

Filed under: cause marketing, endorsements, IEG conference, international, motorsports, sports, activation

Komen Controversy's Lessons For Sponsors
Having enjoyed many years of a productive partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the organization’s corporate partners are no doubt feeling blindsided by this week’s firestorm over SGK’s decision to no longer provide funding to Planned Parenthood.

More >

Filed under: cause marketing, nonprofit, social media, backlash

Sponsorship and Return on Innovation
Speakers at IEG’s 2012 Sponsorship Conference are bringing unprecedented levels of innovation to the sponsorship space.

More >

Filed under: arts, events, festivals, IEG conference, non-traditional categories, activation

Paterno’s Legacy And The Big Question For Sports And Sports Marketers
My family and I moved to the suburbs of Pittsburgh when I was nine and Joe Paterno was already many years into becoming a football and Pennsylvania legend.

More >

Filed under: college sports, pro sports, sports, backlash

Despite Many Questions, Tebow Is A Prime Sponsorship Candidate
It may seem odd that I wrote the headline to this post during the third quarter of Saturday’s night playoff game, at the exact moment Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was getting sacked with his team down 42-7 to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

More >

Filed under: pro sports, endorsements

Procter & Gamble Understands The Value Of Cause Marketing Better Than Anyone
Jerry Welsh introduced the term cause related marketing—a strategy he created while EVP of worldwide marketing at American Express—at the second annual IEG Sponsorship Conference in 1985.

More >

Filed under: IEG conference, trends, cause marketing

Will Short-term And Shared Deals Be The Death Of Sponsorship?
In the beginning, stadium naming rights agreements were largely 20-year commitments, with a few 10-year exceptions. The bulk of NASCAR team sponsorships were for a full season, and marketers signed on to sponsor every stop of a concert tour.

More >

Filed under: what is sponsorship, sponsorship measurement

Measuring TV Exposure Does Not Capture Sponsorship ROI
There is much more to measuring the ROI of a sponsorship than accounting for the value of brand exposure during TV broadcasts, yet I continue to hear stories of sponsors that put nearly all of their measurement emphasis on that

More >

Filed under: sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, international

Heineken’s Smart Approach To Sponsorship Activation
While in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, I dropped in on Hans Erik Tuijt, global manager of activation for Heineken and a speaker at IEG’s 2012 sponsorship conference.

More >

Filed under: beer, branded content, digital media, events, festivals, IEG conference, international, music, new media, research, sponsored content, sponsorship measurement, sponsorship ROI, activation

What Does Pujols Deal Mean For L.A. Angels’ Sponsorship Revenue?
While Angels fans start planning World Series celebrations and Cardinals fans assess their club’s fortunes in the wake of Albert Pujols’ departing St. Louis for Anaheim, others are looking at the impact the slugger’s arrival will have on his new team’s bottom line.

More >

Filed under: pro sports, selling, endorsements