Tip: Keep your options open & create a market for your opportunity.

I have a smile on my face as I sit down to write this … because I know that just seeing the Blog title, it's going to make my staff laugh. You see, if they've heard this expression from me once … they've heard it a hundred times!

I'm always preaching the importance of having options. Fact is, you never want to find yourself in a position where you only have limited options – or worse, NO other options.
Having said that, I'm constantly surprised (…in conversations I have with sponsorship sales people…), when they start grousing about one or two of their prospects – expressing frustration that the potential sponsor hasn't responded …or they've responded but the conversations never seem to go anywhere…

"So who else are you talking to (…in the _____ category)?", I ask.
"(Pause…pau...

Dolphins are 7th NFL team sponsorship

SpongeTech will become an official sponsor of the Miami Dolphins and will leverage Land Shark Stadium's high profile platforms to generate brand awareness of SpongeTech's "The Smarter Sponge" product line.

"We are thrilled to be able to partner with such a prestigious brand as the Dolphins. We're confident that they will help us take our marketing efforts to another level here in South Florida," said Steven Moskowitz, Chief Operating Officer of SpongeTech. "The added exposure in the FedEx Orange Bowl, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl will be tremendous for us."

Included in the partnership is a 14 feet by 21 feet permanent in-bowl sign that will be displayed throughout the 2009 Dolphins season, the FedEx Orange Bowl, the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV.

SpongeTech sponsors the Clevela...

A look into the business side of MMA.

Mixed Martial Arts, along with the UFC, has exploded over the past couple of years and mainstream sponsors are starting to take notice. Jordan McCreery of MMAAdNet and Magnetic Marketing Associates is going to catch us up on the intricacies of the business side of MMA through a regular series of posts starting today.

What is Mixed Martial Arts? When some people hear about the sport of MMA they often think of brutal, unsanctioned combat once referred to as human cock fighting. Much of the negative connotation surrounding the sport comes from the little knowledge and understanding people have of it. MMA is much more than just barbaric fighting, it’s a legitimate competitive sport and it is beginning to gain the respect and recognition it deserves.

The sponsorships and brands ...

AP - Local teams, even T-ball, can be marketing tools

As sponsorship evolves to more complex forms of assets, modeling and measurement, many local sponsorships are still pretty cut and dry. But that doesn't mean they don't work according to a piece penned by Joyce Rosenberg of the AP today.

She says:
On football and soccer fields across the nation, small business owners are taking advantage of a huge marketing opportunity: sponsoring local sports teams.

The cost is a tiny fraction of the typical sponsorships we discuss here, but to small businesses the loyalty engendered can bring big dividends in a tough economy.

Carrie Mitchell has sponsored soccer and T-ball teams, getting the name of her Raleigh, N.C.-based company, ASAP Office Supply Inc., on uniforms and on a sign on a practice field. She has also sponsored a swim team, w...

The New Jersey Nets have signed 10 new sponsors heading into the season including Mars, Zappos.com, LTJ Arthur, MetroPCS, CURE Auto Insurance, Electronics Expo, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Hotelplanner.com, Lucky Strike Lanes and Pirate's Booty snack food

Navistar has renewed its title sponsorship of the LPGA event in Prattville, Alabama.

AirTran Airways announced today that it has become the official airline of the Orlando Magic.

UPS has signed a "tier two" sponsorship with London 2012.

Metro, an Ontario grocery chain, has teamed up with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies in a sponsorship for the 2009-10 NHL and AHL hockey season.

THQ has sponsored Animal Planet in support of its new game, World of Zoo.

Kathleen Hessert of Sports Media Challenge and the SBJ staff have been keeping up with all of the insights from Day 1 at the Relay Sports Sponsorship Symposium.
The main takeaway from today looks to be, not surprisingly, that sponsors are moving away from brand sponsorship and towards a greater focus on quantitative accountability against pre-determined metrics, in some cases needing to explore new models such as pay for performance/increased cooperation in sharing of information.

Here are some of the notes we found of interest:

kathleenhessert: No longer throw bucket of$ it's what's working- think partners/relationships to help drive value. No longer buyer & selleri-partners #SBJSSS

fishereric: NFL's Waller: we've yet to find sponsor to share full financial info to reall...

You know the old adage: A job worth doing is worth doing well. When it comes to spending money on sponsorship, this isn’t always the case.
Case in point - and for proof - this week’s Sports Sponsorship Symposium. As usual, there is talk about how we need better ROI and measurement, media is not enough any more, yadda, yadda, yadda. How many years in a row are we going to hear these complaints until buying decisions and implementation methodologies are changed to deliver results that make the high priests of sponsorship stop decrying how it isn’t working well enough for them? I mean seriously, the same people (in the same positions at least) bought into the media measurement methodology, pioneered by companies like Joyce Julius, as a holistic way to measure sponsorship value and ...

Vizio lands EP on New FSN show.

Yesterday we mentioned a deal between Vizio and Fox Sports Net that will allow the LCD-maker to "executive produce" a new show for Fox Sports Net stations called "Vizio's Profiles."

Vizio's Profiles will provide in-depth looks at professional football's biggest stars in a 30-minute weekly show airing on all Fox Sports Network stations. The first episode, debuting Oct. 2, will profile Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and future episodes will include Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Bears running back Brian Urlacher, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson.

“The proliferation of DVRs is forcing every company to reevaluate how it spends its media dollars,” marketing director at Vizio, Jason Maciel said. “Vizio’s Profiles...

Coca-Cola and The Football League have decided against renewing their title sponsorship valued at approximately £6m a year, as the deal expires at the end of this season.

Coca-Cola was reportedly looking to pay a similar amount to past years while The Football League was seeking a fee increase to the partnership, which began in 2004.

According to the Daily Mail: "Coca-Cola will be looking to concentrate on their big football sponsorships still in place, the World Cup, European Championship, Olympic Games and Wayne Rooney, saying they have different priorities away from the Football League but want to continue with a lesser commercial partnership."
It is rumored that E.ON, which is already the league's Official Energy Partner, may have interest. Any other ideas?