connecting people,opportunities and ideas

Click here to read our latest newsletter To subscribe, please go to www.sponsorshipinsights.com/blog

Professional athletes are often viewed as role models. This perception is easily justified when you think about how many young children grow up with dreams of following in the footsteps of their favorite sports stars. In fact, most sport sponsorship deals are founded on this very idea. People will see an athlete using a product, want to emulate them, and therefore purchase that product. Obviously this strategy has proven effective since hundreds of millions of dollars are spent paying athletes for endorsements each year. However, with so many recent examples of professional athletes running into trouble with the law, one can’t help but wonder how their marketability is being affected. (more…)

I developed a sponsorship program for a real estate developer who provided “aspirational luxury” stores at his retail properties for consumers who “aspired” to a luxury lifestyle.

It worked in retail as consumers shop to feel better, using consumption as therapy.  We sold sponsorships leveraging access to the consumers when their guard was down (while shopping) from being inundated by brand messages that were sent through traditional media channels.

I found an interesting organization that is offering partnerships by rewarding future behavior – and inspiring that behavior.

What is an X PRIZE?

An X PRIZE is a $10 million+ award given to the first team to achieve a specific goal, set by the X PRIZE Foundation, which has the potential to benefit humanity. Rather than awarding money to honor past achievements or directly funding research, an X PRIZE incites innovation by tapping into our competitive and entrepreneurial spirits.

How enlightened.  Why be aspirational if you can be inspirational?

Summertime = heat, swimming to keep cool, relaxation and reflection (at least the last two weeks of August).  I recently read a couple of books – The Waxman Report and The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho.  I won’t review the Waxman Report in this space as it is probably too political for some of my readers.

However, The Alchemist got me to thinking a bit and how it relates to sponsorship.  Okay, full disclosure, I am always thinking about sponsorship!

According to Paul, in order to fulfill your Personal Legend, one must be also connected to the Soul of the World and know The Language of The World.  To get connected in this deep way, one must be committed to the journey and the process and facing the inherint challenges.  Wow, pretty deep.

In sponsorship, this means being an evangelist of the medium, truly and authetically building integrated platforms for brand promotion, through creatively leveraging the asset or property.  In order to do this, one needs training and understanding and of course, being connected.

A couple of interesting ways to train and get connected are coming up soon.

• LA Office is hosting their annual conference in Hollywood, CA.  They are offering free movie passes for brand representatives who want to take advantage of the special rate for our readers.  Just click on this link and type in the word SPONSORSHIP, when booking.
• IEG has expanded their training and are offering a couple of unique courses and a combined course which brings together many of the necessary tools for sponsorship success. Their next one is on Sponsorship Activation.  Click here to register and find out more information.

Both of these institutions have helped me learn, grow and get more connected.  I hope this is helpful and look forward to your feedback!

Yes. I think Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles organization would agree in saying that he is. Not only is he an incredible athlete, he has much more to play for now than he did in 2006. His family, friends, and loyal fans need something positive from him. He needs money to pay his lawyers and bankruptcy court. And he needs to prove to every fan of football that he is truly sorry for what he did and is able to move on. That is what the 2009 season is to Michael Vick.

How does that benefit the sports marketing world? Well animal rights has become very closely entangled with the NFL since the dog fighting incident, and humane societies and animal activists could start giving ads to support Vick’s turn around, and to avoid another similar error.

Also, Vick being back in the league will create a bigger viewer base for the games, people will tune in to see if Michael Vick is playing, how well he is doing, and what reporters have to say about his character and attitude so far. Advertising during a Philadelphia Eagles game has never been so lucrative.

What else does Michael Vick rejoining the NFL mean to advertising? Advertisers grabbing hold of Michael Vick as a sponsor could potentially be very profitable, especially given the amount of press devoted to his return. If you couldn’t get him in 2006, now’s the time to try. Vick seems to be working hard to turn his life around, aiding him in the process could potentially benefit your company in the future if and when he returns to his prime.

Of course, there are always negatives in situations like this. Michael Vick admitted this morning in an interview that he knows that there are in fact many people who will never forgive him for his actions. That could be dangerous for a company to use Michael Vick as a sponsor, what if a significant number of people stop buying that product? However, I believe his talent, true remorse, and eagerness to move on tower over the hate and animosity against him.

So ultimately, Michael Vick was worth the risk for the Eagles, but is he worth the risk for your company?

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