I wanted to share three emails that I recently received from a couple of professional sports franchises (I’m signed up for several team newsletters, so I can follow trends and best practices in email marketing).

Email 1 from the Houston Texans (right):

While a large percentage of male football fans consider cheerleaders to be a valuable part of the football experience, I imagine most of them have little use for a cheerleader tryouts email. Now I’m sure that some people on the list may have forwarded this to friends or family that might be interested, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a larger than normal number of people unsubscribed from the Texans’ newsletter because this just wasn’t relevant to them.

If you have a niche message like this that you want to share, you either need to find a more narrow, appropriate segment of your list to communicate with (which you could identify through a regular survey of your email newsletter members or via other web-based data collection methods), or you include this message as part of a larger newsletter that provides value to all readers.

Email 2 from the Los Angeles Lakers (below):

The subject line for this email was “Lakers Fans: Ready to “TOSS” Your Reading Glasses? Turn to the Assil Eye Institute” – and that was the only reference to the Lakers in this message (other than the use of yellow and purple text). Email marketing is a very important way in which a team can drive value for their sponsors, and with a team like the Lakers that have an easy time selling both tickets and sponsorship, this is one way they can easily generate additional revenue. However, they’re doing it at the expense of their email database, because even more so than the Texans’ email, this message could end up driving more unsubscribes than click-thrus. Plus, without more integration with the Lakers brand, the partner isn’t getting nearly as much value as they could be. Let’s take a look at a more effective example from the New York Yankees and H&R Block:

This is a much better approach to a corporate partner email. There is prominent co-branding so you never forget that this came from the Yankees, which connects their brand with H&R Block. There is a relevant connection to both the team and the sponsor product through the call to action (in this case, a contest). Finally, the partner gets the benefit of reaching Yankees fans in a way that both provides the fans value and limits the chance for opt-outs.

Your email database is an incredibly valuable tool in any team’s consumer and corporate marketing efforts. While the easy solution in situations may be to simply “blast the list,” this approach has damaging implications and will rarely generate more value that either a more targeted or strategic approach.

I follow several different team fan pages on Facebook, both for personal interest and to see what different tactics teams are taking with their social media marketing. Yesterday during the course of my usual Facebook usage, I noticed the automatic “Become a Fan” suggestion that you see on the right. Because I am a fan of the Philadelphia Flyers, Facebook thinks I should also be a fan of Wawa.

You may ask what’s so special about this, but in case you didn’t know, Wawa is a very big sponsor of the Philadelphia Flyers. This got me thinking – how great would it be for integrated property/sponsor social media efforts to be aware of certain sponsor relationships and be able to cross-promote each other in such a natural way through Facebook’s standard interface? Maybe this is actually an instance of it already happening!

In this specific case, the more likely scenario is that there is a very high index between fans of the Flyers and “fans” of Wawa (Wawa is HUGE in the Philadelphia and South Jersey region). Facebook is simply recognizing the overlap and making a suggestion that is statistically logical. Of course, that statistical logic is further support for the team/sponsor relationship that the two entities have.

With the power that Facebook has to collect and instantly analyze large amounts of consumer data, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing new measurements like the “Facebook Index” that supplement the current standard consumer research data that a company like Scarborough Research provides.

This week I have been busy finishing up trimester number 5 (out of 6) of my MBA, so I’ve only been intermittently paying attention to the Olympics, and I’ve been leaning heavily on those I follow on Twitter to keep me updated on which sponsors are activating in unique ways and which are practically non-existent.

One quick aside before I delve into specific sponsors… I think some Olympic sponsors will be hurt by NBC’s decision to air the competitions in prime time in MST and PST. I personally know that after I’ve seen a result earlier in the day, I’m less likely to watch the entire broadcast,  if I choose to watch at all. Now that we’re in the twitter age, networks will need to re-think their policy of playing everything in prime time. Also, I enjoyed watching uninterrupted footage of the snowboard halfpipe. Other events have been chopped up, competitors cut out, and drama ‘manufactured.’ I’d rather watch the full competition every time.

