Distinctive Sponsorship Deals – April 2012
Welcome to the April 2012 edition of “Distinctive Sponsorship Deals”, a monthly blog post to highlight and summarize some of the most unconventional and thought-provoking sponsorship deals we’ve seen from the previous month.
Once again, we’ve highlighted some deals below which we hope you will find of interest.
P&G Aligns Tide with NFL and its 32 Teams
The most-advertised household product brand, Tide, will be an official partner of all 32 NFL franchises, as well as the league itself beginning in the fall of 2012. The deal is part of an option within Proctor & Gamble’s massive deal with the NFL to align one specific brand with all 32 teams. PepsiCo’s Gatorade is the only other brand with such rights. Retail activation via marks on product packaging, amongst other integrated communications efforts, are planned to leverage the sponsorship.
Wyndham Worldwide signs Masters Co-Leader Dufner to Sponsorship Deal
The hotels and resorts brand signed the PGA Tour journeyman in the middle of the prestigious Masters tournament, in between the second and third rounds, to a deal including logo placement on his shirt. Dufner was the overnight co-leader after two rounds of play and there’s no doubt that this position influenced the company’s decision – rightfully so, as being in contention would lead to more television exposure for the shirt.
Castrol Edge Motor Oil signs Washington Redskins’ Robert Griffin III to Endorsement Deal
Motor Oil companies commonly sponsor athletes and teams in traditional motorsports, such as NASCAR and F1, but to sponsor a football player is a rather unconventional move for the category. The brand’s rational for the deal is that they can break through the clutter more easily with a football sponsorship (as their NFL partnership proved last year) than in motorsports. Griffin will be featured in the brand’s ads and in an online game. He will also promote the partnership through Twitter.
Iceberg Vodka Sponsors Titanic Book Launch
In hindsight, author Lindsay Gibbs likely wishes she hadn’t agreed to Iceberg Vodka’s sponsorship of her book, “Titanic: The Tennis Story.”, launch party. Alignment with the brand has caused several PR issues, including backlash from one of the book’s deceased subjects’ granddaughter.
Please feel free to pass any deals that you find to be outside the norm along to mitch@desperadomarketing.com so they can be posted on our upcoming “Distinctive Sponsorship Deals” blog.
