IEG Conference
Annual Meeting’s Charge To Industry: Stop Making Sense
Optimizing Digital and Strategic Philanthropy
March 16. Price: $499; $399 for Making Sensory attendees.
12/24/07: It is no longer in doubt that sponsorship makes sense. In the 25 years since it emerged as a discrete marketing medium–and since IEG began producing the industry’s annual gathering–sponsorship has proven to be effective at achieving a host of objectives.
But to keep producing positive results amid rapid-fire social, technological and market changes requires a new perspective. It is no longer enough to align with the right partners and integrate and activate intelligently.
Going forward, those sponsorships that will have impact will only be those that resonate deeply with their targets on an emotional level. In other words, sponsorships must stop just making sense; they must be sensory, as well.
That is why the theme for the 25th annual conference on sports, entertainment, event, experience, affinity and cause marketing is Making Sensory. The event will take place from March 16 to 19, 2008 in Chicago.
From two of the world’s smartest sponsors to two entrepreneurs using business to change the world to one rock ’n roll pioneer whose marketing prowess exceeds his other legendary exploits, the conference’s keynote speakers will inspire, motivate and enthrall:
Seth Goldman, TeaEO,
Honest Tea, Inc., will show how a commitment to sustainable practices such as fair trade connects brands directly to their consumers, making it not just the right thing to do, but the best way to build a business.
Paul Hawken, entrepreneur and social activist, will share the key message for business from his book, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. The founder of garden-supply chain Smith & Hawken will show that the environmental movement is a bottom-up global push to reclaim basic human rights and will dissect the impact of this “movement of ideas” on the corporations who are positively responding to core values.
Scott McCune, vice president, integrated marketing,
The Coca-Cola Co., who oversees the soft drink giant’s global sponsorship program, will share insights into what the pioneering sponsor has learned in terms of enhancing experiences and ensuring relevance to consumers.
Giles Morgan, director, global sports marketing and sponsorship,
HSBC Holdings plc, is taking a truly innovative approach to the medium as he looks to align the bank’s sports sponsorships with its corporate social responsibility initiatives. He will reveal results from groundbreaking research he commissioned into the values attached to sport.
Gene Simmons, musician, marketer and empire builder, who created and maintains the KISS global brand juggernaut, will discuss how marketers can take advantage of the convergence of media, entertainment and consumer power to develop relationships and brands that endure.
The conference’s presenters are corporate marketers who may be taking a fresh approach or simply doing what others do, but much better. No matter their category or the make-up of their portfolio, their programs are successful and they will delve into what makes them so.
Rita Bargerhuff, senior director of marketing,
7-Eleven, Inc., will address why non-traditional marketing has taken charge at the C-store giant and how the company’s year-old sponsorship program is delivering results.
Steve Baskin, vice president, head of sponsorships,
ING US Financial Services, who, having built an award-winning program focused on running sponsorships, is taking it to the next level. He will discuss the current transition of goals from awareness building to driving business and the challenges such a move presents.
Derek Benbow, director, corporate sponsorships,
The Charles Schwab Corp., will show how the investment management and brokerage firm has leveraged its successful “Talk to Chuck” ad campaign by integrating its message into Schwab’s longtime national sponsorships.
Paul Kalbfleisch, senior director of corporate marketing,
Research In Motion Ltd., will walk through BlackBerry’s decision to use music to market its more-consumer-friendly models and the proactive approach it took to partnering with John Mayer–a deal that was done in just five weeks.
Dave Knox, brand manager,
The Procter & Gamble Co., who created groundbreaking online campaigns for hygiene and beauty products, will address how brands can use digital media to tap into social networks and educate and entertain young audiences.
Stefan Nerpin, vice president, group marketing communications,
Vattenfall AB, will delve into the Swedish energy company’s pioneering use of sponsorship to gain acceptance in new markets, including the work the company did to understand the six emotional phases that stakeholders go through in response to change and the role of sponsorship in addressing each stage.
Jeff Povlo, brand experience specialist,
Nokia Corp., who is behind the Nokia Trends Lab, which brings people together literally and figuratively to apply their creative and artistic talent to mobile technology. He will demonstrate how empowering consumers’ creativity can jump-start a brand.
