SPORTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Issue 12--Comments from Event Sponsors

Corporate sponsorship is such an important component of sports that it's worth a closer look. Included here are a number of quotes from businesspeople explaining why they chose the sponsorships they did.

Public Awareness

 

Why Casio is sponsoring the Specialized Cactus Cup cycling series, the National In-Line Skate Series, the Ultimate In-Line Challenge, and the Team Mountain Dew Specialized mountain bike team: "... we can't afford traditional advertising year-round. Sponsorship is a cost-effective way to get exposure during periods where we're not advertising and to reach our target in their own environment," said Patricia Carrasco, manager of advertising, PR, and marketing services. (1)  

 

Image

 

Why TAG Heuer sponsored Formula One racing, the Indianapolis 500, the North American Ski World Cup, and an America's Cup team: "We're a sports watch company, and the credibility of our selling message comes from tying into the sports themselves," said Fred Reffsin, executive vice president, general manager, Heuer Time & Electronics. (2)

 

Target Market

 

Why SunSoft (a division of Sun Microsystems) is sponsoring the Bud Surf Tour and the U. S. Open of Surfing: " ... the audience comprises lots of young people growing up with the phenomenon of the Internet. They're into sports and conversant with computers, people who make their own home pages. That audience comprises people who are going to be in our industry, not the typical business decision-maker. ... the people at these events are the ones who are going to influence the decision-makers," said Peter Schakow, manager, new media marketing for SunSoft. (3)

 

Why Pontiac Sunfire sponsored the Extreme Games: "The fit was good as far as the target was concerned and our desire to reach that target. We expect 33% of Pontiac Sunfire purchasers to be first-time car buyers, young singles, and couples with a very active lifestyle," said John Gray, brand marketing strategy manager for Pontiac Sunfire. (4)

 

Why Sprint became the title sponsor of the Sprint Spree Style Classic freestyle skiing event: "We want to reach a younger segment of the skier demographic. Prepaid calling cards are becoming very popular with college students, especially those who travel, and that's the freestyle crowd," said Marlene Waltz, director of prepaid card sales and marketing for Sprint. (5)

 

Public Relations

 

One reason Gold Eagle (which manufactures STA-BIL, a fuel stabilizer) continues to sponsor the STA-BIL Lawn Mower Races: "It began as a public relations vehicle for STA-BIL, but I don't think anyone could have predicted the kind of media interest and brand-building press coverage that this thing has generated. Because the national race is conducted as a charity event in support of the Les Turner ALS Foundation and their fight against Lou Gehrig's disease, we've also been able to do something positive for the community.

 

"Along with our cosponsors Slick 50 Citgo Lubricants and Dixie Chopper, we anticipate more racers, faster speeds and an even larger degree of media coverage ," said Jim Brown, Gold Eagle marketing services manager. (6)

 

Business-to-Business

 

One reason why Scientific-Atlanta (a supplier of video and communication systems) sponsored the Olympics: "In sales, we're always looking for a reason to call up the customer. For the last three quarters, this has given us the opportunity to identify 200 or 250 of them, call them up and tell them we've got a collector's item we'd like to drop off for them," said Pat Tylka, president of North American sales. (7)

 

One reason why United Parcel Service sponsored the Olympics: "As an exclusive service provider for the Olympic Committee you're not guaranteed the business of other sponsors, but it does open the door to them. It's a great entree into these companies and we've seen our business grow significantly because of it," said Susan Rosenberg, a UPS spokeswoman. (8)

 

Client Entertainment

 

Why BellSouth is sponsoring a NASCAR Winston Cup team, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Atlanta Braves: "Businesspeople are more open to messages when they are at leisure than when they are working. And we want to lock up properties that are most important to our customers before competition arrives," said William Pate, vice president, advertising. (9)

 

One reason why Hewlett-Packard sponsored the Boston Celtics: "... we took a customer to an away game on the team plane, sat behind the bench, played golf and had dinner with commentator Tom Heinsohn. This helped us close a deal worth millions," said Tara Agen, marketing program integrator. (10)

 

Database of Prospects

 

Why USA Bank is sponsoring the American Basketball League (the women's pro league): "If we can get a certain number of supporters, either through mailing lists or large events, and they have an affinity to the organization and meet our demographics, then we are interested in sponsoring that organization," said James Stewart, executive vice president, partnership marketing. (11)

 

Demonstration

 

Why IBM sponsored the Olympics: "The Olympics present a challenge that most companies never face. Our customers will see that if we can do it for the Olympics, we can do it for their businesses. We realized we need to tell and show what we are doing and really promote an Olympic message. Advertising is not enough," said Eli Primrose-Smith, director of worldwide Olympic operations for IBM. (12)

 

"The Olympics provides us with a built-in, very respected, highly visible, truly worldwide movement to tell our story. It's a technology showcase for our goods and services, for our products, for our people," Primrose-Smith also said. (13)

 

Sampling/Trial

 

One reason Nestea sponsored the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour: "Pro beach volleyball fans personify the young, healthy, active consumers that make up the core iced tea market. The AVP program provides an excellent way to connect with consumers who live the personality of the brand and to generate trial and drive volume in, and beyond, AVP markets," said Frank Bifulco, vice-president, marketing, Coca-Cola USA (Nestea's parent company). (14)

 

Employee Incentive

 

One reason why UPS sponsored the Olympics: "This sponsorship has meant a lot to the employees of this company, more than any dollars and cents marketing objective can measure. None of us who attended our [mini-Olympics for employees] will forget the sense of pride we had showing our children our workplace. This sponsorship has given us a tool to recognize our employees and reach out to the community in a way that we never could before," said Oscar Sepulveda II, community relations director for the UPS South California District. (15)

 

 

1 IEG Sponsorship Report, May 20, 1996.

2 IEG Sponsorship Report, March 13, 1995.

3 IEG Sponsorship Report, June 3, 1996.

4 Marketing News, August 28, 1995.

5 PR Newswire, December 21, 1995.

6 Automotive Marketing, April, 1995.

7 Selling, June 1996.

8 Incentive July 1996.

9 IEG Sponsorship Report, December 9, 1996.

10 IEG Sponsorship Report, November 13, 1995.

11 IEG Sponsorship Report, October 14, 1996.

12 Potentials In Marketing, July, 1996.

13 Marketing Computers, June, 1996.

14 Business Wire, April 6, 1995.

15 Incentive July 1996.

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