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A recent article in the Chicago tribune discussed America’s shopping mall traffic in light of the recent economic downturn. ShopperTrak RCT Corp, a Chicago based firm that tracks retail foot traffic, reported that mall traffic in recent months has been comparable to figures taken a year ago, before the recession hit full stride.

           Before we get too excited about a possible burgeoning recovery from the recession however, we need to look at the bigger picture. The same firm also tracks all other forms of retail shopping. This includes local “main street” type stores, outlets, and strip malls. Unfortunately, when shopping traffic is looked at overall, we see a discouraging 12 to 13% drop from pre-recession levels.

           What the numbers are really saying then is that Americans are not spending their money as freely, but still feel the urge to hang out in their local shopping mall. Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, believes that these people are using the mall as a source of entertainment rather than a place to go for necessary purchases. (more…)

As usual Jason Peck provides an insightful and thought-provoking blog.  This is a central question to our industry that merits discussion. I have blogged about this and will make this a featured discussion on our LinkedIn Group – Sponsorship Insights.

It is particularly timely you bring up this discussion in that you will be featured in our next e-newsletter going out to our membership next week.

My take: When pitching sponsorship opportunities, I often find myself explaining the benefits of sponsorship in general versus more traditional media for more than half of the presentation before I even get to the specifics of the pitch. I think the term “sponsorship” carries a certain amount of baggage and and ambiguity. In the REIT sector, many in house sponsorship units are re branding as “partnership marketing” to emphasize the partnership aspect.  Read Jason’s blog here:

The sport business world is in a state of perpetual forward motion. It seems that every year, advancements are being made in the way sporting events are organized, presented, and marketed to fans. When it comes to the latter, marketing professionals are always looking for new and exciting ways to attract fans to their sport product. A recent step forward has occurred in this area with the creation of a product called Vontoo V2. This new product facilitates a novel form of communication between fans and their favorite sports teams. (more…)

Watching sports is almost exclusively a male hobby. Sure, women can watch sports just as well, but it’s typically men who spend their Saturdays and Sundays with a six pack in front of the TV.

But who else is usually with them? Their kids. Kids who want to become exactly like their dads and learn from everything that comes on the screen, including advertisements.

Picture this. You and your six year old son are sitting down on a Sunday afternoon watching your favorite football team. It’s halftime. A commercial for Dodge comes on. Just a car driving around. Then a commercial for Bud Light comes on. Guys at a bar having fun. Then a commercial for Viagra or Cialis comes on. It talks about “ED” and sexual partners and shows pictures of men and women being very flirtatious.

Your six year old may not know what’s going on or care to understand that commercial. But there are those kids that pay attention to the commercials and see that behavior as acceptable. Do you really want your child going around in public singing “Viva, Viagra?” And in the case of the beer commercials, it makes beer seem like a great way to enjoy a game, which it is. Just for adults, not kids. These ads bring in big money for the network but set a bad example for kids.

The real question is why those types of companies choose to show their ads during day games anyways. Sure, there is a lot of their target audience watching (middle-aged men) but there are also a lot of kids. Are they trying to influence future customers? Do those companies want kids to grow up and spend their money on Bud Light and Viagra?

Yes, of course they do. What company wouldn’t want people to buy their product? What I want to know is why companies selling beer and male enhancement are the only ones really taking advantage of the knowledge that kids watch sports games during the day. Kids are extremely susceptible to advertising, so companies other than beer and male enhancement should think about taking advantage of those day game time slots to sway them.

Companies that support staying in school or exercise should be eating that commercial time up. It’s almost like it hasn’t clicked. And companies that make products that kids can use, like clothes, toys, etc, haven’t caught on either. Of course, you still have to advertise with the main client in mind, the middle aged man, but lending some time to some child friendly companies could lead to a better generation of people.

Whenever companies start to discover this idea that not only grown men watch sports games, other types of companies will begin vying for time slots during day games as well, making them more competitive and therefore lucrative. So if you are looking for a way to get your name out there, try a sports game during the day. You never know who’ll be watching!

We welcome your feedback and encourage you to share this with others.  If you are not already a member of The Sponsorship Insights Networking Group on LinkedIn and Facebook, I wanted to invite you.  My friend, Dan Beeman created it about a year ago.  It has helped my career and can help yours too.   Our group of 3,800+ sponsorship and marketing professionals has grown quickly and members come from the top positions at such agencies as IEG, IMG, Wasserman, Momentum and leagues – NFL, NBA, NHL, CFL, MLB, AVP, MLS, NASCAR and more.  

Members connect with each other to enhance their knowledge, further their careers and interact online via our discussion forums and blog.  We are committed to being the best, free business networking site for sponsorship and marketing executives on the internet.  We also send a monthly, e-newsletter and provide exclusive discounts for conferences and appropriate vendors.  All of this is provided free for you and appropriate associates.

To join, please click on the links below and forward to your associates. 

http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/59380

Seth Godin has a Tribe, Jim Rome has Clones, Sports teams have season ticket holders and fans, Country Clubs have members and churches have parishioners.  All require participation to create value.  Some charge through fees, others through donations and others through and sales and advertising.
Sponsorship Insights Group is a collection of 3,800+ professionals using LinkedIn as a conduit to enhance our knowledge, careers and efficiency.  Our value is YOU connecting with your peers.  Your “membership fee” is simply paying it forward – participating in the discussions, posting jobs, sharing insights and encouraging others to join.
So, here is the ASK.  Please invite others to join.  It is simple.  Forward this newsletter to your network with an invitation to read and join.  We promise to provide you with the most dynamic, free, objective and comprehensive network for sponsorship and marketing professionals.

A few posts earlier, I talked about Nike being more active in Brazil and how positive it is to the Brazilian sports market.

Today I will talk about two examples of how the company works so well around the world, taking advantage of the various opportunities its many sponsorship deals provide.

The first is the excellent, fun Kobe Bryant and Lebron James Most Valuable Puppets campaign (above the last video, right after the Lakers title) and that led to its own line of products. Again showing how sponsorship can (and should) be used to increase revenue.

The other is the tribute to Roger Federer, after the tennis player won his 15^th Grand Slam title, becoming the biggest Grand Slam winner. With this quick video, Nike stated that it is not only Federer’s biggest partner, but also of many other top sporting stars (from the past and the present).

As always I have a few questions for you.  As sponsorship professionals, do you wish that there were certifications to differentiate sponsorship professionals from amateurs?  Do you think that we should have lobbying for our industry in Washington DC?  Are either of those happening?  Should they be?

Here is what is happening (from my perspective).  (more…)