PNC Bank Cuts Philly Flower Show, Says It Will Diversify Sponsorships

After paying more than $7 million over 20 years to be presenting sponsor of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, the Pittsburgh-based financial services institution says it will end its deal and diversify its sponsorships in the region. The event is the "largest indoor flower show in the world" attracting more than 250,000 people each year. From the Inquirer: "It was and is a grea...

Folsom Field Scoreboard Outs Frontier Airlines Naming Rights Talks

In one of the more bizarre leaks of a naming rights story, someone snapped a photo of the scoreboard at Folsom Field with the words Welcome to Frontier Stadium. Yesterday, after the photo was posted to a school message board, school officials acknowledged that they were in talks with a Colorado-based company, according to Boulder's Daily Camera. The paper reports that the message was put up ...

Telemundo Gets Into IndyCar

IndyCar's Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) announced today that it has formed a marketing collaboration with Telemundo Communications Group. The partnership pairs Oriol Servia with NHR and links them with Telemundo, a division of NBC Universal. Telemundo will use the deal to provide value to advertisers and partners that are looking for a new platform to market to the Hispanic marketplace. “Our cli...

PwC Takes Professional Services Role For Sochi 2014

PwC will be the Official Professional Services Provider for the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. PwC is the Official Professional Services Provider to the Games. As part of the deal, PwC will work with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee on over 70 projects in the areas of planning, preparation and staging of the Games, including taxation, human resources, sust...

NASCAR Ratings Are Up, Will New Sponsors Follow?

WCCB-TV / Fox Charlotte's Audrino Bigos checks in with Charlotte Motor Speedway's Scott Cooper to see how NASCAR sponsorship is trending through the first three months of 2011. On the heels of an upswing in NASCAR ratings and a new race entitlement, things seem to be looking up at CMS. (function (){var a=document.createElement("script");a.defer="true";a.src="http://www.apture.com/js/apt...

Bridgestone Makes Its Indian Premier League Debut

Bridgestone India has followed up Hero Honda, in sponsoring the Mumbai Indians for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 Cricket Tournament. The tire maker announced today that it will be an associate sponsor. The deal will run through 2014 and represents Bridgestone debut in Indian Premier League. A Bridgestone arm patch highlighting the slogan “Your journey, Our passi...

MLL Scores Sports Authority As Title Sponsor Of Pretty Much Everything In MLL

Major League Lacrosse and Sports Authority Inc. have agreed to make the sporting goods retailer an Official Partner of Major League Lacrosse beginning in March, 2011. Under terms of the agreement, Sports Authority will become the exclusive national sporting goods retailer of MLL. Here's the operative part of today's announcement: "Sports Authority will be synonymous with Major League Lacross...

Microsoft Named Official Sponsor Of Rugby World Cup

Microsoft has been named an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2011, to be held this fall in New Zealand. As part of the deal, Microsoft will supply technology for Rugby’s showcase Tournament. A suite of software and cloud product services, valued at $2 million according to ComputerWorld, will be available to the Tournament’s key stakeholders including Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, Windows...

UEFA Names First National Sponsor For EURO 2012

UEFA unveiled the first Polish National Sponsor for UEFA EURO 2012 today in Warsaw. Polish confectionary company, E. Wedel, will receive a wide range of rights, including brand recognition in official premises and the ability to run ticket promotions for its customers. "The signing of the first Polish National Sponsor for UEFA EURO 2012 marks another milestone in the build-up to the final t...

Brand Marketers Are Missing Out

I have always found impressive individuals selling sponsorship. Be it my earliest days screening sponsorship solicitations for Powerbar, AT&T Wireless, and Dockers at FCB Sports, to the first time I pitched Sponsorwise to the IFEA, to just last week talking with an NBA account executive and a leader of a relatively under the radar property, the level of knowledge I find usually impresses me. ...