Vol. 18, March 2008

 Spotlight on Bowl Games

A multitude of games leads to opportunity not found anywhere else on the North American sports landscape

       With 32 college football bowl games televised by six networks over a 19-day span in late December and early January, “bowl season” may provide the greatest range of sponsorship opportunities existing in sports.  Recently, with research now complete for the 2007-08 bowl game season, Joyce Julius & Associates took a moment to speak with three bowl game organizers to gather their assessments of the current state of corporate sponsorship. 

       Providing the property-side perspective was the trio of Michael Konradi, VP of External Affairs for the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic;  Jeff Dittmer, Director of Memberships & Accounts for the PetroSun Independence Bowl; and Jenna Ingham of ESPN Regional Television, which owns and operates the PapaJohns.com Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Is there one thing sponsors are asking for now from the bowl games that they were not 3-5 years ago? 

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  Sponsors are asking for unique ways to be involved and get their names out to our fans and other partners.  It is great that they are more proactive in their sponsorships and involvement with our bowl game.

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  Sponsors seem to also be seeking greater accountability. Through our sponsor reviews, we are charged with including a dollar amount with each sponsorship element associated with a sponsor’s agreement. Whereas we looked to Joyce Julius & Associates to help us quantify our title sponsorship in years past, we are now utilizing the information derived from Joyce Julius to help come up with values for many more sponsors.

Dittmer (Independence Bowl):  All sponsors are asking for reports.  We have more organizations competing for the corporate dollars.  To get the dollars, we have to over deliver and show them their own customized reports no matter the level of sponsorship.

In general, what benefits do bowl games offer versus other sponsorship opportunities with similar price points?

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  Bowl Games are built around a week (4 -5 days) worth of events culminating with the actual football game.  Bowls offer a wide range of events from parties, dinners, entertainment, pep rallies, etc.…

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  Hospitality surrounding a bowl game is a tremendous asset that separates bowls from other sponsor competition. A bowl experience is much more than the game itself. In our case, the bowl experience constitutes a week’s worth of events that bring fans to our community to help support the local economy during a time of year when tourism is slow. This gives sponsors unique opportunities related to corporate hospitality and branding that is unrivaled in college sports.

Have you noticed a significant difference in the expectations of your corporate partners in what they are seeking from their bowl game sponsorship investments over the last 3-5 years?

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  We have noticed our partners are buying into the concept of our game more.  I don’t think they are necessarily seeking more from their sponsorship, but we are delivering more.

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  Sponsors are more in tune with the bottom line in my estimation. Are they getting dollar for dollar for their sponsorship? We are increasingly challenged to continually look for avenues to maximize opportunities for sponsors on a level that is greater than it was 3 to 5 years ago.

Please briefly describe the research process you conduct for your partners.

Dittmer (Independence Bowl):  I use the Joyce Julius television report as supplemental information for clients inside of the report I make for them.  It includes all of the benefits we promised, including proof of performance.

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  We spend a good amount of time researching companies and reading/watching the news.  We try and target companies that are in certain industries that may benefit more from being involved with our bowl game as opposed to any bowl game.  We get a lot of referrals from current partners for their business associates who want to be involved.  Besides using research firms to evaluate the exposure on the national level, we also conduct in-stadium research for our local sponsors to ensure they are getting the recognition from their sponsorship as well.

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  Each year, we create in-depth sponsorship reviews for each of our top-tier sponsors. These reports are generated utilizing the NTIV Analysis and Sponsors Report created by Joyce Julius & Associates. We also take pride in the visuals associated with these reports. A sponsor can’t be everywhere at every time through the week to see all the different sponsorship elements at work, and through graphs, photography, etc., we try to tell the story of a company’s sponsorship through our review.

What are some of the things a bowl game can do to maximize the benefits/impact a sponsor may garner from its relationship with the bowl game?

Dittmer (Independence Bowl):  I think the bowl game makes it a more personal relationship.  I like to help the clients in the activation of their sponsorship.

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  Get sponsors involved in as many aspects of the bowl week activities as possible.

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  We must continually keep in tune with the marketing strategies of each of our sponsors to help our sponsors maximize their benefits.

Finally, in terms of sponsorship, what is the greatest challenge facing college bowl games?

Konradi (Cotton Bowl):  Competition… sponsors are continually looking for creative opportunities. With many professional franchises in our local market, and over 30 bowls across the nation, it has certainly created a challenging landscape. We continually ask ourselves, “What separates us from our competition?” This is something we evaluate every year, and each year we try to rise to the challenge and provide our sponsors with a level of goods and services not offered by our competition.

Ingham (ESPN Regional):  The greatest challenge is finding new and creative ways to get the sponsor’s name or product in front of the fan/viewer.

Increase in Bowl Game Title Graphics on ESPN

Following a pattern first established by Fox in 2003 of placing the name of the game’s title sponsor with the running scoreboard graphic at the top of the screen, ESPN utilized the same approach this past bowl season and the results were significant.  

