When sponsoring an event, your affiliation is lost if you do not actively engage people.
Just watching this video, you can see how signage is little more than clutter.
Consumers want to be talked to, not shouted at!
June 9, 2010
Navigating the Toll Plaza
A recent bill in New Jersey would make it possible for major thoroughfares including the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike to accept funds from companies in exchange for advertising space at toll booths. The bill, which has been approved by the transportation committee, was presented as a means to alleviate tax payer burden and prevent a gas tax increase.
One potential issue that the advertisers might run into is being associated with the prevention of tax hikes. At first glance people may look at these companies as a savior, but in reality they are only buying advertising space. Say the taxes are raised anyway, now the drivers have a constant reminder of which companies “didn’t do enough” to help prevent increases, while also managing to create additional sign pollution around toll plazas.
All in all, bringing in revenue is a positive move for the State of New Jersey and this plan does offer a high traffic area for companies to promote their brand. What will be most important in the activation is how effectively the advertisers can reach people with their message, while keeping themselves above the clutter of tax rates and toll fares.
June 8, 2010
Cell Provider Makes it Work!
This clip is a great example of how consumers appreciate you sponsoring events that they care about!
Show your customers a good time and they will love you for it!
May 26, 2010
Motel 6 Hits the Mark
It seems that Motel 6 has done a good job with their latest sponsorship deal by partnering with the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). Companies are often looking to align themselves with organizations that share their values, while also having the opportunity to reach a new set of eyes. Motel 6 managed to do just this by teaming up with an organization that, like their popular motel chain, provides a comfortable place for families to catch up on sleep and relax. Of course, the RMHC provides this service for the relatives of hospitalized children, which Motel 6 is happy to support.
The Accor owned motel chain is activating their partnership with this internationally recognized cause by providing $300,000 and a Web site devoted towards accepting donations for the RMHC. Motel 6 also noted that that their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer their time and energy in aiding the not-for-profit.
Good job on both sides in creating a partnership that encourages brand recognition and an enhanced experience for all involved.
For more info check out:
May 18, 2010
Sponsor Appreciation!
Check out how people feel about sponsors providing a good time during a tough economy:
May 12, 2010
AT&T Shoots and Scores!
As we have mentioned before on the Performance Research blog, certain activations have a way of reaching out, engaging people and in turn creating a lasting impression. Now while not all activations hit the mark, we were happy to see a great showing from AT&T at a recent basketball related fan festival in San Antonio, Texas.
AT&T had a large corral where they offered seven different stations, each containing either a basketball themed game or the use of one of their products. Once you visited every station, you were rewarded with an AT&T branded basketball themed gift. What was so unique and beneficial to this activation was how they were able to seamlessly integrate their products with the sport, thus creating a great brand experience.
It’s good to see when sponsors take advantage of an opportunity like this and truly play on the passions of the crowd. We’re looking forward to seeing more like this from AT&T and others!
"Shoot the basket with 3G Speed"
May 5, 2010
Getting with the Good Guys
Both Tiger Woods and Ben Rothlesberger have had their public image severly tarnished through acts of indecency over the past few years. Now while you would be hard pressed to call either of them role models after learning about their less than stellar ethics, both of them have managed to maintain high profile sponsorship deals for playing their respective sports.
This raises a very interesting question when thinking about sponsorship of individual athletes. Is it OK for companies to focus their marketing dollars on people that display negative moral actions, even if their on field (or on the course in Tiger’s case) performance is excellent? Should sponsors be held to an ethical standard? This is a debate that could go round about many times. However, even if sponsors continue to support people like Tiger and Ben, perhaps they should also look to partner with certain athletes that the public holds in high regard.
Just a few days ago, hockey star Brooks Laich was driving home after his team, the Washington Capitals, suffered a crushing Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL playoffs, when he noticed two stranded motorists on the side of the road. Laich went on to pull over and change the tire for what happened to be two of his biggest fans. Although the mother/ daughter fan combo were upset about the car and the game loss, they could not have had better things to say about Laiche, who they referred to as an “angel” in a Washington Post article. The same article also resulted in hundreds of postive fan comments about Laiche and how “he is such a great guy”.
What about Brian Davis? Two weeks ago he gave up the chance of winning his first ever PGA tour event through an act of incredible sportsmanship. Davis, who was in the midst of a playoff with Jim Furyk, called himself out on a penalty that went unoticed. This ultimately cost him two strokes and the tournament. Again, after seeing this display of moral fortitude, feedback from fans around the world was exceedingly positive.
Perhaps teaming up with the “good reputation” guys that we mentioned above, will not only help sponsors reach sports fans, but their partnership with these positive icons can translate into brand recognition amongst the general public. Of course, we do understand that endemic brands like Nike will continue to sponsor athletes based on performance merits, but perhaps they can put a bit more effort into marketing themselves alongside some of the more virtuous athletes in the business.
May 4, 2010
Almost Summer….
In preparation of another Newport summer, we are not only getting ready for a busy season of research, but we are installing a new roof deck as well!
Check out the pic below and we’ll keep you updated on progress. Make sure to plan a visit!
April 23, 2010
Dow and Live Earth Create a Stir
Reading a number of articles and blog posts regarding the Dow sponsorship of the Live Earth event, Run for Water, I began to side with the vast number of people who criticized both Live Earth and Dow for the partnership that paired a clean water initiative with one of the worlds largest chemical producers.
After all, Dow has been linked to the pollution of the world’s water time and again, and is often the bane of environmental organizations from every corner of the globe. So why is an organization like Live Earth partnering up with a company that is looked down on by so many? Do they really expect people to believe that Dow is helping the environment? Isn’t this just Greenwashing?
Well, the more I thought about it, I began to look at the partnership differently and discovered why it is important that Dow is involved. Yes, of course Dow is a major polluter and while this is not to be taken lightly, isn’t it a step in the right direction if they are willing to help a organization that does so much good? Also, if you take the time to check out Dow’s other environmental initiatives (http://www.dow.com/commitments/ ); it seems they do have a plan in motion to improve their company.
So how can Live Earth and Dow combat naysayers? Well for starters, the property could do a better job of promoting their partnership and make sure the public knows that Dow is taking steps in the right direction, not just writing checks. After all, if Live Earth does not make the most of its partnership with Dow, chances are that they might lose their support in the future.
