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This may not be the biggest new sponsorship deal you see on SponsorPitch this year, this week, or even today, but it's surely indicative of how having the right information at the right time can lead to a game-changing sponsorship deal. And that's what we're all about helping you cut through the clutter to find your most relevant leads. No cookie-cutter proposals or 15% brokers needed. That's not to say a lot of elbow grease isn't also required to secure a title sponsorship. Six months of it in this case.

Last December, Hawaiian Airlines announced they would begin direct flights between Honolulu and New York City in June 2012, the same month that the NY Outrigger's Liberty Challenge, one of the largest canoe ourtrigger races in the world, is held. Not coincidentally, the 501(c)(3) no...

#activation

To celebrate its 250th anniversary Irish beer giant, Guinness, has launched what may be one of the world's first branded submarines! That's right, if you win Diageo's über cool Sea Experience contest you could win a trip to the depths of the Baltic Sea near Stockholm. London-based architecture firm, Jump Studios, which has worked on land-based campaigns for brands like Nike and Levis, recently was tasked with designing the interior of the submarine which is being dubbed the Guinness deep-sea bar. Jump says that the vessel's interior is meant to represent Guinness' brand statement: 'Alive Inside.' Photos courtesy of Jump Studios below.

Happy Birthday Hat Tip: J.W. Cannon

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#awesome-ness

Medical device company, Coloplast, has sponsored Michael Johnson, formula racing's first paralyzed driver. As part of the sponsorship, the Minneapolis-based firm will provide modifications to Johnson's car including installing Coloplast's SpeediCath coated catheter to help Johnson compete.

"Coloplast's mission is to improve patient quality of life. Michael Johnson embodies that mission. He is redefining the sport and erasing boundaries, proving that with the right mix of innovation and passion, any obstacle can be overcome," said Tom Remmel, SpeediCath Product Manager. "We are proud to be part of this racing team and will be cheering for Michael every step of the way, especially when he crosses the finish line at Indy500 for the first time."

Here's Johnson's inspirational story, ...

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Twitter, looking to cash in on the sky-high volume of tweets about sports on TV, is launching a partnership with ESPN to create custom campaigns for brands around events like the World Series and the Super Bowl.

Read More From Advertising Age >>

#Green

Timberland today announced it will add two festivals in four cities to its Fade to Green festival platform, which was launched at Sundance in 2009.
The platform is intended to promote its eco-conscious Earthkeepers footwear collection made with recycled and environmentally-friendly materials.

Timberland's new deals are with Mountainfilm in Telluride, CO and Wanderlust in Stratton, VT, Copper Mountain, CO, Squaw Valley, CA and Whistler, British Columbia.

Attendees at both festivals will be able to learn about Timberland's eco-conscious footwear by visiting the Earthkeepers pop-up kiosk, which the brand says is made from reclaimed and recycled materials. In addition, Timberland will be running an online sweepstakes for a Wanderlust trip, which can be entered with proof of purchas...

#selling

The Insight Bowl has changed its Twitter handle to _________Bowl and earlier today sent out a tweet asking fans to guess the name of the new game. Not a bad publicity move even if it is generating suggestions like the "Thank God we're no longer call the Insight Bowl Bowl." Here are some of the suggestions so far from the Twitterverse.

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Sponsorship negotiations can get sticky when it comes to placing the value into "value-in-kind." Afterall, most sponsorship deals involve at least some hard costs for the property, which makes straight barter deals a rarity. Nevertheless, bartering, often referred to as value-in-kind, in certain cases can make a lot of sense if it gives properties the opportunity to manage cash more efficiently, while opening up the prospect of sponsorship to a whole new set of small and mid-sized prospects that might have been previously priced out of the market for the opportunity.

So it make perfect sense that one smart motorsports team has added an exclusive 'barter' sponsor with over 25 years experience brokering all kinds of "cashless" business deals. The way it works is, products and services...

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Target Chip Ganassi Racing will give the number 10 Target Honda of two-time Indianapolis 500 Winner Dario Franchitti a new look, changing it to the No. 50 for the 96th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The move is meant to honor Target's 50th Anniversary in 2012, nearly half of which have seen it partnered with Ganassi Racing. The Ganassi sponsorship is the longest in the company's history.

"Partnering with the Ganassi team has been a true highlight of Target's first 50 years in business," said Gregg Steinhafel, Chairman, President and CEO, Target. "We are excited that our guests and team will see our 50th anniversary commemorated with the new No. 50 on Dario's car during the Indianapolis 500. What an outstanding tribute from a tremendous partner."

"Partnering with the Ganassi tea...

Skincare brand, Aquaphor, will be the new title sponsor of the annual New York City Triathlon, which has been without a title sponsor since Nautica The new three-year agreement, which includes naming rights, as well as a variety of marketing and promotional components was announced this morning.

"Today's announcement underscores Aquaphor's commitment to athletes, one of our core target audiences. We are very excited to partner with the New York City Triathlon team in order to spread the message of the benefits of Aquaphor to triathletes both to those who will be in New York for the race and around the country," said Magnus Jonsson, Vice President, Marketing, Beiersdorf Inc. "We look forward to helping these hard-core athletes train and compete to ensure that when their skin is in cr...