As a free service we present a regularly updated selection of useful facts and figures on the world of sponsorship:


1. Sponsorship IdeasNew ideas for inspiration 6. Sponsorship is More Commercial
2. What Do Sponsors Value Most? 7. Even Philanthropic Sponsorship Is More Commercial
3. Do you Need Connections to Get Sponsorship? 8. Higher Value Agreements & Smaller Sponsorships
4. Five Questions Every Sponsor Should Ask 9. Left
5. Glossary of Terms Commonly Used in Sponsorship  


1. Sponsorship Ideas Express

 
As a free service to the clients and friends or Sponsorship Ideas, and to help promote ideas and creative sponsorships, we highlight what in our opinion are some significant recent deals and trends seen in the world of sponsorship.


Clever MLB Sponsorship Has Green Fingers

Lawn care might not be the most talked about product but it is estimated to be worth around $ 10 billion a year in the USA. To attract the nation's many baseball fans to its products, The Scotts Company and the MLB linked up to make Scott's the "official lawn care company of Major League Baseball. This is great leverage of the sport's biggest asset, the fanaticism of the fans. Now Baseball fans can sow "Grounds Keepers 'Select' seeds in their own backyard and make their lawn or a tiny replica baseball temples such as Fenway Park in Boston and Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Think Small

An amusing sponsorship with a serious point that is worthy of copying was Lucozade, who are a big sponsor of the Premier League. They are treating local club side Coton Green like a mini-version of one of their bigger sponsorships but paying just 3000 pounds. Coton Green receives a season's supply of Lucozade Sport products, sponsored a kit, and training sessions from Premier League coaches and advice from sports scientists. The idea was activated using a competition on radio station Talk Sport.

 
Five industries to watch

Successful rights holders are always looking for trends to leverage. We think that the most prolific sponsors in 2011 will be car makers, telecoms, airlines, gambling and consumer electronics. Also consider destinations or tourist boards who could market themselves to your audience. Another recommendation is to become an expert in the world of tablet PCs, smart phones and the Myriad of other mobile devices to see what you can offer that helps brands cut through the clutter and get the technology into people's hands.
 
Soccer Is A Global Business

 

Further proof of the globalization of soccer came in November with both Premiership clubs Manchester City and Manchester United signing deals that leverage their brands on Behalf of telecom operators in countries far from the UK. Manchester United has linked with the African Globacom network, which enjoys a presence in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. Whilst the other Manchester club, Manchester City, owned by Abu Dhabi, Etisalat appointed the exclusive Telecommunications Partner of Etisalat's operations.

Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook explained the basis of the deal. "The profile of the club is already growing globally, and the ability to effectively expand this tailored communications with growth forms the core of our agreement with Etisalat. This strategic opportunity allows us to connect to passionate football fans around the Middle East and African regions, Manchester City providing customized content through mobile communications channels. "

One of the themes we are tracking is the growth in the youth development component of elite level sports sponsorships. The Etisalat sponsorship contains a development scheme for players in the UAE whilst players from West Africa will have a chance to enter Manchester United's youth program.

It is an acknowledged fact amongst the various sports federations that youth talent development programs would not be possible without investment. Globacom are said to be paying as much as $ 5 million a year whilst Etilsat's contribution for Manchester City is probably at a similar level. Much of this financial aid is driven by the huge development in mobile communications in the developing world. It is no coincidence that Telkom Kenya paid $ 175,000 to name the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup using the Orange brand. This latest competition adds to Orange's domination of soccer sponsorships on this continent through its multi-million dollar deal with CAF Governing Body, which sees it backing the African Nations Cup, the African Champions League, the African Confederations Cup, the Super Cup, the African Nations Championship and the African Youth Championship for the next eight years.

