Air Asia Lands in Raider Nation

Last week, we looked at JetBlue's new branded Real Salt Lake airplane, in what seemed like a good activation tactic around a pretty smart deal. No doubt, airplane branding can be an effective tool for both sponsor and property. However, the Oakland Examiner recently came across one from Raider Nation that may make you scratch your head. This is Air Asia's new plane, which is branded by the Ra...

New Business Pitch - Tough Times Require Fundamentals

I recently participated in a new business pitch for a major branded sports property. The agency team pulled together and did a great job, developing a thorough presentation and exciting creative. It’d be a great account to have on agency roster, in any economic environment. It struck me that we should approach more of our professional lives like a new biz pitch. For those in agency or consult...

UFC Zigs as Leagues Zag on Sponsorship Policy

While many sports organizations are relaxing restrictions on in-game sponsor assets and warming up to previously banned categories like casinos, state lotteries and alcohol, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is headed the other direction it appears. According to MMA site, fiveouncesofpain.com, the UFC has started imposing a $100k minimum fee (to UFC) for the right of brands to sponsor ...

Sponsorship Marketing's Top 10 II

OK, my 10-6 ideas of the Top 10 issues in sponsorship marketing didn’t illicit many comments on the blog. Fear not. I can report that I did talk to and get direct comments from several people about my list that pretty much validated it. My biggest takeaway: there is great passion for this business. No doubt about it. The good news is I did get some new ideas I wasn’t thinking of necessari...

Does Land Shark Stadium Spell Dangerous Waters?

Last month, the Miami Dolphins and Jimmy Buffett announced a venture that rebrands Dolfin Stadium with the Buffett-licensed Anheuser-Busch beer, LandShark Lager's name. The deal is a one year deal for the 2009-2010 season only, which not coincidentally will include the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl at the stadium. Part of the Dolphins compensation involves Jimmy Buffet playing several free concerts...

Next Stop... Barclays. MTA Sells Naming Rights to Sub Stop

Don't blame NYC straphangers if they start missing their stop - blame the British bank, Barclays. On Wednesday the New York City MTA is expected to approve a $4 million naming rights agreement to add "Barclays" to the Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue subway station nearly five years after announcing their intention to do so. The first deal of its kind, if approved today, is ...

ROI, ROO, ROS...RO-Real Biz Outcomes

Whatever acronym you use these days, the mandate is in: sponsorships must be able to be measured in and translated to real business outcomes. Today (via MediaPost) Larry Albus introduces us to the IEG special sauce, "Return on Sponsorship," which should be recommended reading for any sponsorship professional. In his words, "Buyers of sports and other sponsorships must -- and can -- assess the...

Sponsorship Justification - TARP Style

Sponsor recall studies are nothing new. Sponsor recall studies with TARP-infused financial services companies are. Who wants to see the results of this sponsor recall study, which the Mets organization circulated to fans earlier today? Me too.

Piggybacking, Partnering & Pass-Throughs

Last week, the NY Times looked at the practice of NASCAR sponsors going beyond the track to form lucrative business partnerships with fellow NASCAR sponsors. NASCAR has even formed a business-to-business council to help prospect such partnerships. Yesterday, we wrote about a great example of partners working together cross-promotionally, as Prince a Wimbledon official partner and licensee,...

Selling Local Sponsorships for Nonprofits: Prospecting Circles

A cause is often the cornerstone of many sports and entertainment sponsorship platforms. Today's "key learning" comes from Joe Waters, who is the Director of Cause Marketing for Boston Medical Center, an avid blogger at Selfishgiving.com and a rabid Boston Red Sox fan. In addition to winning last Friday's caption contest, he has agreed to lend us his insights on cause marketing, which is more ...