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Volkswagen Sees Positive Results, Adds New Sponsorships
Officials of Volkswagen of America, Madison Square Garden and the NHL New York Rangers announced the automaker's sponsorship September 22. Photo credit: Angela Cranford/MSG Photos
: Adding to a robust local and regional sponsorship push begun earlier this year,
Volkswagen of America, Inc., has forged a new partnership with the NHL New York Rangers and plans to continue to sign additional deals.
The ties are part of the automaker’s effort to boost familiarity and consideration of its expanding product lineup.
For example, VW will use its Rangers partnership to promote the 2011 Jetta—a redesigned vehicle currently hitting dealer showrooms—and to drive traffic to dealerships in the tri-state area, said Ben Freidson, VW’s manager of sports marketing.
“We have 40-plus dealers in the area, including a recently opened dealership in downtown Manhattan. We felt the launch of the new Jetta warranted a signature partnership in the New York City market.”
The automaker is drawn to NHL teams due to the high level of fan loyalty to both the sport and its corporate sponsors, said Freidson, who recently renewed and expanded existing partnerships with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals.
Similarly, the company sponsors MLS and its D.C. United and Houston Dynamo teams based on research that shows the high level of sponsor loyalty among soccer fans.
“Brand loyalty is certainly something that we’ve taken into account when setting out our strategy,” Freidson said.
VW will activate throughout the Rangers season with a “Shoot. Score. Drive. Challenge” promotion offering the chance to win one of ten different vehicles. Fans win the vehicle by scoring a goal from the far blue line.
Consumers can enter the program by texting a keyword to a shortcode that will be revealed in stadium, through broadcaster MSG Network and on Rangers.com. VW will seek to add the contact information for those registering to its prospect database, Freidson said.
VW is introducing the promotion after seeing positive results from a similar initiative with the Capitals. The Volkswagen Rock the Red sweepstakes dangled the opportunity to win a ride in a vehicle that competes in the Jetta TDI Cup, the automaker’s proprietary racing series, as well as other prizes.
“In a short period of time we saw great success in terms of overall data capture and leads,” said Freidson noting that the promotion ended earlier than expected due to the Cap’s upset loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2010 NHL playoffs.
The Rangers partnership affords in-ice logo placement, exposure on a Zamboni and vehicle displays in the mall area at the renovated Madison Square Garden during select games. It also includes exposure on the MSG Network.
“We wanted to have visibility in the arena itself, as well as exposure across the country during game highlights in affiliate markets,” Freidson said.
VW will tout the sponsorship and “Shoot. Score. Drive. Challenge” at area dealers through point-of-sale materials and Jettas wrapped in Rangers logos and colors. In addition, the automaker is supplying dealers with team assets for use in local media buys.
VW plans to offer the Rangers-themed wraps as an option for Jetta purchasers, Freidson said. VW may roll out vehicle wraps in connection with other sponsorships, as well.
“It’s still to be determined. But it’s a good formula, and we will be pushing for it.”
Greater New York City dealers also will wrap Routan service vehicles with the Rangers insignia, something VW has done around its sponsorship of D.C. United and the 2010 MLS All-Star Game in Houston.
More Local Deals Added To Portfolio, With More To Come
In addition to pro sports teams, VW continues to sign new deals with local properties such as food festivals, air shows and community celebrations.
The majority of local deals are driven by VW’s four regional offices, with the Northeast the most active.
For example, the office has signed first-time sponsorships with two October events: The Stop & Shop Tastes of Rhode Island and the Long Island Fall Festival. Other recent ties include the Boston-Portsmouth Air Show and the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in association with PNC.
“We continue to look for different opportunities that give Volkswagen a localized connection and get consumers into vehicles,” said Scott Cohen, account supervisor with ad agency Deutsch, who helps evaluate and execute ties in the Northeast.
Cohen looks for the following criteria when evaluating potential partnerships:
Geographic reach. Properties need to provide coverage across multiple dealers and ideally cover a complete market.
Extended on-site engagement. “We show preference to events that draw attendees that are there to spend the day, as opposed to just an hour or two,” Cohen said. “Down time provides a better chance for success in consumer engagement.”
Multiple on-site benefits. Events must offer vehicle display, premium location and activation and data-capture opportunities.
Multiple touchpoints. “We favor events where we are not just an activated vehicle display but an involved participant with multiple levels of exposure. We want to be an active participant, not simply a vendor.”
Sources
Volkswagen of America, Inc., 703/364-7000
Deutsch, New York City, Tel: 212/981-7600