ING DIRECT To Sponsor Toronto's Soon To Be Launched Bike-Sharing System

ING DIRECT Canada has signed on to be the primary sponsor for the public bike program for Canada's largest city, BIXI Toronto. The bike-sharing program is expected to be launched throughout the city in May 2011, and will be modeled after Montreal's BIXI public program, which has tripled membership since its 2009 launch. “I’m pleased to welcome ING DIRECT as our primary sponsor for BIXI Toron...

Nets Corporate Pick-Up Tournament Offers Team Sponsorship As Grand Prize

How's this for lead generation! Nets CEO Brett Yormark is giving away a free team sponsorship for the first two months of next season to whichever company wins the Nets corporate pick-up game. In hosting the Challenge at the PNY Center, their official practice facility, the NETS will also be fielding a team of employees, but current and past NBA players are ineligible. If the NETS win the...

Ahead Of The Curve: Jim Hauck

Today's Featured Member:Jim Hauck, SPORTRONS, Inc.SponsorPitch Profile: Link Years in the biz: I’m still a rookie. I’ve been at this almost 1 year. How did you get started in it? I came in through the window. I’m actually a former “Radio Rat” from New Jersey. Disillusioned w/the state of affairs around the dial, I “retired” to the Left Coast. I got involved w/sponsorships for TV ...

Undercover Sponsor

The New York Times today writes about how most successful viral videos don't directly plug sponsors, but only hint at their presence in passing, if that. The article was spawned by the Times Square video hack viral that was posted on YouTube on Monday and managed to rack up 1,200,000 hits in less than three days. It was eventually revealed that the video was part of a promotion for the soon-to-...

Dos Equis Partners With 'Toughest Event on the Planet'

Dos Equis announced today a two-year sponsorship of the endurance running series, Tough Mudder, which has 12 events scheduled in the U.S. in 2011. Dos Equis becomes the exclusive beer sponsor of Tough Mudder. Dos Equis will also host a VIP area at each event. "The Tough Mudder series reaches nearly 175,000 of Dos Equis' interesting, adventurous and sophisticated fans, so this is a great eve...

RR Donnelley, LPGA Create "Japan Relief Zone" For Holes 15-18

RR Donnelley, title sponsor of this week’s RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, has committed to donate $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle made on holes 15-18 this weekend to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Japan relief efforts. Players will be encouraged to “Finish Strong for Japan” as the closing stretch of the course will be dubbed the “Japan Relief Zone.” The tournament had already schedu...

Citi's New Brand Officer To Oversee Sponsorship Group

Citigroup has named a new Chief Brand Officer. Dermot Boden will be the steward of Citi's brand, leading brand strategy and ensuring that branding and marketing are effective and consistent across the range of Citi's businesses. Boden will chair Citi's Brand Council and oversee the Global Branding and Sponsorship groups, reporting to Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Edward Skyler. ...

B2B Books A New Title Sponsor

Zazzle, an online retailer that allows users to upload images and create their own merchandise, has signed a two-year deal to become the title sponsor of Bay to Breakers, San Francisco's annual footrace now in its 100th year. The Examiner reports that Zazzle will replace ING, which ended its sponsorship in 2010 after 5 years as title partner. “Zazzle is thrilled to sponsor such a unique a...

Ahead Of The Curve: Brent Schoeb

Today's Featured Member:Brent Schoeb, San Francisco 49ersSponsorPitch Profile: Link Years in the biz: 5 years at the professional sports level, handful of years spent with other sports teams. How did you get started in it? Passionate for professional sports and business. Back when I had a full head of hair I was “barnstorming” for the St. Cloud River Bats, a summer collegiate base...

Study: NASCAR Sponsor Exposure Down 25%

Sponsorship & media measurement firm, Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. says that for the first three NASCAR Sprint Cup events of 2011, overall team sponsor exposure fell 25% compared to the same point in the season a year ago. On average, JJA's study shows that per hour cumulative exposure time accumulated by team sponsors fell from 1:05:43 at the same point a year ago to 49:06 this season. ...