Opinion
Assertions
2/9/09: We once again feel the need to
defend naming rights deals, in particular
Citi Field, which has come under a firestorm of criticism as a
frivolous expenditure at a time Citigroup is receiving federal bailout funds. Although we are
dubious about the ability of many of the highest-priced naming rights deals to earn a positive
ROI, we can’t help but think that those looking for wasteful expenditures to cut would find much more
fat in the
$515 million the company spent on media advertising in the
third quarter of last year alone, than in the $20 million the company will spend annually for the Mets ballpark. Once again
advertising, which cannot prove its effectiveness,
gets a pass while a much smaller but more noticeable
sponsorship takes the heat.
As IEG gets close to finalizing the agenda for next month’s Singularity conference, we wanted to share some additions to the lineup. Leading an interactive workshop will be
Jeff Povlo, who has established groundbreaking leveraging platforms during stints with
Heineken,
Nokia and now
Vodafone. His specialty is
activation ideas that fit with the culture of the property but also are laser focused on achieving business goals. He invites sponsors to bring their specific
leveraging challenges to the session–including how to activate on a
limited budget–and will offer tangible suggestions to properties having difficulty persuading their partners to activate and to do it well.
We also have added
three tutorial sessions from industry veterans with proven track records.
Willie Cone, who most recently worked with the Student Conservation Assn. to take the nonprofit’s sponsorship revenue from zero to $2 million, will share what he calls a “win-win formula to maximize
corporate cause partnerships.” Local property sales guru
Gail Alofsin of
Newport Harbor Corp. returns to the conference with an all-new session on the “10 things every property must know to be
successful in sponsorship sales.” And
Dan Quinn, managing director of
NFL Canada, will share his organization’s
non-traditional and
highly successful approach to securing sponsorship when you don’t have standard benefits to offer.
In addition to new sessions, we have added
senior decision-makers from some of the most active sponsors to the conference’s
Sponsors In Residence program. All of the participating marketers have agreed to hold 15-minute meetings with delegates for nearly two hours each morning of the event. Among the just-added sponsors who will sit down with attendees who register by the
February 23 deadline are
Mars, Inc.’s
William Clements;
Diageo’s
PaulTaylor;
Southwest Airlines’
Sally Harbeson and
Bank of Montreal’s
Sandy Bourne…Aside from the SIR program, attendees will be able to network with a long list of fellow
delegates representing active sponsors. Sponsor attendees to date include AMD, American Express, Bank of America, Bank of the West, BMO, Black Enterprise magazine, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assn., Caterpillar, Chicago Tribune, Choice Hotels, Gatorade, General Motors, Harley Davidson, Home Depot, Honda, Humana, JCPenney, Macy’s, Microsoft, Microsoft X Box, Miller/Coors, Northwest Airlines, Principal Financial, Purolator, QuikTrip, RBC Financial, San Diego Union-Tribune, Sprint, State Farm, Sun Life, Telus, Texans Credit Union, Ulster Bank, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Wrigley and Wyndham Hotels.
Jim Andrews