A Suggestion Box for Sponsorship

You can't say that the City of Indianapolis isn't up for some new ideas. First, city officials selected a five-month old firm to manage a recently announced municipal partnerships initiative and now, they are asking the public to send in some new sponsorship ideas. In line with Mayor Greg Ballard's emphasis on citizen engagement, Indianapolis has launched a rather unique action plan - part sug...

Every Moustache Makes A Difference

Guys - your significant other might not approve of the moustache, but she'll surely forgive you for the next month. Such is the sacrifice that Rockstar Games is asking of men - and their spouses - in honor of their Movember sponsorship. Movember is a non-profit aimed at raising funds and awareness for men's health issues including the fight against prostate and testicular cancer. Rockstar G...

Links 10/26/2009

John Smith’s extends Grand National sponsorshipKia Uses Scare Tactic; Partners with Universal StudiosPokerstars sponsors English national rugby team Mercedes-Benz signs 4-year, $35M U.S. Open sponsorshipNew book: Let Someone Else Pay For Your Dream AdventureALDA Pharmaceuticals to be official hand sanitation & disinfectant products at Olympic OvalBacardi Serves Up Rock Hall 25th Annive...

Report: UK Sports Sponsorship Spending Rising, But Vunerable

A new report that examines the U.K. sports sponsorship market was released today and concludes that sports funding in Britain will increase over the next 4 years because of two major events: the Olympic Games (London 2012), targeting sponsorship worth 600m pounds, and the Commonwealth Games (Glasgow2014). However it says, these events could temporarily divert funds from the regularly sponsored ...

Practical Tips for Prospecting

A couple days back I received an introductory e-mail from a not to be named media company in the Chicagoland area outreaching, or in better terms, prospecting me for a potential media buy for my organization the Chicago Red Stars of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). In all its splendid glory the e-mail read… Hello, I understand you are the main contact at the Red Stars for marketing program...

VISA Renews Olympics Sponsorship Through 2020

Visa will retain the Olympic sponsorship rights it has held since 1986 and remain the exclusive payment services sponsor and the only card accepted at the four Olympic Games that follow London 2012 Olympic Games, including the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2020 Olympic Summer Games. The re...

Fodor's and Princess Cruises Partner For 'Show Us Your Italy'

Fodor's Travel partners with Princess Cruises to announce the co-sponsorship of travel photography contest, "Show Us Your Italy." More marketers are realizing that fame and recognition can be more alluring and memorable, as a call to action, than traditional cash and prizes. Yesterday, we wrote about Rockstar offering the chance to appear in a video game, and while Fodor's and Princess targe...

So, Who is Third Street Anyway?

IEG's recent post entitled "Is A Sponsorship Sales Agency Working Entirely On Commission A Good Idea?" addressed the strategies 5-month old firm, Third Street, may have used to beat out some industry heavyweights for agency of record on Indianapolis' municipal partnerships initiative. If you are a regular reader here, you know our follow-up post elicited some strong opinions, as well. We figure...

FanCar Lets Frustrated NASCAR Fans Sponsor

As an avid NASCAR fan, Matt Ferguson grew tired of seeing talented drivers - even former series champions - running Sprint Cup races without sponsorship in 2009. Ferguson was also frustrated by the now common practice of "start and park" entries and the number of cars without any sponsorship decals at all at any given race. One NASCAR fan's frustration with "start and park" entries has led to...

MiLB Offers Series Marketing Opps, Too

About 80 miles separate the cities of Philadelphia and New York. As fans all along the NJ Turnpike get geared up for the series, so too are regional companies of all sizes looking to capitalize on a massive marketing opportunity. But alas, the Yankees (and MLB for that matter) are known for vigorously defending their marks and team sponsorships are often out of reach for mid-size business an...