Sun-Sentinel

October 30, 2007

By Sarah Talalay

Measuring corporate sponsorship in London

Bridgestone definitely got exposure for title sponsoring the first regular season NFL game outside North America as the "Bridgestone International Series."

But other companies cashed in, too, at Sunday’s Dolphins-New York Giants game at London’s Wembley Stadium, according to Joyce Julius & Associates, the Michigan firm that measures the impact of corporate sponsorship.

In keeping with European tradition, company names appeared on rotational signage on the sidelines at Wembley – something that isn’t allowed at NFL stadiums in the U.S.

According to the Joyce Julius research, the six sponsoring companies – Bridgestone, Canon, Chevrolet, Coors Light, Reebok and Visa -- combined for a total of nearly 8 minutes (7:54) exposure time or the equivalent of $3.55 million. The company measured the TV exposure time against the cost of a 30-second commercial during Fox’s broadcast of the game.

Bridgestone beat the other companies handily with 3:35 minutes of screen time or $1.6 million of exposure, the report said.