IndyCar Roars Back to Life

    

This series appears to be Regaining its health after patching up a 12 year row that caused a ruinous split in open wheel racing in the U.S. Furthermore, they have broken new ground in sponsorship terms, acquiring a clothing company rather than the traditional title sponsors such as oil, tires or fuel. In a sense the current depressed market and the fact that IRL was not too cluttered by other sponsors, certainly compared to NASCAR, allowed the title sponsorship deal to happen. Phillips-Van Heusen's Izod brand had been IndyCar's official apparel in 2008, and after what were apparently quite grueling Negotiations The deal was signed last month. The value has been reported as being between $ 40-50 million for at least five years. The lesson here is the persistence of the rights holder and the desire to sponsor the service so well that stepping up to title sponsor became possible. Also admirable is that Izod will activate away from the race tracks and in locations like Macy's which is great for IndyCar helps. As Zak Brown of Just Marketing International said "It's lifestyle, it's trendy, it's fashion, and as you go down the list it's about as good as you could get."
IndyCar have also exposed the Eureka Chemical Company to sponsorship for the first time by having their brand as title sponsor Fluid Film or qualifying day at Infineon Raceway's IndyCar Series weekend. Although it is a relatively small sponsorship, it is significant as the chemical industry is notoriously hard to market and sponsorship is a good way of showing the benefits of chemical products to end users.

Finally, the series has been blessed with two very marketable female competitors. Sarah Fisher recently renewed with AAA Hoosier Insurance, and Angie's List and Dollar General also sponsor her team. Danica Patrick goes one better by having her Twitter page sponsored by Tissot and is considered likely to move to NASCAR where she could command some significant endorsement deals.

Get Solar Sponsorship

Something that is bound to be copied were two soccer clubs last month receiving sponsorship in the form of solar panels as Trina Solar supplied 500 kW of photovoltaic modules or power generating $ 300,000 per alum. An even bigger Juwi Group The installation was installing a one-megawatt photovoltaic plant on the roof of Verona's Bentegodi stage, enough for the annual demand of at least 300 households.

FedEx's partnership with the European Rugby Cup deserves praise

This provides a 'money can not buy' time to the lucky rugby fan who will deliver the Heineken Cup to the winner's podium at the Stade de France in May. FedEx has renewed its sponsorship, which started in 2005, and refreshed it with this "Dream Day FedEx Rugby" initiative which is absolutely Contemporary in using sponsorship to deliver the benefits as straight bought rights to the fans. Jean-Pierre Lux, ERC President summed it up nicely in saying. "The feeling of carrying the Heineken Cup across the pitch in front of 80,000 fans towards the winning team at the podium will be an incredible moment for the winner. This really is a sensational prize, not just in rugby but sport in general across."

A Sponsor For Life?

There was a curious Staples renewal of the naming rights deal with AEG for the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles when AEG boasted "the first naming rights lifetime extension for a major market arena." The definition of lifetime is strange, is it the lifetime of the building, or the Staples company or something else? Most of all though, it seems odd to have a sponsorship running forever with no parameters or criteria for success.

Goodbye Recession?

Things may well be turning a corner as the latest results from the IFM Sports Marketing Surveys sponsorship business survey sees two thirds of business leaders seeing a settling down period over the next few months, with 20% looking at growth on the horizon towards the end of the year. This is set against a backdrop of an expected decline of 8% on an average sponsorship revenues in 2009. The survey of 450 professionals across the world was conducted by IFM Sports Marketing Surveys network of 18 offices and specialist covered topics such as market trends, sponsorship, sports goods, leisure and tourism and entertainment. The key findings can be downloaded free of charge on the IFM Sports Marketing Surveys website (www.sportsmarketingsurveys.com) and covers hot topics such as accountability using return on investment analysis, fan engagement, relationship building in the sports goods market, the benefits of cross platform campaigns and the rising importance of the economic benefits of sports tourism based in hosting events.

Fans Get The Perks

A good idea activation from the All Blacks new $ 6 million sponsorship Telecom fans when players called to give away 200 free tickets to the team's clash with France in June plus the chance to stand alongside the team's legendary pre-match haka. The All Blacks and Adidas have already used the great idea of using nanotechnology to etch fans 'names and messages of support onto an' Adithread "woven into the team's rugby jersey.


Cruise Lines Use Sponsorship To Reach Younger Customers
The average age of a cruiser is 49 years old and the companies are targeting younger first-time customers, who like airline passengers, rely less on travel agents to sell tickets online and more. One of them, MSC Cruises is a trackside sponsor at four rounds of F1 this year and also sponsor Bayern Munich and Alinghi, the holders of the America's Cup. In the arts, is an interesting exploitation Cunard's title sponsorship of the BAFTA / LA Cunard Britannia Awards. This plays into the history of hosting famed entertainers, royalty, and society luminaries aboard its fleet of liners. With around 12 ships launching each year, we expect see more sponsorship from cruise lines.