In Depth
Who Spent What In ’09: IEG’s Top Sponsors List
Nearly all companies and sectors cut sponsorship budgets last year.
4/26/10: In case anyone needed further proof that the sponsorship marketplace experienced severe contraction last year, IEG’s annual ranking of the largest U.S. based sponsors lays any doubt to rest.
Only 10 out of 70 sponsors that spent more than $15 million in ’08 increased budgets in ’09. That proportion—14 percent—is exactly the same as the number of all sponsors who said they would raise spending in the
IEG/Performance Research Decision-maker Survey conducted in February of ’09.
Among the top 20 sponsors, only two—Nike, Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Co.—expanded their sponsorship budgets last year, the latter signing major deals with the NFL and USOC.
Another 19 of the largest spending companies—26 percent—maintained sponsorship spending at the ’08 level, while 41 companies—59 percent—cut their budgets last year.
Not surprisingly, no new companies joined the $15-million-plus ranks in ’09. The list shrank by five companies to 66, in one case due to a merger. Alltel Corp. (number 38 on the ’08 list) is now part of Verizon Communications, Inc., helping that company rise from number 32 to number 17.
Conversely, four companies’ spending fell below the $15 million minimum threshold: ADT Security Services, Inc. (formerly number 62); Johnson & Johnson (the former number 65 that ended its Olympic association with the Beijing Games and the USOC); Sharp Electronics Corp. (formerly number 66 and poised to spend even less this year if it does not renew its MLB sponsorship); and Ashland Inc., (former number 68) which reduced motorsports spending for its Valvoline brand.
PepsiCo, Inc.—home to Pepsi, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Aquafina and SoBe beverages, along with Frito-Lay snacks—remained in the top spot, ahead of archrival The Coca-Cola Co.
Coke spends just slightly more than Nike, which leapfrogged former number three General Motors Co. (now number five) and number four Anheuser-Busch Cos., where spending declined, but not by the draconian amounts some projected when the brewer became part of Leuven, Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.
The spending estimates for the companies on the list reflect amounts spent on sponsorship fees of U.S. properties and the portion of spending on international properties that is directed to the U.S. market.
| Top U.S. Sponsors: Companies Spending More Than $15 Million |
| Amount |
Company |
2009 Rank |
2008 Rank |
| $330M-$335M |
PepsiCo, Inc. |
1 |
1 |
| $240M-$245M |
The Coca-Cola Co. |
2 |
2 |
| $235M-$240M |
Nike, Inc. |
3 |
5 |
| $205M-$210M |
Anheuser-Busch Cos. |
4 |
4 |
| $180M-$185M |
General Motors Co. |
5 |
3 |
| $175M-$180M |
AT&T Inc. |
6 |
6 |
| $150M-$155M |
MillerCoors LLC |
7 |
8 |
| $140M-$145M |
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. |
8 |
7 |
| $125M-$130M |
Ford Motor Co. |
9 |
9 |
| $120M-$125M |
Adidas North America, Inc. |
10 |
10 |
| $110M-$115M |
Sprint Nextel Corp. |
11 |
11 |
| $95M-$100M |
Bank of America Corp. |
12 |
12 |
| $80M-$85M |
The Procter & Gamble Co. |
13 |
16 |
| $70M-$75M |
The Home Depot, Inc. |
14 |
13 |
| $65M-$70M |
FedEx Corp. |
15 |
14 |
| $55M-$60M |
State Farm Cos. |
16 |
20 |
| Verizon Communications, Inc. |
17 |
32 |
| $50M-$55M |
Chrysler Group LLC |
18 |
15 |
| Motorola, Inc. |
19 |
17 |
| Mars, Inc. |
20 |
23 |
| $45M-$50M |
Lowe’s Cos. |
21 |
21 |
| $40M-$45M |
Citigroup Inc. |
22 |
18 |
| Wells Fargo & Co. |
23 |
19 |
| Sirius XM Radio Inc. |
24 |
22 |
| United Parcel Service |
25 |
35 |
| $35M-$40M |
Target Corp. |
26 |
29 |
| Shell Oil Co. |