Ok, now on to the sponsors. Coke includes an environmentally-friendly aspect to their activation by encouraging Canadians to “adopt sustainable environmental practices.” They will purchase carbon offsets to offset the carbon footprint from their operations at the Games as well as the torch run. This means their carbon emissions will have been reduced 100%. (Courtesy of Cokenews.ca). “Every piece of our Olympic marketing has a social and mobile component,” says Katie Bayne, marketing chief for Coca-Cola North America.

Meanwhile, much has been made of Visa’s decision to put 40% of their activation budget towards digital, quadrupling past spends. Their YouTube channel unveiled their Olympic spots before they were even shown on TV. These spots drive awareness and help reach their objectives, spelled out in this interesting document.

According to a USA Today article, GE is “using the Olympics as a ‘launch pad’ for it’s biggest social media push.” They have created a Twitter hashtag (#GEhealthy) and an account (@gehealthy) with the bio of: A shared commitment to creating better health for more people . Together. With only 184 followers, it remains to be seen if this push will be fruitful for them.

One company who seems to really get it is Red Bull. On Tuesday night, NBC showed a segment about Shaun White and his secret halfpipe. The segment really reinforced why Red Bull is the perfect sponsor for the halfpipe competition. They didn’t just slap their logo on one of White’s boards, they instead found a way to help him achieve his goals, thereby making the partnership valuable from both perspectives.

I thought the remark that best summed up what these Olympic sponsors should strive for was said by Mark Pritchard, CEO of Proctor & Gamble: “So what really makes the difference? The idea. When the idea is good, people flock to it and build on it.”

There is still a significant amount of time left, and many amazing Olympic moments that are sure to occur. What sponsor(s) are you most looking forward to stepping up to the challenge?

In the midst of my usual sports business ramblings on Twitter last week, I wrote the following message:

“Come on @ispsportnetwork and @learfield. Two of the biggest college sports marketing brands – you guys can do so much more on Twitter!”

I didn’t think much of this at the time. I sent it because I noticed that these two corporate Twitter accounts had a very low number of followers, didn’t tweet much and offered little in terms of actual content. I was pleasantly surprised when a few days later, I got the following reply from@Learfield:

Learfield: @rscibetti Guilty as charged. Been working on the Grown-Ups for 3 years. How about a blog post: “10 Reasons Learfield Sports Should Tweet”

So, at the prompting of the @Learfield Twitter account, here are ten reasons why Learfield Sports should tweet (in no particular order):

1. Raise awareness for your properties – At a most basic level, Twitter gives you a popular communication channel to promote all the great things that your college teams are doing, both on and off the field.
2. Create an engagement opportunity to connect with fans and customers across your properties – Beyond promoting the schools and teams, Twitter will let you interact with the fans in those locations, building a deeper connection to the property and also providing you valuable feedback.
3. Help test and execute social media campaigns that you can share as best practices with your properties – What better way to assist your properties than by learning about Twitter yourselves, finding out what can be most effective, and then spreading best practices across your different locations.
4. Engage in conversation with other sports media and sponsorship professionals – Twitter is an incredible educational platform that gives you an easy way to learn from other industry leaders and apply those ideas to your company.
5. Leverage your network of properties to create high-value social media promotions that generate direct value for top-level sponsors – It’s one thing for a corporate partner to run a Twitter contest with one location…you can harness the power of Twitter across multiple locations to really generate a powerful campaign for a sponsor.
6. Get direct feedback about current marketing promotions that your properties are running – People on Twitter are honest and direct, which will help you learn what is and is not working.
7. Connect with future Learfield employees – There are a lot of talented individuals on Twitter that have unique skill sets that could benefit both Learfield and your properties.
8. Create more value that can help retain customers – If you are at risk of losing certain partners, perhaps developing integrated, cross-property social media campaigns as an addition to their current elements can provide more value and help retain your customers.
9. Build a stronger relationship with your properties – Some schools are running great social media campaigns, while others are well-behind the curve. If you can leverage your own Twitter presence is a way that educates and assist these schools, you provide more value and make your relationship indispensable.
10. It’s fun – I wanted this to be last, but there’s importance to it. There is a uniquely fun element to engaging with others through Twitter, and I believe that whoever at Learfield shares this responsibility will get more satisfaction out of their job, which will in turn make them a better employee.

