Fresh Insights from IEG

Extent of Sponsorship Category Exclusivity

Category exclusivity can be a major aspect of a sponsorship negotiation and partnership. First there is the question of whether or not category exclusivity is part of the sponsorship, then there is the matter of what categories are going to be included and finally there is the issue of what is the extent of the exclusivity. Take two major organizations like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). A TOP sponsor of the IOC has category exclusivity that extends throughout the structure of the organization, whereas category exclusivity for a FIFA Partner doesn’t have quite the same reach. The organizations are very different and not directly comparable, but we can look at how this difference in extent of category exclusivity might affect a sponsor.

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Filed under: olympics

Disney and the HandsOn Network: Give a Day. Get a Disney Day

You may have seen some recent TV commercials featuring; Taye Diggs, Terri Hatcher, James Denton, Missy Piggy, Kermit the Frog and other Muppets characters for Disney’s Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. campaign.

The promotion, a partnership with HandsOn Network (a nationwide network of a half million volunteers) will distribute one million one-day, one-park tickets to people who volunteer at select charities. The promotion began January 1, 2010 and continues through December 15th, 2010.

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Filed under: cause marketing

Part Two: How can I Maximize the Value of my Sponsorship Opportunities?

Per my blog last week, I stated that one of the most common questions that I hear is: “How can I maximize the value of my sponsorship opportunities?”

As I said, this can be a daunting question for a property because there are numerous potential answers and generally there isn’t one “right” answer. There are both short-term solutions, such as adding overlooked tangible benefits to a package, or enhancing existing benefits and long-term solutions, such as increasing awareness of an organization. As always, the answer is unique to each property. Last week’s blog discussed some higher-level thinking around adding value. For this blog, the focus is on tangible benefits.

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Filed under: activation

Part One: How can I Maximize the Value of my Sponsorship Opportunities?

One of the most common questions that I hear is: “How can I maximize the value of my sponsorship opportunities?”

This can be a daunting question for a property because there are numerous potential answers and generally there isn’t one “right” answer. There are both short-term solutions, such as adding overlooked tangible benefits to a package, or enhancing existing benefits and long-term solutions, such as increasing awareness of your organization. As always, the answer is unique to each property. My next few blogs, at a high-level, will focus on answering various aspects of this question. Let’s start at the beginning…

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Filed under: research, packaging

Sponsorship Overload

My cooking philosophy is that more ingredients are better. I don't get the concept of simple cooking. If the recipe calls for five ingredients, I use ten. If the recipe includes onions, I also add shallots and garlic because those are ingredients that I like. I combine three recipes into one. I think if the recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare, how good can it be? Of course, you can never have too much of a good thing, like cheese, right?

However, it doesn't always work out that more complex is better. If you add too many ingredients you can be overwhelmed with flavors or sometimes you are just adding ingredients that don't necessarily make the recipe better, just more complicated, time consuming and expensive. For example, good steaks or really fresh vegetables don't need a lot of extra flavors, they are best when prepared simply – maybe a little salt, pepper or a squirt of lemon. Some of the best recipes are simple, but have one unique ingredient that really makes an impression. You have to wonder if adding too many ingredients is an attempt to cover up something? Or, is it possible that the recipe wasn't that good to begin with.

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Filed under: cause marketing, sports, activation

Garnier: Activation with Lots of Potential

You may have seen Joe’s recent blog about the partnership between Best Buy and Children’s of Minnesota. The partnership includes some pretty unique and well-suited activation. Inspired by that partnership, I set out to find some additional examples of good activation programs.

Garnier, a division of L’Oreal, caught my attention because of its activation around its sponsorship of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. As a major sponsor of Bonnaroo, Garnier Fructis hosted the Rock Your Style Bonnaroo Salon. The salon offered hair washing, hair styling, free samples, karaoke and giveaways. The full-scale salon allowed concertgoers of the multi-day festival an opportunity to freshen up – a much needed amenity after several days of camping and apparently limited shower facilities.

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Filed under: entertainment, events, music, activation

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Filed under: pro sports, selling, endorsements