connecting people,opportunities and ideas

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…)

Featured Article by David Rachell of Pinpoint Marketing and Dan Beeman of Sponsorship Insights Group.

The global economic downturn has taken multiple shapes that adversely affect many industries. The wise sage, Benjamin Franklin, once said that out of adversity comes opportunity. Perhaps Ben’s statement could very well apply to the downturn being our opportunity to strengthen the North American sponsorship industry.

Most reports show that the industry is weathering the economic storm fairly well.  But, activity from a different type of storm has been brewing at the U.S. Capitol. This storm involves legislative regulation aimed at prohibiting some of the most prolific industry players from using sponsorship as a means to foster new business growth.

Imagine (more…)

Today we have a guest blog from David Rachell www.pinpointsponsor.com

It’s amazing how many times I need to start conversation by defining the use of the word “sponsorship.” Because the practice is fragmented so differently among companies – the idea varies from company to company. Is it a donation? Is it really a marketing or a PR initiative? Would it be a part of media planning , public affairs or even investor relations?Perhaps all sponsorship consultants and property rights-holders need to take the initiative to define “sponsorship.” (more…)

Five days in Las Vegas – whew!  I am tired, but energized by what I saw, heard and learned.  I attended parts of a Club Med reunion, toured several Vegas Resorts, listened to a few presentations at ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) and met with many shopping center developers.

Here is my over-riding takeaway – people and organizations that continue to re-invent themselves, stay ahead of the game and look to the future are going to succeed.  People and organizations who hope and pray that things will not change will fail.  I guess it is the “who moved my cheese” blog from me today. (more…)

Top Retail News

Abercrombie books 1Q loss, warns of more red ink
(May 15, 2009), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Friday reported a fiscal first-quarter loss Friday of nearly $27 million, a number that could jump by millions more after the retailer books a non-cash write-down tied to its struggling Ruehl chain.

The New Albany-based retailer said that for the first quarter ended May 2 it lost $26.8 million, or 31 cents a share. That compares with profit of $62.1 million, or 69 cents a share, a year ago

New steakhouse coming to Jacksonville
(May 14, 2009), An upscale steakhouse with only four other locations in the nation is coming to the Southside of Jacksonville.

The 9,300-square-foot III Forks Steakhouse is expected to open in Tapestry Park later this year.

North Carolina bans smoking in bars, restaurants
(May 14, 2009), Gov. Beverly Purdue says she will sign into law a bill passed by the North Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday that bans smoking in bars and restaurants in a state where tobacco once was king.

The House approved by a 62-56 vote a version of the smoking ban that had been passed by the state Senate. The measure will make it illegal for restaurant and bar owners to allow smoking in their establishments. Patrons wanting to light up will have to do so outside.

Cigar bars and private clubs are exempt from the new law.

H&R Block restructures tax business
(May 14, 2009), H&R Block Inc. realigned the structure of its tax business into one corporate entity overseen directly by CEO Russ Smyth.

Previously, the company’s retail tax, digital tax, franchise operations, company field operations and corporate units in the tax sector operated under separate entities all under the umbrella of the holding company, Kansas City-based H&R Block Inc. (NYSE HRB).

Kohl’s Q1 profit drops 11%, still beats Street
Menomonee Falls, Wis. (May 14, 2009) Kohl’s Corp. said Thursday its first-quarter profit fell 11% on reduced consumer spending, but its results exceeded Wall Street expectations.

Analysts expected revenue of $3.62 billion. Actual revenue for the quarter was $3.64 billion, a 0.4% increase. (more…)

From a personal experience and perspective, I am a big fan of sponsorship summits.  It is a great way to take some time out and get together in-person with sponsors.  The benefits are obvious in developing a more personal connection and the more connected they are the more likely they are to renew.  We all know renewal is usually preferable to getting out and pitching a category.

I attended a webinar hosted by IEG today and want to share a  few key takeaways.

