Opinion
Assertions
4/13/09: We have been very pleased with the
positive reaction from you, our valued subscribers, to our conversion to
digital delivery of IEG SR. We are excited about
evolving the type of content and the mechanisms for getting it to you in more
dynamic and
timelier ways. One element of that move will be to engage in much greater
dialogue with you–to not only find out what you need to know, but also to have you share your
stories,
ideas and
practices with your peers. As a first step, we wanted to make sure you know about IEG’s new
blog, “
The IEG View,” on Sponsorship.com, as well as our LinkedIn group:
IEG’s Sponsorship Community. We hope you will become
active participants in the group discussions and in
commenting on the topical blog posts from the editorial staff, IEG founder
Lesa Ukman and our IEG Advisory Services Group colleagues who are true subject matter experts through their work with property and sponsor clients.
Speaking of the blog, I urge you to
check out the item concerning recent issues that have been raised about the relationship between
professional medical associations and pharmaceutical, medical equipment and other members of industry. Even if that is not your area of interest, the discussion over the proper role of corporate partnerships is
applicable to other property types, and serves as yet another
reminder of the need for all of us to
champion sponsorship in the face of misguided attempts to
restrict or even
eliminate worthy partnerships.
McDonald’s Johan Jervoe delivered some insight into how the company is
different in one respect from its quick-service
competitors. As IEG SR has noted in covering the category over the years, many of the
other chains have
very active regional and local offices responsible for sponsorships of
major properties in their footprint. But Big Mac does not have either that
structure or many
large sponsorships below the national or international level. “McDonald’s is
unbelievably decentralized,” Jervoe said. “When we say local, we mean the single store.” That translates into a sponsorship strategy that is summed up internally as “
from grassroots to glory.” Jervoe explained: “Our Olympic partnership, FIFA World Cup, UEFA, and the NBA are the glory events that we celebrate with our consumers. But we believe those
would not work without the
grassroots foundation, which is largely the work and commitment of
franchisees and restaurant
managers with local
schools and
community activities.”
Our story on
backpack manufacturers led us to think about a
broader category we believe is
under-represented in sponsorship:
luggage makers. Without the benefit of actual market research behind our intuition, it seems to us that the
interaction offered by sponsorship of live events would greatly
benefit a wide range of luggage brands that could
demonstrate the latest features and components of their products and go a long way to persuading consumers to
replace their current bags sooner rather than waiting for zippers and handles to start breaking. In addition, the opportunity for
licensing property marks for co-branded products would appear to be an attractive benefit. Perhaps some of the organizations working with
foreign tourism sponsors and other properties that attract a well-traveled audience should consider targeting luggage manufacturers appropriate for the demographic group they reach.
Jim Andrews