So that is my list of 10 reasons why Learfield Sports should tweet. I hope I’ve made a strong case for it, and if anyone at Learfield would like to talk more about this, they can reach me right here!

Yesterday I found out that Under Armour was renewing their deal with the NFL to be the presenting sponsor of the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. This is one partnership that really offers an excellent and natural fit between the property and the sponsor.

From the very beginning, Under Armour has built their brand around the idea of high-quality apparel for peak athletic performance. This concept has been consistent throughout all of their various marketing platforms. In fact, Under Armour has rarely endorsed specific athletes, instead opting to focus on the imagery of intense workouts and competition. What event offers more coverage of talented athlete workouts than the NFL Scouting Combine? Their brand and apparel will be featured on every potential draft pick that participates in combine drills, and with the increased coverage of the event on NFL Network and NFL.com, the exposure level and overall media value should be even greater than last year (they already have a significant presence on the NFL’s combine website).

A nice addition to this partnership is an increased level of activation leading up to the combine itself. Rather than being content with just media coverage, Under Armour is running a “Countdown to Combine” grassroots campaign in the Miami area. They’re kicking off this campaign by creating a “combine-like” event for local high school and youth football players right after Super Bowl weekend. Local events like this will continue right up to the combine itself at the end of February.

It’s good to see a deal like this between UA and the NFL. With such a strong fit between sponsor and property, both sides should see more benefit. If the deal was with a food chain, financial firm or some other disconnected industry segment, it would be more challenging to build a successful campaign around the event. That’s not to say those deals wouldn’t have been effective, but they would definitely require some creative approaches and extra effort to generate the same type of impact.

In case you didn’t see the announcement, the football stadium that the Miami Dolphins play in is now called Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Sun Life Stadium! (Miami Herald, 1/18)  The previous naming rights deal with Land Shark Lager was a short-term deal (less than a year in total) and expired a couple of weeks ago, which almost left the facility without a top-level deal in place before this year’s Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

The timing of the deal ends up being unfortunate for Land Shark Lager, since they just miss out on being tied to the biggest U.S. sporting event of the year (although I’m sure they had plenty of opportunity to renew the deal, but decided it wasn’t worth the cost). On the positive side, Sun Life has definitely increased their marketing spend over the past few months, and now topping it all off with “hosting” the Super Bowl is quite an accomplishment. There is also an interesting parallel with their recent television campaign where they want to change Florida’s nickname to the “Sun Life State.” In a way, they’re actually doing that!

The Dolphins should also get some credit for being able to turn around a full, five-year deal in such a small time. However, the contract is only worth $7.5 million for an average of $1.5 million per year, which is well below the revenue generated by most other NFL naming rights contracts. UPDATE: I’ve seen conflicting information on the annual cost of the deal. The Miami Herald article now says the deal is worth $7.5M per year (it’s possible I misread this the first time), while the New York Times is reporting an annual net fee of $4M per year.

I have a few questions on this topic:

• Has the frequent turnover in their stadium name had a permanent impact in the value that the stadium name offers to a potential partner? Along the same lines, can the naming rights partner generate as much brand equity being the 7th name on the building?
• Could they have generated more revenue by going with an even shorter-term deal for the upcoming Pro Bowl/Super Bowl events, and then exploring a longer-term agreement with a different partner?
• Does the fact that the Pro Bowl now has its own title sponsor (McDonald’s) diminish the value associated with the name of the facility where the event is occurring? Did that have an effect on the total dollar value of the contract?
• There seems to be a trade-off between pursuing long-term naming rights deals vs. exploring shorter-term deals. Which method do we think will be the trend moving forward. I would still think long-term deals are better for both parties in terms of potential value generated, but there is a definite loss of flexibility.

What are your thoughts on the situation? Do you like the partnership for the Dolphins and Sun Life? Who got the better end of the deal?

On Saturday night, I was watching the Oregon/USC football game when I noticed that the sponsor on the netting raised behind the goal posts was American Family Insurance. I was a little surprised because I am so used to seeing the Allstate brand “Good Hands” logo on the netting at most football stadiums.

