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Posts Tagged ‘sponsorship’

Good things happen when brands unite

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

I recently found myself dreaming about bringing two brands together. My wife was tapping away on her iPad as I was driving along unfamiliar roads during a family vacation. She had access to information that I wanted on the dash. Reading espn.com, watching “Modern Family” episodes or going through email doesn’t make sense at 75 MPH. But live traffic updates, route options, extensive music playlists? It got me wondering about which automaker would make a good partner for Apple? At that moment I wished for a Honda-Apple marriage. A few years ago there was talk that it would team up with Mercedes. It never happened. Is it the earthy Subaru set? Lexus? Audi? Volvo?

Automakers continue to embrace relationships with other brands to improve their vehicle experience. Toyota and Microsoft this month announced a partnership to do just what I dreamed about driving along the Shenandoah Valley. Or they do it to put their cars in front of consumers, like Acura is planning to do for the first time with a major motion picture.

But what if you’re not selling cars, motion pictures or technology? What makes a smart partnership?

Regardless of your industry or marketing budget there is another company that would make an ideal partner. They could improve your customers’ user experience or help introduce your product to a new audience. The ideal partner has credibility, shares some of your personality traits and values, and owns both an established voice and loyal audience. Ultimately, you are best served when both partners can achieve something greater than a pay-for-play sponsorship.

A committed relationship builds incentive for both organizations, whether matching a company with a cause or bringing together two brands. You have to be on the same page with all tenets of the relationship for it to bring real value. And be careful not to take on too many partners. As a CTP colleague points out, “Don’t go so overboard in sticking your name on other people’s stuff so much so that it eventually becomes meaningless to consumers and worthless to prospective partners. Like Swarovski.”

When done right, though, partnerships benefit both companies and the consumer.

Now if we can only get Cold Stone, Five Guys and JetBlue in the same room.

Posted by Brian Heffron | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: Acura, advertising, apple, Audi, brand partnerships, Brian Heffron, cause marketing, Cold Stone, Five Guys, Honda, iPad, JetBlue, Marvel Comics, Mercedes, PR, Public Relations, sponsorship, Thor, Toyota, Volvo

What do seals and sneakers have in common?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

At first glance, there isn’t an obvious connection… until you read the BBJ article highlighting the “New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center.” CTP client New Balance and the New England Aquarium have partnered to create a new marine mammal exhibit which will give visitors insight into the lives of sea mammals such as seals and sea lions. Taking that a step further (pun intended), the exhibit will also teach visitors how these mammals stay fit through diet and exercise and use this as a springboard for other initiatives like the “Get your Feet Wet” program. The idea is to promote fitness and activity by engaging kids through marine mammals who, besides being cute (which, let’s face it, never hurts) also happen to be some of the earth’s most athletic creatures.

Read the BBJ article here.

Posted by Kelly Brennan | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: cause marketing, Education, New Balance, New England Aquarium, sponsorship

Mommy Bloggers’ Dirty Little Secret

Friday, July 17th, 2009

How much should you trust the veracity of what you read? If it’s about tips on motherhood, parenting and products, well, you’ll need to apply a little more scrutiny than perhaps you thought. That’s the dirty little secret about Mommy bloggers that Newsweek highlights in its recent issue.

Once a community simply looking to share advice, concerns and ideas, mommy bloggers are increasingly courted by companies to, essentially, serve as concierges to the 18 million U.S. women who turn to blogs for advice or recommendations. They’re lavished with everything from baby food and diaper bags to cars and vacations in hopes that positive reviews (and they generally are) will reach the segment that makes most decisions in the household.

That these bloggers, who number in the thousands, are trying to commoditize this popularity isn’t a problem. Hardly. It’s sound business, taking advantage of an opportunity. That there are no acceptable standards of transparency is a different story. It’s begun to raise serious questions of authenticity, which eventually reflect on what we do.

As PR practitioners, these Mommy bloggers can play an important role in utilizing new media to reach consumers. We should, however, strive for the same transparency that we would elsewhere. Otherwise, their vanished credibility eventually will eliminate another avenue to tell our stories.

Posted by Todd Graff | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: blogs, moms, reviews, sponsorship

Gifts that Keep Giving

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Last night’s Red Sox game marked the 500th consecutive sellout at Fenway – continuing a league record the Sox set in 2008. As a gesture of gratitude to the fans, the Red Sox bestowed gifts upon fans in sections of the park throughout the game. Fans received gift certificates for gas, coffee, pizza and various other items provided by Sox sponsors. But perhaps the most visible gift of the evening was one that proved an unexpected hit among fans – tape measures. Bright yellow, 25′ Stanley Fat Max tape measures were handed out to an entire section of the park. The results were unique, fun and, perhaps much to the surprise of Stanley Tools, received some serious television air time during the game and in post-game coverage.

Fans immediately began stretching the wide yellow tape measures out as high as they could (which was pretty high in some cases), and the results were visible throughout the park and became the immediate focus of television cameras.

It’s worth noting that, aside from being aimed at a core demo of men 25-54, the unique selling point of the Fat Max is that its width allows extension of the tape further than standard tape measures. Even if tape measures have little to do with baseball, this was a perfect demonstration of the product to the perfect target, with impressions propelled through mass media. Luck or marketing genius? Whichever, the desired effect was achieved. Never underestimate the power of human ingenuity.

Posted by Steve Angel | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: branding, promotion, sponsorship, sports, stanley

When Sports Sponsorships Deliver More Than Consumers

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

When people talk about companies that sponsor sports, the focus is often how it affects the bottom line and whether it attracts consumers. But reaching consumers is just one goal in an overall strategy involving sports sponsorship. Today’s New York Times has a great story on how NASCAR sponsors have found ways to generate more business by working with other NASCAR sponsors. It’s not a revolutionary idea; it’s what other sports leagues – including the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL – have done when they host annual sponsorship forums. The Times story sheds much-needed light for the public, shareholders and maybe even Congress on why spending on sports is not always a “misuse of funds” or a “boondoggle” for corporate executives. (more…)