Announcements

Yao Ming and the Rockets’ Weak China Effect
MarketWatch, July 14, 2011
NEW YORK – Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming’s decision to retire is a blow to the sport’s hopes for international growth. But it may not make much difference to the Houston Rockets’ coffers... More

More Companies Match Marketing, Good Cause
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 13, 2011
Here’s one I’ll bet you haven’t heard. Which came first, the chicken or a new idea for an advertising agency?.. More

Lockout Effect Is Uncertain for Spurs
San Antonio Express-News, July 08, 2011
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili jerseys are still being sold at the Spurs Fan Shop. Spurs sales executives are working hard to get season ticketholders to renew, and corporations are being courted to join the Spurs sponsorship team... More

NASCAR’s Fuel for Business Council Working to Boost Business-to-business Deals between Sponsors
NASCAR Scene Daily, June 30, 2011
In the audience, representatives from 30 or so companies who serve as NASCAR sponsors or work with the sanctioning body look on. Scott’s job title is vice president of partnership marketing and business solutions. What that means is he spends much of his time trying to make sure corporate sponsors don’t get wandering eyes... More

Sharapova’s Return to Grand Slam Final at Wimbledon Boosts Women’s Tennis
Bloomberg, June 30, 2011
Maria Sharapova is back in a Grand Slam tennis final for the first time since 2008, and the women’s game is better off for it... More

IEG Will Measure ROO for New Roush Sponsors
Sports Business Daily, June 13, 2011
Roush Fenway Racing has hired IEG’s sponsorship measurement division to provide independent, third-party return-on-objective analysis to new sponsors... More

Dallas-Fort Worth Sports Entities Score High on New Marketing Index
The Dallas Morning News, June 11, 2011
Among U.S. consumers, North Texas has four of the five most popular sports attractions in the state, according to a new index that ranks 939 professional, college and Olympic sports leagues, teams, stadiums and events across the country... More

MillerCoors, Chicago Bars Call Marketing Audible on NFL Lockout
Crain's Chicago Business, June 09, 2011
With the National Football League lockout in its 88th day and no end in sight, some of the Chicago businesses most dependent on football for sales — beer makers and bars — are getting serious about contingency plans... More

Ubisoft Dances With Katy Perry Tour
Marketing Daily, June 06, 2011
Already one of the most popular video games available, Ubisoft's Just Dance 2 is looking to gain some more market share and awareness by sponsoring pop star Katy Perry's upcoming North American tour... More

New Ways to Select Sponsorships
Associations Now, June 06, 2011
The outlook for sponsorships at associations is very optimistic, but many associations leave money on the table by not getting creative about their offerings. Here's how to get more from the resources you already have—and discover new ones... More

FIFA's Sponsors Kick Up a Fuss Over Corruption Claims
The Telegraph, June 01, 2011
On Monday afternoon football fans were three-nil down... More

Live Nation Plays to the Crowds
Financial Times, June 01, 2011
After a decade in which CD sales halved and concert ticket prices climbed, the live entertainment business has replaced record labels as the object of fans’ love-hate relationship with music industry money men... More

Kraft Returns to Big-spenders List as Corporate Sponsorships Rebound
Chicago Tribune, May 26, 2011
Big-name, big-time corporate sponsorship rebounded last year after a disappointing 2009, and a few Chicago-area companies dug deep into their wallets to be among the top spenders... More

Roush Fenway Racing Tries New Sponsor Pitch
Forbes, May 19, 2011
Roush Fenway Racing thinks its found a new formula for growing Nascar sponsorship revenue... More

Cubs, Sox Losses Spread to Businesses around the Ballparks
Crain’s Chicago Business, May 16, 2011
Plunging attendance at Chicago's big league ballparks is damaging the economic ecosystem tied to the Cubs and White Sox... More

Corporations Again Embracing Sports Sponsorships
Hartford Business, May 15, 2011
Businesses jingling the newfound change in their pockets are hitting the golf course and the tennis courts... More

Canadian Olympic Sponsors Gather in Toronto for Bi-Annual Partner Conference
Digital Journal, May 05, 2011
TORONTO – Today marks the second Canadian Olympic Committee Partner Workshop, a bi-annual event that regroups the Canadian Olympic Partners to maximize their program activations, provide opportunities to network and build connections with fellow Partners, share best practices and offer key COC updates and information on upcoming Games. The event is hosted at the Gardiner Museum in downtown Toronto... More

Study: Music Sponsorship Spend Hits High Note
Marketing Daily, April 28, 2011
The days of rock and rollers refusing corporate sponsorships of their music and tours are long over. According to sponsorship tracker IEG, music sponsorship opportunities -- ranging from multiday festivals to multinational tours -- are generating more corporate interest than any other opportunities... More

IEG: Marketers To Spend $1.17 Billion On Live Music This Year
Billboard magazine, April 27, 2011
A downturn in the concert business in 2010 did not have a negative impact on corporate dollars spent in the space, as North American-based companies will spend $1.17 billion to sponsor music venues, festivals and tours in 2011, a 7.3% increase from the $1.09 billion spent in 2010, according to information compiled by Chicago-based IEG, which tracks the sponsorship industry... More

Rose In Bloom: Bulls Star Shoots To Be The Next Michael Jordan
Crain's Chicago Business, April 18, 2011
Derrick Rose is on the verge of greatness... More

Marketing Blitz Has Raised Profile of NU Athletics
Chicago Sun-Times, April 11, 2011
Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips had to work fast... More

Will Livestrong Stay Strong?
Bicycling, March 30, 2011
Four years after his bone cancer went into remission, Carlos Garcia, 25, began signing up for the Austin Livestrong Challenge, annual charity rides benefiting the nonprofit started by Lance Armstrong in 1997 to boost survivorship of people battling cancer via education, assistance and inspiration... More

Xerox's Four Criteria for Sponsorship Engagement
Warc, March 28, 2011
The criteria for sponsorship engagement at Xerox are simple and un-duplicable, according to Christa Carone, the brand's Chief Marketing Officer... More

The Odd Couple: Aon and Manchester United in a Win-Win Sponsorship Program
Warc, March 28, 2011
"We may be the least likely company you can imagine to talk about sports marketing," admitted Philip Clement, Aon's Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, in an address to the 2011 IEG Return on Engagement: Sponsorship's Impact on Business conference in Chicago... More

Sponsorship that Works - Best Practice for Marketers
Warc, March 28, 2011
Lesa Ukman, Chairman of sponsorship consultant IEG, took the stage for her opening address to the 2011 Return on Investment: Sponsorship's Impact on Business conference in Chicago. The address included a series of bulleted mini-case-history reports flashed on a screen behind her... More