Jul 23, 2010 at 03:36 PM
written by Brian Gainor

Mobilizing Brands - Benchmarking the Tour de France

With thousands of fans tailgating outside stadiums and arenas every given night, ample opportunities exist for brand marketers to drive consumer impressions and partnership affiliation awareness. As organizations and brand partners continue to analyze opportunities inside stadium parking lots, it's hard to ignore what has become a common practice at the Tour de France.


With limited marketing opportunities along the course, Tour de France sponsors invest their activation dollars into building mobile vehicles designed to entertain fans lining the course. These vehicles, traveling as a parade of sponsors, serve as effective awareness drivers for partnering brands.

Sports organizations in the United States can benchmark this practice of mobilizing sponsors by incorporating them in:

  • Tailgate lot activation (on display; strolling through the tailgate lots)
  • Pre-Game Team Walks (Tiger Walk, etc.; serving as a prelude to the team's arrival)
  • Race Track Activation (driving along a NASCAR track prior to a race or during a caution)
  • Championship Parades
  • Team Festivals
  • Guerrilla Marketing (Operating Co-Branded Vehicles)
  • Retail Activation Displays
  • On-Field Vehicles (Drive on the Warning Track or On-Field During Pre-Game; Stretchers, etc.)
  • Pace Cars During Marathons / Endurance Events

    Check out how sponsors are being mobilized at the Tour de France below:

    Mobilizing Brands - Benchmarking the Tour de France
    View more presentations from Brian Gainor.

    Brian Gainor offers sponsorship commentary on Partnership Activation and allows us to publish it here when the subject fits. Brian is a passionate sports marketer with agency experience as well as an extensive background working in the NFL, NFL Europe, and collegiate athletics. Brian completed his MBA/MSA graduate work at Ohio University (Athens, OH) and currently resides in Charlotte, NC. As a Sports Partnership Activation Consultant, Brian created Partnership Activation, Inc. to provide sports business professionals with "industry best practices" - creative ideas that provide opportunities to generate incremental revenue. Be sure to check out all of Brian's past posts, too. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, SponsorPitch, LLC.