Lexington Task Force Explores Naming Rights Around Rupp Arena

A task force has identified more than $25 million in potential annual revenue from naming rights and sponsorships associated with the iconic Rupp Arena, where the University of Kentucky men's basketball team plays. While naming rights to Rupp Arena itself may not be for sale, the Lexington Arena, Arts and Entertainment Task Force is exploring ways to generate additional sponsorship revenue, whi...

Air New Zealand Activates Golf Deal With In-Flight Putting Challenge

Many airlines are using sponsorship to push the boundaries of in-flight entertainment, but this may be a first. To celebrate their sponsorship of the upcoming NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship, Air New Zealand has launched the 30,000ft In-Flight Putting Challenge. Starting today, participating customers will be asked to putt down the aisle of the aircraft for a chance to win golfing prizes by Callaway...

Check Out The Team That's Using Its Brand To Build A Billion Dollar Island Resort

With an eye towards strengthening its ties to the Middle East ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, one of the world's most famous soccer teams has announced plans to build a massive resort and theme park in the United Arab Emirates using the team brand. One billion dollars has been invested in the Real Madrid resort project and it is expected to open in January 2015 in what team officials say wil...

Facebook's Crazy Side Project An Activation Idea For Event Marketers?

Facebook's latest 'Hackathon' resulted in a 42' square foot QR code on the roof of its headquarters. You can read more about the whole thing here. The idea was to create a QR code that could be visible from space (or more likely, online maps) and lead curious visitors to landing pages such as the Facebook career site. While the mass viability of QR codes is still highly questionable, ma...

Want To Own A Piece of the Las Vegas Strip? Here's Your Chance..

Branded Cities, the experiential media and branding arm of real estate titan Ellman, is teaming up with MGM Resorts International to market its Las Vegas portfolio of assets to sponsors. This multi-year, multi-property agreement gives Branded Cities exclusive rights to market spectacular branding and naming rights opportunities throughout the MGM Resorts portfolio including Bellagio, Aria, MGM ...

Universal, HSN Team Up To Sell Movie-Themed Merch

In the wake of one of Hollywood's costliest marketing flops, Universal is contrasting with a vastly different approach to film promotion. It has teamed up with what may seem like an unlikely marketing partner - HSN, or Home Shopping Network to promote its upcoming film, Snow White and the Huntsman. While Hollywood marketing campaigns can run upwards of nine figures to court the attention of tee...

Why Marketers Need Great Sponsorship Ideas More Than Ever

Major brands are increasingly looking to focus TV ad spending around DVR-proof events. As first reported by MediaPost, Coca-Cola plans to shift more of its spend to events like the Super Bowl and “American Idol," which are typically aired live. In contrast, dramas and comedies can increasingly be played at any time using on-demand programming with dvr's, mobile, online and other platforms. ...

The UK's Top Sponsorship Shop Is...

Synergy was named Sponsorship Consultancy of the Year by the 18th annual Hollis Awards, held last night in London to honor the best of the best in the UK market. Aside from the agency's achievement, Synergy Chairman and Founder Karen Earl was also honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award for her contribution to the sponsorship industry. O2’s partnership with Academy Music Group was n...

Sign of the Times? Samsung-Backed Cyber Games To Go Mobile-Only

The World Cyber Games, heavily backed by Samsung and others, is going mobile only in a major strategy shift, according to a leaked letter from WCG CEO Brad Lee **. WCG officials have confirmed that the international events company will drop PC and console competitions to focus solely on mobile gaming. World Cyber Games started as a PC gaming tournament in 2000 hosting major sponsored events ...

What's A Facebook Like Worth To Partners?

Dan Migala, founder of the Migala Report, kicked off a lively conversation this AM on the value of a Facebook "like." Here's the tweet that got things started. As more properties fling open the doors to social media assets like Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, it's important to consider the value partners place on a "like," "share," "tweet," "pin" or whatever-comes-next provides. At the sa...