Final Four Host Ford Field Reaps Impressive Media Exposure During Rough Times for the U.S. Auto Industry

         ANN ARBOR, MI, April 9, 2009 – With the U.S. auto industry needing a boost, the timing of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four this past weekend in Detroit could not have been better for the venue’s entitlement sponsor, Ford, as the media spotlight shown on Ford Field and the event produced a comparable exposure value of more than $22.5 million for the auto brand.

       According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc., which specializes in measuring the scope of sponsorships across all forms of media, nearly 51% of Ford’s total exposure value was realized during CBS’ Final Four telecasts on Saturday and Monday nights.  Despite an absence of Ford court-side signage, the automaker still managed one minute, seven seconds (1:07) of clear, in-focus exposure time during the two nights of coverage.  Ford Field was also mentioned by the CBS announcers 23 times. 

       When comparing the in-broadcast visual and verbal exposure to the estimated cost of a national commercial during the telecasts and applying Joyce Julius Recognition Grading—which takes into account such factors as size and placement of the image on screen, as well as brand clutter—Ford gathered an exposure value of $11.4 million from the prime time broadcasts. 

       Joyce Julius also monitored mentions of Ford Field during all forms of U.S. television coverage in the weeks leading up to the Final Four.  All told, Ford Field was referenced during 1,414 programs, ranging from local news telecasts to national highlight shows; bringing about an additional $1.7 million of exposure value to the brand.

       Finally, nearly 15,000 news articles and features appearing in print, or on the Internet, also referenced the stadium sponsor by name throughout the same one-month time period. This type of media coverage accumulated an additional exposure value of $9.4 million for Ford when compared to the cost of reaching the same number of potential readers through traditional advertising.

       In comparison, Ford’s television exposure during ABC’s coverage for Super Bowl XL from Detroit in 2006 reached $13.6 million.  Ford Motor Company is in the seventh year of a 40-year sponsorship entitlement contract with the Stadium, which opened in August of 2002.

About Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc.:

         Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. is the sports and entertainment industry leader in accurate measurement and evaluation of sponsorships and promotional programs.  Joyce Julius’ fully customizable, third party research is highlighted by in-broadcast television exposure monitoring, full media impact measurements, and fan/consumer perception analyses.

         The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm—which monitors more than 2,500 nationally televised sports and special event programs annually—has been measuring the impact of corporate sponsorships across all forms of media since 1985.  These forms of media include national and regional event television broadcasts, television highlight and news programming, event radio, print media, Internet articles, along with exposure stemming from promotions and advertising, as well as event on-site elements.

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