Sponsorship ROI & Measurement 101

In this environment, it's tough to sell a sponsorship if you can't come up with a clear cut roadmap for measurement. With that in mind we thought it would be a good idea to share what we consider to be a very good primer on sponsorship measurement and ROI, as put together by consumer research firm, SponsorMap™. It's about 50 pages, but worth the read. Click on "full" at the bottom left of the ...

Blowing Money on Sponsorships?

Last week’s column topic was about how Wal-Mart and other large retailers are commanding vendor brand marketing budgets in the same proportions those brands sell of their total sales through retailers. Since this action reduces the amount of dollars a brand has influence over spending, it logically follows that brand marketers will have fewer dollars to earmark toward sponsorship marketing ini...

Deal Flow 7-29-2009

WWE today announced a major partnership deal with 7-Eleven convenience stores and Pepsi Max to promote the Summerslam PPV on August 23 in Los Angeles. Today, Kia Motors teamed up with ABC.com to produce a five-episode Web series for the network's Web site, ABC.com called "Mysteries of the Universe." Indianapolis' 500 Festival announced today Finish Line signed a multi-year agreement as t...

Careers: Getting Your Foot in the Door

It's tough to get a job in any industry right now, let alone the sports and sponsorship industry. One of the many questions I’ve constantly received over the years is “what advice would you give me to get a job in the sports business?” Have you thought about how you can backdoor your way in? If you are one of those currently looking for a job, don’t discount the impact that you can have by...

Who Are These People?

I am being bombarded with questions asking me different suggestions or ideas as to who these people might be that want to sponsor your businesses, so in today’s post I’d like to discuss, WHO these people are...and WHY do they want to hand you their money?? It's been my experience that most folks wanting to sell sponsorships to their properties-their meetings, associations, newsletters and e-...

Virgin America Gets Feet Wet with AVP

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball has signed Virgin America as presenting sponsor of the Bud Light Hermosa Beach Open scheduled for August 6th-9th and aired on Universal Sports/NBC. The deal is for this year's event only. An official announcement is planned for tomorrow. Other presenting sponsors of AVP events include Bud Light, Malibu Rum, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Riverside Conventions & Visitors ...

Deal Flow 7-30-2009

Winston-Salem-based Lowes Foods has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, to be held in Greensboro. SpongeTech Delivery Systems, Inc. The Smarter Sponge™, (OTCBB: SPNG - News), announced today a strategic sponsorship with the Cincinnati Bengals. Under the agreement, SpongeTech will become an official sponsor of the team and receive an exclusive b...

Breaking: Lowe's Will Not Renew @ Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sports Business Journal reports this morning that the 11-year naming rights deal between Lowe's and the Charlotte Motor Speedway will not be renewed. Though there is still 5 months left on the current one year contract extension, and after more than a year of negotiations, the home improvement company has informed Speedway Motorsports of their decision. According to the report, Lowe's curren...

Study: Sponsors Cutting Budgets, Not Events

A new poll by Event Minds, a UK company that specializes in sales training and coaching for event pros, suggests that the majority (80%) of sponsors are cutting budgets at a 40% clip, but only reducing the number of events that they attend by 10%. We'll wait for the full study to be completed to make conclusions, but here's a couple theories for what this could mean to sponsorship sales pr...

Deal Flow 7-31-2009

The Tennessee Lottery have agreed to partner with the Tennessee Titans on a co-branded lottery game that provides a variety of prizes including the chance to win Titans Club season tickets for 20 years, and cash prizes of up to $100,000. The Route 66 Marathon finalized a deal for Williams Companies, a major energy and communications company based out of Tulsa, to become the title sponsor fo...