The following compares the on-screen visibility of title graphics since the new ESPN approach.

Newman’s Daytona 500 Win Lands His Sponsor Second-Best  Exposure Mark Ever with $18.3 Million During Fox Telecast

        Ryan Newman’s recent victory at this year's Daytona 500 helped his primary sponsor, ALLTEL, receive in-broadcast exposure totaling $18.3 million during the live Fox telecast, ranking just below the all-time best showing at Daytona when Jimmie Johnson’s 2006 win earned Lowe’s $19.9 million of comparable exposure value.

       ALLTEL logos appeared clear and in-focus for a total of 17 minutes, 38 seconds (17:38) during the Fox race coverage, while the sponsor was also mentioned verbally on four occasions.  A value for the ALLTEL exposure is calculated by comparing the in-broadcast exposure to the record-setting cost of a commercial during this year’s Daytona 500, estimated at more than a half-million dollars.

       Newman’s winning effort also benefited 30 additional brands, which appeared on his car, uniform or other team related sources.  The following chart lists the in-broadcast exposure totals for each of Newman’s sponsors. 

2008 Daytona 500 Exposure Results for Newman's Sponsors:

*In-broadcast exposure monitored during live, original race broadcast

**Statistics reflect exposure relating to Newman and his support crew only

Super Bowl XLII Stadium Sponsor Scores

Nearly $20 Million of Exposure Value

       As the stadium entitlement sponsor of the hosting venue for Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona, last February, University of Phoenix amassed an overall exposure value approaching $20 million from the media coverage preceding, during and following the big game.

       More than half of the University of Phoenix exposure value was realized during the highly-viewed Fox game telecast, which saw the on-line university’s identity appear clear and in-focus for one minute, 33 seconds (1:33). 

       The University was also mentioned on two occasions by the Fox announcers, bringing about an in-broadcast exposure value of $10.2 million when comparing the sponsor’s on-screen time and verbal references to the average $2.7 million asking price for a Super Bowl commercial.

       Additionally, print media and Internet news stories also provided University of Phoenix with exposure value during the month surrounding the Super Bowl, as a combined 8,500 articles referencing the stadium sponsor by name led to more than $6 million.

       Finally, pre-game television coverage on Fox, ESPN and NFL Network, scrolling ticker updates, national and local affiliate highlights, as well as national and local radio coverage, also contained references to the stadium, and added to the sponsor’s overall exposure intake.

       Last year, University of Phoenix collected $4.5 million of exposure value during Fox coverage of the 2007 BCS Championship Game from the same stadium, as a result of an on-screen time of 2:08 and five verbal references.

NHL Marquee Games Put Sponsors 

Front and Center on North American Television

       The National Hockey League featured a couple of high-profile sponsorship opportunities at the beginning of 2008, with the League's first U.S. regular season outdoor game taking place on New Year’s Day, followed by the annual NHL All-Star Game at the end of January.

       AMP Energy, title sponsor of the NHL’s Winter Classic outdoor game held in Buffalo, NY on New Year’s Day, took advantage of a better than expected U.S. television audience on NBC and a strong showing in Canada on CBC, earning in-broadcast exposure totaling nearly $10 million (USD).

       AMP Energy’s logo appeared clear and in-focus for a combined total of one hour, 54 minutes, 16 seconds (1:54:16) during the live NBC and CBC game coverage.  The PepsiCo brand was also mentioned on 26 occasions by each network’s set of announcers. 

       Several board signs surrounding the temporary ice surface constructed at Ralph Wilson Stadium accounted for 87% of AMP Energy’s in-broadcast exposure value.  The following table provides the exposure results for each sponsor featured on dasherboard signs during the broadcasts.

       During the NHL All-Star Game held at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Verizon Wireless earned in-broadcast exposure totaling more than $1M from coverage on Versus in the U.S. and CBC in Canada.  Verizon Wireless' logo appeared clear and in-focus for slightly more than 37 minutes from both its on-ice logo and dasherboard signs.

Available for Analysis

Joyce Julius & Associates will monitor each PGA Tour, Champions Tour and LPGA Tour event broadcast in 2008, as well as the following golf highlight shows:

European PGA Tour Weekly	Sprint Pre- and Post-Game Shows
Golf Central	The Approach
Inside the PGA Tour	The Turn

In addition to the 18 motorsports series Joyce Julius & Associates will analyze in 2008, the following shows are also available for sponsorship monitoring:

ESPN SportsCenter	NASCAR RaceDay
Inside Sprint Cup	NHRA RaceDay
NASCAR Live	Speed Report
NASCAR Now	Trackside
NASCAR Performance	Victory Lane

For more information regarding the programs monitored by Joyce Julius & Associates, please contact an account representative.

Welcome

Joyce Julius & Associates thanks the following organizations who have recently joined our client roster:

  A Second Look is a newsletter published by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc., updating recent developments, trends and happenings in the areas of sports, special events and entertainment marketing.  All information contained in this newsletter is available for journalistic use, with all rights reserved.