27 |
33 |
| Bridgestone Americas, Inc. |
28 |
36 |
| $30M-$35M |
Visa |
29 |
30 |
| McDonald’s Corp. |
30 |
49 |
| Nestlé USA, Inc. |
31 |
24 |
| J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. |
32 |
34 |
| Time Warner Inc. |
33 |
27 |
| Diageo North America, Inc. |
34 |
44 |
| Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. |
35 |
45 |
| The Allstate Corp. |
36 |
46 |
| Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. |
37 |
48 |
| Berkshire Hathaway Inc. |
38 |
57 |
| Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
39 |
37 |
| $25M-$30M |
MasterCard Int’l, Inc. |
40 |
31 |
| Canon U.S.A., Inc. |
41 |
25 |
| American Honda Motor Co. |
42 |
28 |
| American Express Co. |
43 |
40 |
| Exxon Mobil Corp. |
44 |
47 |
| Yum! Brands, Inc. |
45 |
43 |
| General Mills, Inc. |
46 |
60 |
| Sears Holdings Corp. |
47 |
54 |
| Office Depot, Inc. |
48 |
55 |
| DuPont Co. |
49 |
59 |
| American Airlines |
50 |
41 |
| $20M-$25M |
Chevron Corp. |
51 |
26 |
| Eastman Kodak Co. |
52 |
39 |
| Sony Corp. of America |
53 |
42 |
| Kellogg Co. |
54 |
50 |
| Microsoft Corp. |
55 |
51 |
| Red Bull North America, Inc. |
56 |
53 |
| Unilever United States, Inc. |
57 |
69 |
| Sunoco, Inc. |
58 |
56 |
| IBM Corp. |
59 |
58 |
| Hewlett-Packard Co. |
60 |
61 |
| Best Buy Co. |
61 |
63 |
| Brown-Forman Corp. |
62 |
64 |
| $15M-$20M |
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. |
63 |
52 |
| BP America, Inc. |
64 |
67 |
| Black & Decker Corp. |
65 |
70 |
| BMW of North America, LLC |
66 |
71 |
| Top U.S. Sponsors: Companies Spending More Than $15 Million, Sorted by Category |
| Category |
Company |
2009 Spending |
| Automotive |
General Motors Co. |
$180M-$185M |
| Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. |
$140M-$145M |
| Ford Motor Co. |
$125M-$130M |
| Chrysler Group LLC |
$50M-$55M |
| Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
$30M-$35M |
| American Honda Motor Co. |
$25M-$30M |
| BMW of North America, LLC |
$15M-$20M |
| Bank |
Bank of America Corp. |
$95M-$100M |
| Citigroup Inc. |
$40M-$45M |
| Wells Fargo & Co. |
$40M-$45M |
| J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. |
$30M-$35M |
| Beverage |
PepsiCo, Inc. |
$330M-$335M |
| The Coca-Cola Co. |
$240M-$245M |
| Anheuser-Busch Cos. |
$205M-$210M |
| MillerCoors LLC |
$150M-$155M |
| Diageo North America, Inc. |
$30M-$35M |
| Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. |
$30M-$35M |
| Red Bull North America, Inc. |
$20M-$25M |
| Brown-Forman Corp. |
$20M-$25M |
| Consumer Electronics |
Canon U.S.A., Inc. |
$25M-$30M |
| Sony Corp. of America |
$20M-$25M |
| Samsung Electronics America, Inc. |
$15M-$20M |
| Credit Card |
Visa |
$30M-$35M |
| MasterCard Int’l, Inc. |
$25M-$30M |
| American Express Co. |
$25M-$30M |
| Food |
Mars, Inc. |
$50M-$55M |
| Nestlé USA, Inc. |
$30M-$35M |
| General Mills, Inc. |
$25M-$30M |
| Kellogg Co. |
$20M-$25M |
| Fuel |
Shell Oil Co. |
$35M-$40M |
| Exxon Mobil Corp. |
$25M-$30M |
| Chevron Corp. |
$20M-$25M |
| Sunoco, Inc. |
$20M-$25M |
| BP America, Inc. |
$15M-$20M |
| Insurance |
State Farm Cos. |
$55M-$60M |
| The Allstate Corp. |
$30M-$35M |
| Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. |
$30M-$35M |
| Personal Care |
The Procter & Gamble Co. |
$80M-$85M |
| Unilever United States, Inc. |
$20M-$25M |
| Retail |
The Home Depot, Inc. |
$70M-$75M |
| Lowe’s Cos. |
$45M-$50M |
| Target Corp. |
$35M-$40M |
| Sears Holdings Corp. |
$25M-$30M |
| Office Depot, Inc. |
$25M-$30M |
| Best Buy Co. |
$20M-$25M |
| Telecommunications |
AT&T Inc. |
$175M-$180M |
| Sprint Nextel Corp. |
$110M-$115M |
| Verizon Communications, Inc. |
$55M-$60M |
| Motorola, Inc. |
$50M-$55M |