This got me thinking a bit about the connection between a particular industry segment and the available sponsor inventory at sporting events. Is it possible that because certain companies use the same type of signage across multiple locations that the inventory itself becomes associated with that specific industry segment? In the case of American Family Insurance, do they get more value out of being on the netting because of how much people are used to seeing Allstate in that location? In fact, maybe this is a play to try and gain share from Allstate.

Another example could be the coach’s headset on the sideline. For a long time, you almost always saw Motorola on earpieces, but now you will see other wireless-related companies like AT&T in this location. However, this is also a situation where the industry (telecommunications) is directly related to the inventory, whereas there isn’t anything specifically connecting insurance to field goal netting.

So, if you are an insurance company, and you have the opportunity to get placement on field goal netting, will you ultimately benefit more because of the association that already exists between insurance and this inventory? Or will you not benefit as much because viewers are so used to seeing Allstate that they won’t notice something different? I think this could make an interesting research topic, if anyone wants to look into it more!

Today’s post is courtesy of guest blogger Rob Campbell, Analyst for IEG Research Services. This article was first published on IEG’s Sponsorship Blog at Sponsorship.com.

Social Media and Sponsorship Join Forces for Marquette Basketball

This past week, Marquette University started posting from a Pepsi-sponsored Twitter account focusing on the home opener for its men’s basketball team. This development is unique in that very few (successful) forays have been made into the world of sponsored social media.

So far, the only evidence of Pepsi involvement is a Pepsi logo and the text “Pepsi Season Opener” on the Twitter page. There have been no tweets or links posted regarding Pepsi or the sponsorship and the posts have largely focused on information aimed at building excitement around opening night. If the user’s window is not maximized, the Pepsi logo and blurb receives little visibility, as it is mostly shrouded by text display.

The account has amassed just over 100 followers at the time of this post, but its posts are retweeted through the Marquette Athletics account.

I think this minimalistic approach of the lowest possible integration (no influence on tweets) is a great start. By keeping the sponsorship transparent and the content sterile, the account does not have a detrimental effort on the actual sponsorship of the athletic department and if anything, only adds to it.

If Pepsi ever does make it into the subject matter of tweets, it should not be in the form of just marketing messages. Instead, the best way to integrate the overarching Season Opener sponsorship into this sponsored Twitter page is to provide actual useful content or promotions. For example, if Pepsi were to give away tickets or create a highlight video, that would be relevant content to relay to the account’s followers. However, simply stating there is a sale on Pepsi at the local grocer would not be relevant.

Essentially, this Twitter account is just an activation extension of Pepsi’s sponsorship of Marquette Athletics and is not the sole focus of the sponsorship. I think placing the Twitter account in the supporting role of the much larger sponsorship makes the sponsored page feel much more organic than if the sponsored Twitter account were the primary focus.

It would be interesting to know if Pepsi requested the Twitter tie-in or whether Marquette’s athletic department took the initiative in its creation.

(Editor’s Note: I love to see experimentation like this in the social media space. I believe the first sports-related Twitter sponsor to get involved was Tissot on Danica Patrick’s page. Social media allows for a wide array of value-added activation, which is so important now as companies look to gain more value from their sponsorships without increasing their spend.)

The US Open receives a lot of credit for some of their creative and engaging sponsor activation opportunities. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the event myself to write a recap, but the good folks at PartnershipActivation.com and SponsorPitch.com have let me “borrow” some of their great recaps to share with you here.

The US Open Smash Zone – The US Open worked with Synergy Events to create this incredible fan engagement experience at the USTA Indoor Training Center. There were multiple opportunities to play different style tennis games, including the American Express “Challenge a Pro” green screen exhibit that puts you into a “virtual” match with a professional player. Check out this video example below, and read the full write-up at PartnershipActivation.com:

Mobile Engagement from Chase and American Express (via SponsorPitch.com) – Chase had a simple but effective text-to-win program where fans could enter via a mobile text message to win free tickets. Meanwhile, American Express had both a branded iPhone application that provided live scores and American Express Radio Live that let fans listen to live commentary while watching the matches.

