#deals

Today's blockbuster Microsoft-NFL partnership gives sports techies a lot to digest. In addition to extending exclusive content to sports fans on a wide range of Microsoft devices, Surface tablets will now appear on-field enhancing team communications, photo viewing and play calling. "Microsoft and the NFL envision a sideline of the future with players reviewing in-game photos from different camera angles directly from the sideline and head coaches calling plays off connected Surface tablets instead of today’s static paper products," today's announcement states. Surface by Microsoft branding will also appear on NFL sidelines in unique ways, including on the hoods of the official on-field NFL instant replay stations. The price tag for all of this? NFL.com is reporting $400 million over 5 ...

#activation

Longtime French Open sponsor, BNP Paribas, has come up with an clever stunt to train its countryman ahead of Roland Garros. On May 23rd, a social media-controlled hitting machine will launch tennis balls at Jo-Wilfred Tsonga live on a tennis court. By dragging and dropping a tennis ball on a virtual on-screen tennis court, fans will be able to hurl balls live at Tsonga. We look forward to seeing this play out at wearetennis.com.

#humor

The Onion takes a jab at sponsored content in its latest report. Though it's quite humorous and worth a Monday morning laugh, the video raises a very real issue for media companies -- the credibility problem that plagues most sponsored content. Discuss...

#endorsements

David Beckham’s ability to bend the ball into the goal from seemingly all parts of a soccer field helped to earn him spots on many of soccer’s top clubs around the world including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Los Angeles Galaxy.

Yet, Beckham will seemingly always be known more for his pitches off the field rather than his work on the pitch. In addition to being married to Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice), Beckham has been one of the sports industry’s most famous pitchman. His endorsements / corporate partnerships have included Adidas, Burger King, Samsung, and H & M. Articles in publications ranging The New York Times to The Daily Mail have focused on as much on his “savvy marketing” and “dashing good looks” as his ability as a soccer player in announcing his retirement. Thi...

#activation

The UEFA Champions League sponsor is well-known for its football pranks. Here's the latest from the dutch brewer and JWT.

#activationstag

#activation

You may do a double take in Charlotte when you see the new Pillow Pets #6 (never thought we'd say that). 2012 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and Roush Fenway announced today that they've gone ahead and filled the convertible plush toy-to-pillow category with the super popular, Pillow Pets. Here's the car wrap that sealed the deal on Nascar's cutest entry ever.

Now, sit back and watch how Pillow Pets became a $300 million (!) company:

#trends

While sponsored Wi-Fi has been hailed as a promising new way to provide free internet access to the masses, the fact still remains that for Boingo, the world's largest network of commercial hotspots, less than seven percent of the company's total revenue comes from sponsorships, which provide users with free internet access from advertisers at airports, stadiums, subways, parks and other public venues.

The company, which has generated a lot of press ink for some high profile partners grew sponsorship revenue fifty percent in the first quarter of 2013, largely due to its recent acquisition of Wi-Fi sponsorship platform, Cloud Nine Media.

Further, the company's new deal with Starbucks is a big boost to the company's sponsorship strategy. Recently, appointed exclusive Wi-Fi pro...

#activation

Ask any UGA grad and they'll likely tell you there is absolutely no good reason to ever put on a Florida or Tennessee jersey. Zach McLeroy would not be one of them. His Athens, Georgia-based fast casual chicken joint, Zaxby's, has signed a deal with 25 schools to be the self-proclaimed "official chicken of college sports." With competitors like Chik-fil-A and BW3 already holding a claim to that title, you can't blame McLeroy for wanting to create some extra buzz for his brand. The UGA alum announced the deal while suiting up in Vol and Gator gear, though naturally he broke out the Bulldogs jersey first.
Check it out..

#results

Sponsorship remains the most profitable piece of Live Nation's business. Yesterday, the bellwether live entertainment company posted 15 percent growth in adjusted operating profit from the sponsorship and advertising division, while the division's revenue increased 11 percent to $40.1 million. Operating margins from sponsorship and advertising came in at a healthy 58.6 percent for the first three months of this year. Among the highlights contributing to Live Nation's strong first quarter were an expansion of its partnership with Bud Light, the launch of a collaboration with the America's Cup and a new deal with Just Energy that will see the Canadian company audit 85 participating LN concert venues in the United States to evaluate energy use.

"We continue to add strategic partners tha...