Can the Wisdom of Crowds Help with Sponsorship?

By now most people are familiar with crowd sourcing and/or have heard of or read "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Surowiecki. As an advocate for crowd-based decision-making, the book sang to me. It seemed to validate a lot of my suspicions, and frankly, my company Fantell is predicated on the notion that crowds are more accurate than individuals. I had never really thought about crowd wisdom ...

Experiential Entrepreneurship

As marketers get cheap and look for clever ways to guerilla market their products, lots of start-ups are looking to cash in with new products to help them stand apart from the crowd - or rather, spread their message with it. We recently came across a couple start-ups that, though not created with the sole purpose of doing so, could potentially help brands capitalize on two time-honored teen tr...

UFC Goes to "War" with Electronic Arts

First, MMA superstar Brock Lesnar buries a title sponsor and now UFC's going to war with their own advertiser! What's next?! On the heels of arguably the most successful event in MMA history, UFC President Dana White isn't just confirming a rumor that they'll ban fighters for being a part of EA's new game, he's going a step further and declaring outright "war" against the video-game maker. ...

Scorned property or negligent sponsor? You decide.

While perusing GM's 54 cancelled sponsorship and promotions contracts, we came across a couple that seemed curious. We don't know all of the details around #48 (the Chanler Inn at Cliff Walk) so we would never question the deal's merit, but we do know that if you're paying enough to get it waived in bankruptcy court you should presumably go ahead and wrap up "official vehicle of the beach butl...

Deal Flow 7-14-2009

The Indianapolis Colts have sold corporate sponsorship on practice jerseys to Farm Bureau Insurance of Indiana. The partnership is a five year deal valued in the mid-six figures. The Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans New York Jets, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans have all signed or are expected to sign practice jersey sponsorships ahead of c...

Maybelline to become Official Cosmetic of NYC Fashion Week

Maybelline has signed a two year agreement to become the official cosmetic sponsor for IMG Fashion's Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week. The deal will start at this September's event at Bryant Park and run through the Fashion Week's anticipated move to Lincoln Center in September 2010. Maybelline New York will support a selection of well-established as well as up-and-coming designers including Charl...

Fête Nationale Possibilités de Parrainage

While riots, car burnings and arrests marked this year's real Bastille Day in Paris, stateside July 14th is mostly marked with more gentille activities like street fairs, Francophilic treats and fireworks. We'll join in the celebration of France's independence with a really quick look at how some of the major Bastille Day festivals in the Etats Unis are fairing a la parrainage! Bastille Day ...

Executing Sponsorships in China: Lessons I've Learned

Yesterday we heard about an interesting new sponsorship opportunity/idea. The Bird's Nest, the main stadium of last year's Olympics, is set to auction the rights to name its 80,000 seat backs for the Italian Super Cup game which will be held on August 8, the first anniversary of the Olympics opening ceremony. In the spirit of this, Kevin Hanft offers up some tips on what it takes to execute s...

GM Puts 54 Contracts in the Rearview

On Monday, a federal bankruptcy judge allowed GM to cut 54 advertising and marketing contracts, as part of a restructuring plan intended to make the car company a leaner and more focused business operation. Here's a quick rundown of some of the deals that were waived: the Arnold Palmer Invitational Chevrolet Clock in Times Square Oakland Raiders San Antonio Livestock Expo University of ...

Deal Flow 7-13-2009

The Breeders' Cup and Montblanc, manufacturer of luxury handcrafted timepieces, announced they have entered into a partnership, designating Montblanc as the exclusive promotional partner in the timing category for the 2009 Breeders' Cup. WGN-America, Tribune Company's national cable network, today announced that Priceline.com has signed a 10-week sponsorship deal for its Sky Dives series host...