WPP, IMG Announce Global Licensing Collaboration

The world's largest advertising company, WPP Group, and IMG have teamed up for a worldwide collaboration that the parties hope will create more licensing and merchandising opportunities for WPP's roster of consumer brand clients. WPP and IMG will establish a joint team and share resources to offer and provide licensing services to clients across all of WPP’s portfolio of agencies. "More tha...

The Long Tail of Sponsorship is Coming

If I demanded the Earth was round today, you would say “duh!” There was a time however, that this notion would have made people question my intelligence. It was also once accepted to think sneezing was the act of ridding your body of an evil spirit. The fact we will still today say, “bless you” after one sneezes is just a vestige of a long since unproven myth. It is now pretty widely accepte...

Live Nation Renames Two Venues With One Sponsor

Live Nation has secured a naming sponsor for two of its most iconic east coast music venues. Indianapolis-based Klipsch, which manufacturers high end speakers, today announced a sponsorship with Live Nation Entertainment that will give new names to New York's Irving Plaza and Bayfront Park Amphitheater in Miami. As part of the multi-year agreement, Irving Plaza will now be called Irving Plaza...

Report: 007 To Set Product Placement Record

Will the real greatest movie ever sold be the new James Bond flick? According to a report in The Australian, Sony and MGM expect to raise $45 million from brand product placement for Bond 23, twice as much as the previous record for product placement in a film. The paper's source is a 'New York marketing executive.' A $45 million take would cover roughly a third of the budget to make the film ...

Paper.li Unveils Partnership Strategy

Paper.li announced today that it is partnering with HBO to deliver a daily, branded online newspaper to fans of the network's new series, Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy books. The partnership represents a first step towards Paper.li's brand partnership strategy which it says will help brands 'engage, discover and communicate with their audiences through highly targe...

Frontier Named Official Airline of the LPGA

The LPGA has secured a major new non-endemic partner, in the form of Frontier Airlines. The Denver-based airline will become the official airline of the LPGA, providing discounted travel to LPGA constituents and receiving prominent branding at LPGA Tournaments, and on LPGA.com “The LPGA has an excellent reputation built on positive fan experiences and a real commitment to giving back to its ...

WWE Reveals New Beer Deal

After WWE got done slamming investors with a 66% dividend cut in yesterday's annual shareholder meeting, WWE CMO Michelle Wilson and CEO Vince McMahon fielded shareholder Q&A, which provided some some unique insight into McMahon's sponsorship philosophy, as well as, a new beer deal WWE has secured for the Summer with MillerCoors's Keystone Light brand. The other big news from the meeting? T...

Nike Promotes Custom Apparel at Penn Relays

Proving once again that you can put a logo on just about anything, runners at this weekend's Penn Relays can dawn a Nike logo'd haircut cape to get a fresh cut before the races get started. Some of Nike's most famous runners including including Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross, Kerron Clement, and Walter Dix will be in action this weekend, when the Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track a...

Sponsorship Strategy At The Shack

Usually Wednesday's are reserved for Ahead of the Curve member profiles, but this week we're changing it up. Rather than an interview, we're going to share a critique on what one SponsorPitch member found wrong with a sponsor / sponsorship he's been researching. We are going to keep it anonymous at the member’s request, but feel free to provide your take in comments. I was sitting at home a ...

Universal & Billabong Look For Crossover Appeal With Music-Action Sports Alliance

Universal Music Group and sports and lifestyle apparel company, Billabong, have formed a global strategic alliance that both parties say will bring together music and action sports through a broad range of new products and new services. The announcement was made this week by Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, and Derek O'Neill, CEO of Billabong. Under this new agreement...