Why Beverage Makers Are Missing The Mark With Sports Marketing

CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell explains in the video below from BevNetLive why Red Bull's marketing strategy stands out in a crowded category. According to Rovell, most beverage makers are getting it all wrong. Hat tip: Mike Mahoney 2012 BevNET Live NYC Darren Rovell from BevNET.com on Vimeo. #activationstag

Angry Birds' Next Step Towards Global Domination: Team Partnerships?

In posting the following video to philadelphiaeagles.com, the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed a new partnership with Rovio's hit game Angry Birds. The deal is the first team sports deal for the fast growing entertainment company. The marketing partnership, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is said to include an upcoming Eagles-themed version of the Angry Birds game, collaborati...

How Social Startups Are Creating A New Class Of Sponsorship Categories

Categories are constantly expanding and evolving. Seen an official film or exclusive music store lately? The goods news is that in this business there are always new categories being created to fill the void and the best sponsorship salespeople are always looking for that next big thing with sponsorship in mind. Take for instance Airbnb, which is the "accommodations partner" for NYC's upcoming ...

Apparel Maker Leans Heavy On Events To Help Double Revenue

V.F. Corporation's largest action sports brand, Vans, has set forth an ambitious plan to double revenues to $2.2 billion by 2016. As a brand primarily built on skateboarding culture, events and promotions, company executives say they will look to ratchet up "consumer interactivity" to meet their goal of an annual growth rate of 13%. "Live and in person and live on the web, Vans events and pro...

[VIDEO] Tennis Player DQ'd From Final After Smacking Nike's Sponsor Signage

You'll never believe how the Aegon Championships at Queens Club ended earlier this morning. After winning the first set and only three games from the championship, David Nalbandian was DQ'd during his finals match with Mario Cilic thanks to this play. It was a disappointing end to a great tournament, not only for the fans, but for the title sponsor, Aegon, which pays about £5 million per ye...

AmEx Makes Air Travel Easy With Latest Partnership

American Express and Toronto Pearson International Airport today announced an innovative new collaboration that will allow the financial services company to both promote its brand and improve the customer experience at Canada's biggest airport. 33 million travellers pass through Toronto Pearson every year and the average visitor spends 2.5 hours in the airport. The multi-million dollar progra...

Huh? Major QSR Appoints Itself 'Official Sponsor of the Sun'

Nevermind rule #1 of sponsorship (don't sponsor something that kills thousands of people each year), according to this cheeky press release the sun now has an official drive-in. Sonic Drive-In isn't the first brand to use the faux sponsorship thing to generate awareness. It may sound strange without a cause angle as there is in other cases such as Intel ("sponsor of tomorrow") and the American...

Soccer Player Gets World Cup Suspension For Underwear Ambush

Update: Paddy Power says it will pay Bendtner's €100,000 fine Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner has been banned for one match and fined €100,000 by UEFA for what it is calling "improper conduct" following the celebration around his game tying goal at last week's Group B match against Portugal. The suspension applies to the next 2014 FIFA World Cup match, including the qualifying competition, f...

Luxury Transport Startup Sponsors Rides For IM Teams To/From Games

If you live in San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, Toronto, Paris or Philadelphia, you've likely heard of the uber hot on-demand car service start-up, Uber.com. Despite having raised nearly $45 million in venture funding, the company is still a scrappy start-up when it comes to marketing. This summer, Uber in Chicago is runn...

Fast Casual Chain Bills Itself As "Unofficial Sponsor of Summer"

Less than two days after Sonic announced itself as the "official sponsor of the sun," fast casual competitor Boston Market is billing its brand as the "unofficial sponsor of summer." Full release below. To celebrate the official start to summer, Boston Market today launched a campaign featuring new, exclusive offers from June through August to position the brand as the "Unofficial Sponsor of ...