Jeri Yoshizu, Scion manager of sales and promotion,
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc., will deliver the unique approach to sponsorship taken by Scion, including how the brand stays current with its early-20something consumers through involvement in underground and cutting-edge events, many with crowds under 200 people.
Jane Zalutsky, first vice president of experiential marketing,
Washington Mutual, Inc., will break down the development and expansion of the WaMu Live! rewards program and the critical role sponsorship plays in building relationships with customers and bringing a brand to life.
Workshops will be conducted by sponsors, properties and agencies that are setting the bar for the industry:
Amica Insurance’s
Vincent Burks on what’s wrong with most proposals and how to fix them.
AT&T’s
Tom Hughes on selecting and managing sponsorships in the midst of corporate and industry change.
Gallo’s
Erica Brandler on how Barefoot Wine has become a breakout brand with barely any advertising but a host of buzz-building community events.
Gatorade’s
Jeff Urban and
General Motor’s
Steve Tihanyi put their vast experience to work in an interactive session where pitches from the audience will be critiqued by the session leaders and other participants.
Sharp Electronics’
Judah Zeigler and
Taubman Centers’
Vanessa Fick on the success of their partnership, which nixes the hard sell in favor of branded entertainment lounges for upscale shoppers.
UPS’
Laura Kouns on expanding the role of sponsorship to address core business issues, from human resources to generating incremental revenue.
American Cancer Society’s
Randal Moss on extending the reach of events and their sponsors through social media. He will demonstrate how the cause’s Relay For Life created an online virtual event that raised $90,000.
Cirque du Soleil’s
Ryan Sandilands on meeting the needs of sponsors without over-commercializing and jeopardizing the property’s relationship with its audience.
California Restaurant Assn.’s
Sally Howard on winning approval for and revamping a property’s sponsorship program, including introducing new inventory and centralizing control of assets.
March of Dimes’
Chad Royal-Pascoe on how a property can use a refocused mission and new branding to revitalize its relationships with sponsors.
Milwaukee Admirals’
Jon Greenberg on how his minor league hockey franchise has been wildly successful at attracting sponsors by creating innovative promotions that maximize partner impact.
Minnesota Timberwolves’
Ethan Casson on leveraging online resources to better service sponsors and increase sales and renewals.
NBC Universal’s
Stephanie Testa on designing activation programs that will successfully leverage entertainment partnerships.
21 Marketing’s
Rob Prazmark on the 21 key things this pioneering seller has learned in 21 years in sponsorship.
Euro RSCG’s
Thomas Jacobs on how to efficiently launch a product–in this case Valspar paint–through sponsorship.
Millward Brown’s
Heath Greenfield on how to determine the image you are buying or selling.
Performance Research’s
Jed Pearsall and
Bill Doyle on how to gather intelligence that reveals whether sponsorships are creating the bonds they intend to.
Sports Marketing Surveys’
Nigel Geach on the latest methodologies for conducting research on the local, national and international levels.
TBWA\Brand Experience Co.’s
Antonie van Schendel on applying the creative principles of advertising to sponsorship and achieving out-of-the-box, award-winning executions.
Terralever’s
Chris Johnson on bringing the sensory elements of off-line sponsorships to the online world.
Triple Double BV’s
Bob van Oosterhout on the power of incongruent matches–a funeral insurance and burial arrangements company sponsoring women’s volleyball, for example–and how the anti-intuitive approach pays off.
Plus:
• Advice and insights from
Bob Avery,
Aviation Nation;
Daniel J. Quinn,
NFL-Canada;
Alison Gordon,
Rethink Breast Cancer; and
Amanda Blakely,
The Society.
• A special sponsor summit, strictly for sponsors and their agencies, which will focus on measuring return on sponsorship, led by renowned marketing strategist
Sam Hill and
IEG chairman
Lesa Ukman.
• A series of in-depth workshops for both sponsors and properties, led by
IEG’s senior analysts and advisors on a variety of critical and cutting-edge topics.
• One-on-one guaranteed 15-minute meetings with one of our
Sponsors In Residence for every paid attendee.
• Two five-hour pre-conference seminars. The first, Optimizing Digital, will examine how both properties and sponsors can exploit online and other digital content and applications to enhance their sponsorships. The second, Strategic Philanthropy, offers real-world insights to corporations and nonprofits on how they can harness the power of each other’s assets.
Further details regarding Making Sensory can be found at www.IEG2008.com.