1. Dennis Green - Alltel

Dennis Greene/Cardinals - Alltel After blowing a huge third quarter lead to the Bears on Oct 16, 2006, Dennis Green's crowning moment came in the post-game press conference. For fast growing mobile service provider, Alltel (now Vz), the additional exposure couldn't have hurt in raising the company's brand profile. << Back to main post

Activation: Hottest Promo Items

If you've been in the industry long enough, you've had a lot of comps land on your desk. Foam fingers, stress balls, adhesive bumper stickers... My desk used to be covered in this stuff. There's schwag - which we've all seen both good and very bad - and then there are premiums that really convey a brand's sense of relevance and passion for the shared experience. Brian Gainor's partnership...

Does the Pinstripes New Stadium Have a Price?

It was once unthinkable to conceive that the Yankees would sell naming rights to "the house that Ruth built." Of course, the new stadium might make you rethink a lot of your traditional assumptions - for good and bad (esp if you're in one of the $2,600 premium seats). We know that many of the sports leagues are pushing the envelope to peek the interest of more partners, not least of which is ...

Slumping Sports Sponsorships (Euro Syle)

Former NBA Sponsorship Vet Tom Glick was on CNBC Euro this morning talking sponsorships at his current gig (Derby Football Club). What's the european sponsorship landscape, how does it differ from the U.S. and what can we learn from each other?

The Big 4 Talk Shifting Biz Models

Commissioners of the four major U.S. sports leagues, appearing at "The Future of Sports" symposium, said team owners will adjust their business models, approaches and ticket prices in response to the broader economic downturn. This isn't a big surprise as organizations, both big and small, are reassessing their reliance on and approach to sponsorship.

The Halo Effect: Events vs. Celebs

Mary-Ellen Field from Brand Finance talks about the risk/benefits of using celebrities vs. events with the apparel industry as her case study. Her thesis: Adidas wasted a "golden" opportunity with the 08 Olympics and Puma took market share with celeb endorsements like Usein "Lightning" Bolt. On the flip side, the Man-Ram's and A-Rod's make celeb endorsements a whole other (and potentially mor...

.. and what of youth sports?

Just as Fortune 500 companies are reassessing the justification behind multimillion dollar sponsorship, local mom and pops are finding that the t-shirt and banner sponsorships that have been a staple of little league sports for so long, may be getting squeezed out as well. The Ledger takes a deeper look: Youth Sports Hit Hard by Dropoff in Sponsorships

Key Learnings: Finding Activation Ideas in Unlikely Places!

Today we're kicking off our "Key Learnings" blog series, which will be a regular collection of insights and stories from thought-leaders within the sponsorship industry. Today's key learning comes from Jim Loria who has over 30 years of sports management experience and for the past 10 years as served as President of the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede. "One of the best sponsorship ideas I've ...

Remember when you were a kid...

Warning: this has nothing to do with sponsorship, however this is a pretty cool YT video I picked up from Darren Heitner at Dynasty Sports Management. Maybe it's not that distant from each of our jobs, after all. Whether you're selling sponsorships, brand planning or consulting at an agency, we all see obstacles in our daily routine (especially these days). Do you have a clear vision ...

The "Buy Now" Button You Won't See.

What a week!! - lots of news that we're excited to share with you in the next few days. To cap it off - 75 degree weather in NYC and two game seven's coming this weekend. We'll be putting out some exciting news next week, but first I wanted to take a couple minutes to tell you more about where we're headed. Whether you're a buyer or seller of sponsorships, we think that the goal is the sa...