Goals: (more…)

If any of my readers/members/friends/associates are going to be in Las Vegas this weekend and the early part of next week and want to meet, please shoot me a note to dan@sponsorshipinsights.com.  I am also going to start scaling back my blog postings to about 3 times per week as my work schedule is getting pretty busy.

Since sponsorship and Real Estate are inextricably linked, here is some wonkish Real Estate News in advance of the conference for interested parties

In thinking about my mom and all mom’s and their contributions to our lives, it occurred that they are the original sponsors – giving up their womb to house and nurture us before birth.

So, from the BEE – man, here is a little e-card to share with Moms…

I am a proud member of  the best marketing online community for senior marketing executives and am happy to share their recommended blogs.  Let me know if you are interested in applying for membership

MENG Member Blogs:

Advertising

• David Vinjamuri: http://www.thirdwayblog.com/ - Advertising From the Client Side

B2B Marketing

• Merry Elrick:  http://www.marketingroitruth.com/Site/Blog/Blog.html -The Truth About B2B Marketing ROI

Branding

• Martin Bishop:  http://brandmix.blogspot.com/ – Branding Stories & Ideas
• Allen Adamson: http://www.brandsimple.com/blog/ - BrandDigital/BrandSimple
• Lisa Merriam:  https://www.merriamassociates.com/ – Brand on the Street Video Blog

Business

• Len Ellis:  http://lenellis.wordpress.com/ – General Business
• Steve Fisher & Tim Gilchrist: http://microengagement.blogspot.com/ -Crowdsourcing and Management
• Richard Guha: http://takecontrolof.blogspot.com/ – Redefining Business Issues to Take Control of Your Destiny

Communications

• Arun Sinha:  http://www.accessconsultinginc.com/blog/ – Copywriting & Communications

Culturally and Socially Conscious Marketing

• Patricia Martin: http://blog.patricia-martin.com/ – Culture Scout Blog

Direct Marketing

• Ted Grigg: http://www.dmcgblog.com/journal/ – Direct Marketing Reflections

General Marketing

• Tamora Burk:  http://maverick-dean.com/tamora/ – Marketing Insights and Trends
• Stephen Denny: http://www.note-to-cmo.blogspot.com/ – Note to the CMO
• Stephanie Fierman: http://stephaniefiermanmarketingdaily.blogspot.com - Observations on Marketing and Consumerism
• Jeff Gwynne: http://www.thescienceofmarketing.com/ – The Science of Marketing
• Ray Knight:     http://knightworks.blogspot.com/ – Marketing and Business Development
• Anna Lieber:  http://www.lieberbrewster.blogspot.com/ – Marketing and Branding
• John Rindlaub: http://blog.brandwavesmarketing.com/ – Marketing and Branding
• Eric Mohr:  http://www.ericbmohr.com/ – Interactive, Web Development, Direct Marketing
• Neil Bhandar:  http://nbhandar.blogspot.com/ – Marketing and Branding

Global Marketing

• Marc de Swaan Arons:  http://globalmarketingeffectiveness.blogspot.com/ – Global Marketing Effectiveness
• Ken Lempit:  http://www.swelledhead.com/ – Transatlantic Marketing
• Jean Marc Rejaud: http://globalonlinemarketing-professorrejaud.blogspot.com/ – Global Online Marketing

Internet Marketing

• Mike Moran:  http://www.mikemoran.com/biznology/blog/index.html – Biznology, Where Business and Technology Come Together

Investing

• Gary Lucido: http://www.investingminds.com/social/blogs/gary/ – Sharing investing successes and failures to learn from each other

Job Search

• Tim Tyrell-Smith: http://blog.spinstrategy.com – Spin Strategy^TM: Tools for Intelligent Job Search

Leadership

• D A Morton:  http://www.hdleadership.blogspot.com – Creating success through personal leadership