Mass-Mutual Half a Racket Game (via SponsorPitch.com) – Attendees could participate in this game, playing with literally half of an actual tennis racket. Seems a bit frustrating, but it emphasizes the point of how difficult it is to manage with half of anything, such as the income most people get while on disability, thus providing a unique way for Mass Mutual to promote their supplemental disability insurance.

Creative Brand Elements from Continental and Others (via PartnershipActivation.com) – This airplane built out of tennis balls that was part of the Continental booth definitely help catch people’s attention. There were several other creative and effective branding displays, such as the Heineken Pub, a giant Lexus tennis ball and a truly “oversized” Wilson racket. Visit PartnershipActivation.com for more great pictures.

The Basic Booth Approach (via SponsorPitch.com) – Some companies, like SpongeTech and Oikos Yogurt, took the basic route of product display and free samples. As long as you have a good location for these booths, this can still be a very effective way to connect with potential customers at the event.

Thanks again to the guys at PartnershipActivation and SponsorPitch for sharing their great US Open activation content.

Today’s post is a excerpt from “Hot to Sell Sponsorships, Tickets and Popcorn” written by former sports executive and current non-profit consultant, Bob Burris.

Nothing Happens Until Something Gets Sold!  We are ALL in the Sales Business!

You may not want to think of yourself as a salesperson because sometimes the label of being a “salesperson” might not be one that is flattering to you. But truthfully, you have been selling your entire life.

Whether it was to your parents to buy your first bike or to stay out later than your curfew; getting your first date or your first kiss; or your proposal to marry your spouse, we are always selling and have been since the beginning of time. In fact, the Bible tells us in the book of Genesis that the first recorded sale in history was the Serpent selling Eve the “Forbidden Fruit.” In fact, he did such a magnificent job that he got a referral – Adam!

But before we sell our event to anyone, we must know what we have to sell and know our audience. Who do we attract? It is very important to take the time to do this exercise because any potential sponsor will be very interested in the type of people your organization draws. Consider such factors as:

• Household Incomes
• Education Levels
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Number of children
• How many automobiles they own
• Travel – how often
• How often do they frequent restaurants

The first sale you make is NOT the product you are selling. The first sale you make is selling YOURSELF to the buyer. I’m a firm believer that people buy people first and then the product they are selling. This is called “Relationship Selling,” and is particularly true in the Corporate Sponsorship sales world.

The First Steps

So, when we have an event of any kind, who do we target? Based on the type of event, the first place to start is by knowing the “Hot Buttons” for corporate sponsors and then identifying categories of sponsorship that fit for your particular event.

Hot Buttons for Sponsors

When looking to make a sports or entertainment marketing purchase, corporate sponsors, are motivated by several factors.  Can the sponsorship deliver the following:

• Increase Brand Loyalty
• Increase Visibility
• Enhance Image
• Drive Retailer Traffic
• Stimulate Sales
• Experiential Opportunity
• Client Entertainment

The next set of criteria is aimed at specific benefits the sponsorship contains. The following is a list of benefits that are perceived to be attractive to corporate sponsors:

• Demographics of Audience — Does this sponsorship hit our target audience?
• Category Exclusivity
• Hospitality Opportunities
• Exposure
• Media Value, Charity or Cause
• Product Sampling
• On-Site Product Sales

The Second Step: Identify Your “Circle of Influence.”

Each person in a company or organization has his or her own circle of influence. Who from your Board of Directors and your donors knows the decision-maker or anyone from the companies in the categories you’ve targeted? These people are on your board and are donors because they care and believe in the organization. They will help, if they are asked. But only ask with the provision that you are NOT asking them to sell for you!

All you want is an endorsement to the decision maker with the ultimate goal of getting a face-to-face appointment. I believe we are ALL more effective in person than we are on the phone. And if your “circle of influence” can get you an appointment or approval to call the decision maker directly, you are more than half way there. When this happens, your call now is a “warm” call as opposed to a “cold” call.

For more information on “How to Sell Sponsorships, Tickets and Popcorn,” visit www.theburrisgroupllc.com.