Monday, July 16, 2012 | Edited by Daniel Moores
|
The Buyer's Perspective: What Properties Need to Know Flexibility and a Willingness to Go Beyond Terms of a Contract Can Help Properties Stand Out from the Pack What do sponsorship buyers want to hear in a pitch? What are the attributes of desirable properties? IEG SR posed those questions to a handful of sponsorship buyers. Below, they share feedback on what properties need to do to stand out from the pack. Make sure there is a relevant fit. When targeting prospects, sellers need to make sure there is a natural fit between the property and prospect. "Not every partnership is relevant to a company. I wish properties would consider that before soliciting a company. I've received offers that make absolutely no sense for a luxury car brand," said Susie Rossick, Acura brand manager. At the most basic level, properties should make sure their audience represents a demographic the prospect is interested in. "If we are going after 18-to-34-year-old males, it doesn't make a lot of sense to review a sponsorship for 35-to-45 year-old women. I know this sounds simple, but you would be amazed at how many proposals we receive that are off target." Treat sponsors as partners. To ensure a relationship is a success, properties need to move away from transactional relationships in favor of multi-dimensional partnerships that provide value to both parties. That is the thinking of Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. "We understand Mercedes-Benz is a great name for a property, but we want someone who will not take that for granted. They need to provide what we need, and we will provide what they need," said Stephanie Zimmer, Mercedes' department manager, brand experience marketing. Zimmer points to the automaker's relationship with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts as an example of a partnership. In addition to providing customers complimentary rooms, the automaker promotes the hotel, its services and chefs at its own events. Similarly, Mercedes leverages its partnership with Nike Golf by giving the company exposure at sponsored events. "We bring them to the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. We use their product in everything we do." Be flexible. Tony Schiller, executive vice president of Paragon Marketing Group, looks for properties that are flexible and willing to go beyond terms of a contract. Schiller points to the NHL New Jersey Devils as an example. The team embraced a new activation idea that was brought up as part of PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.'s renewal discussions despite the fact the program extended beyond terms of the original relationship. "There wasn't talk of 'We don't do this or we haven't done that.' They embraced the idea and said How do we make this happen?'" said Schiller, who reps the bank. "The days of transactional relationships are disappearing. If a property can't engage with brands to build a platform, it's not going to be a long-term sponsorship." Tim Collins, Wells Fargo & Co.'s senior vice president of experiential marketing, sums it up: "Like any good relationship, desirable properties listen, are flexible, go above and beyond and are proactive in providing information and resources." (Source: IEG Sponsorship Report, 06/25/12) |
|
Jersey Mike's Beverage Cups Highlight Non-Profit Partners Jersey Mike's Subs is hoping to educate and inspire its customers nationwide this summer, while boosting the visibility of non-profit organizations with special messages on millions of its 22-ounce beverage cups. Fifteen different stories highlighting Jersey Mike's charitable partners will all be available on cups in Jersey Mike's locations throughout the country. Among the featured charities are national organizations such as Wreaths Across America and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, as well as local ones such as Helping Hand Home for Children in Austin, Texas; Bert's Big Adventure in Atlanta; and Seattle, Chicago and Cincinnati Children's Hospitals. The stories will appear on 400,000 cups and are available here. "It's like reading the cereal box over breakfast -- we hope our customers will read our latest cup series with these touching stories from our partner organizations while eating their subs and understand that they can make a difference, too," said Peter Cancro, Jersey Mike's founder and CEO. "We know these cups will be a hit because our customers prove to us time and again when they support our fundraisers that giving back matters as much to them as it does to us." Each cup also will feature the statement: "Giving...Making a difference in someone's life." In 2011, Jersey Mike's locations throughout the country raised more than $2 million for local charities and distributed more than 200,000 free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. "When we give back to our local communities, everyone benefits," Cancro said. (Source: QSRWeb.com, 07/11/12) What's In It For You: Marketing on cups is appearing with some success in other sectors as well, as the following blurb regarding a partnership with Tim Hortons and Dubai's Gulf News shows... Y&R Dubai approached global coffee chain Tim Hortons with the idea of adapting the coffee cup sleeve into an advertising medium for Gulf News. According to Springwise, the resulting "Headline News Cup Sleeve" is printed using a special printer at POS; the news headline is updated hourly. Also included on the cup sleeve are a short URL and a QR code directing customers to the Gulf News website. Close to 3,000 new Gulf News Twitter followers signed up within the first two weeks of the campaign's launch. Traffic on the Gulf News website grew by 41 percent, and subscriptions are up 2.8 percent to date. (Source: Stores.org, 07/2012) Certainly Radio stations can engage in a little R&D (Rip Off & Duplicate) and create similar campaigns across integrated platforms using their on-air, on-site, and digital resources. |
|
What Stations Are Doing: Ford Enlists Radio and Ryan Seacrest to Launch the Ford Fusion It's arguably Ford's biggest model launch in years and the automaker is using what Ford marketing chief Jim Farley says will be a "trans-media" campaign for the new Fusion. The "Random Acts of Fusion" campaign will use a number of celebrities. The first is CHR KIIS-FM, Los Angeles-based syndicated host Ryan Seacrest. The Ford effort will play out over time through a story arc across a variety of media channels that will be driven by digital and experiential marketing while also including radio, broadcast television and social media advertising. "Combining social media, entertainment and unexpected consumer experiences will allow us to connect with audiences through every type of media, making Fusion's profile larger than ever," Farley says. The carmaker is purposefully being somewhat mysterious about what the campaign entails. "Consumers will have to work together to unlock the story, and as the program evolves, will have a chance to see for themselves how Fusion is able to transform the lives of the people who drive it," Ford manager of brand content and alliances Crystal Worthem says. The program runs through the end of October. Ford spent $60.8 million on radio in 2011 with the Ford Dealers Association spending an additional $64.9 million, according to Miller Kaplan. So far in 2012, Ford dealers have bumped up their radio spending by 54% in the first quarter. (Source: InsideRadio.com, 06/27/12) |
|
Daily Sales Tip: Focusing on the Family-Travel Market |
 |
1-800-232-3131 | www.rab.com | To unsubscribe, CLICK HERE and enter REMOVE in the subject line. |