Location Based Services

• Claudio Schapsis:  http://bdnooz.com/ – Location Based Services

Marketing Analytics

• Jean Marc Rejaud: http://marketinganalyticsandstatistics.blogspot.com/ – Marketing Analytics and Statistics

Marketing Ideas

• Tim Tyrell-Smith: http://blog.quixoting.com/ – A Quest For New Ideas

Market Research

• Tom Anderson:  www.tomhcanderson.com – Market Research and Consumer Insights

Marketing Strategy

• Jeff Weinberger: http://disruptivemarketing.jeffweinberger.com/ – Disruptive Marketing
Jack Trytten:  http://insightdirection.blogspot.com/ – The Failure of Marketing

Millennial Marketing

• Carol Phillips:  http://www.millennialmarketing.blogspot.com/ – Millennial Marketing

Online Marketing

• Vidar Brekke:  http://morebetterclicks.com/ – Online Marketing and Metrics

Sales

• Nigel Edelshain: http://www.sales2.com/salesblog/nigel_edelshain/ – Sales & Marketing Working Together and Improving the Sales Profession

Search Marketing

• Niki Fielding & Marc Engelsman: http://dbesem.blogspot.com/ – Next Generation Search Marketing

Social Media Marketing

• Jean Marc Rejaud: http://wordofmouthsocialmediamarketing.blogspot.com/ – Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing Trends/Best Practices

Sponsorship

• Dan Beeman: http://www.sponsorshipinsights.com/blog – Sponsorship Marketing

Storytelling

• Ira Koretsky: http://www.chiefstoryteller.com/ – Tell a Better Story About Yourself and Your Business

Technology Marketing

• Paul Dunay:    http://buzzmarketingfortech.blogspot.com - Buzz Marketing for Technology

Trust and Reputation

• Jarvis Cromwell:  http://reputationgarage.com/ – Trust/Reputation Issues in Business

MENG Speaker Blogs

• Matt Bud: http://www.thefeng.org/mattsblog/default.asp – The Chairman of the Financial Executives Networking Group gives career and networking advice
• Walter Carl, Ph.D: http://www.wom-study.blogspot.com – Word of Mouth Communication Study blog, and also http://chatthreads.typepad.com – How people talk about brands, products and services in everyday life
• Anne Pauker Kreitzberg: http://www.leadersintheknow.com/ – Reinventing the Practice of Leadership

Business and Marketing Community at Large

Careers

• Marci Alboher:  http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/ – Shifting Careers, Smart Thinking at Work
• Jane Turkewitz:  www.LetsTalkTurkeyBlog.com – Resume writing and interview process

Marketing to Women

• Penelope Stockinger & Team: http://www.ebrandmarketing.com/ – Media & Marketing Focused on Women

Media

• Shelly Palmer:  http://www.shellypalmermedia.com/ – MediaBytes: Technology, Media & Entertainment

MENG Preferred Top Marketing and Media Blogs From AdAge Power 150

• Seth Godin:http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ Seth Godin’s Blog
• Andy Beal:http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/ Marketing Pilgrim
• Steve Rubel:http://www.micropersuasion.com/ Impact of Digital Trends on Business
• Steve Hall:http://www.adrants.com/ AdRANTs
• Tom Peters:http://www.tompeters.com/ Management and Leadership
• Joseph Jaffe:http://www.jaffejuice.com/ New Marketing, Advertising, Creativity
• David Armano:http://darmano.typepad.com/ Experience Design, Creativity, Insight
• Jeremiah Owyang:http://web-strategist.com/blog Web Strategy
• Guy Kawasaki:http://blog.guykawasaki.com/ Marketing Guru
• Joe Pulizzi:http://blog.junta42.com/ Content Marketing
• Aaron Kahlow/Guests:http://blog.onlinemarketingconnect.com/ Online Marketing Strategy
• Chris Brogan:http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ Community and Social Media
• David Meerman Scott:http: http://www.webinknow.com/ Online Thought Leadership