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Manchester United has been flooding the headlines over the past few weeks with news of debts and takeovers. This article looks at the big money sponsorship deals happening behind the scenes and the Glazer family’s London-based organization that is driving these deals.

Read the full article here

High-profile, high investments, high-speed, high budgets. These are all words synonymous with Formula 1, however recent figures have shown that the recession has taken sponsorship in the sport to a new low.

Read the full report detailing the current state of sponsorship in Formula 1 and the most recent trends in the sport here.

What?  No Oprah?  In typical Tiger style, he is conducting a press…, sorry, I got that wrong.  I guess it was wishful thinking.  Tiger will be reading a statement in front of selected media and taking no questions.  Which will only lead to MORE questions.  See more here and my quote in the LA Times Article this morning.  I have written in this space with my insights.  I agree with the article, he should have followed the Andy Petite approach to handling adversity.  What approach is that, you might say?  That is precisely my point…

Heat Launch New Technology in Sport Sponsorship, By SIG Intern, Tom Segal.

After much anticipation the Miami Heat recently launched their new MediaMesh clear LED system. In one word it is “amazing!” The Heat are the first sports organization in the United States to use this technology and have already attracted big players to advertise on their system including Bacardi, Miller Lite, Verizon, McDonalds, Gatorade and Adidas just to name a few.

The exposure the screen will generate facing the popular Biscayne Boulevard is immense with over 5.8 million people either passing by or attending an event at American Airlines Arena each year, but the location is not the only benefit making potential advertisers drool. The real attraction is how cool this thing looks! It is nearly impossible not to fixate your eyes on the objects practically floating across the front of the arena while passing by; so much so that I guarantee it will cause more than a few accidents on Biscayne.

Pricing for the ad spots are unavailable without inquiring with the Heat’s VP of Sales, but the structure for the advertising deals are based on 8 second increments that run for a combined 30 minutes a day.

With the increased attention the system has been getting from potential advertisers, other organizations such as the Orlando Magic, have already inquired about acquiring systems for their new stadiums.

In a time difficult to obtain sponsorships, something new and exciting had to be done, and I think the Heat had a “slam dunk” idea in incorporating this new technology into their arena. The organization is also using Twitter as a medium to get fans involved with the LED video board selecting fan “tweets” throughout the day to display across the screen.

Check out the video on the Heat website to see how ridiculously cool this new LED technology is. I would definitely crash on Biscayne Boulevard if something appealing was flashing across this thing.

Do others think this was a great idea by the Heat, and how quickly do you think this technology will grow among other sports franchises?  I also like how the Heat incorporated Twitter to get the fans involved.

http://www.nba.com/heat/news/aaa_unveils_media_mesh.html

Sports Sponsorships in a Troubled Economy, By SIG Intern, Greg Borzerelli.
Sports sponsorships have always been a popular vehicle for advertising and building a brand. This has proved to be a mutually beneficial relationship with sports teams and leagues raking in millions of dollars and sponsors receiving ad space on one of the nation’s most popular platforms. In fact, certain companies have become so (more…)