Announcements

CIAA Adds Sponsors During Recession
Charlotte Post, February 20, 2009
The recession may have flattened sponsorships for major league sports enterprises, but the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament is growing its portfolio... More

South Florida Events Struggle To Hold On To Corporate Sponsors
Miami Herald, February 19, 2009
Instead of pouring Merlot at this week's South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Publix is offering struggling consumers bargain prices on milk and Cheerios... More

Sponsors Pulling Plug On Misbehaving Celebrities
Canwest News Service, February 18, 2009
Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez, Michael Phelps and Chris Brown might be feeling the heat this month but it will be fellow celebrities who get burned as brands grow wary of getting into bed with public figures... More

Chicago's Bid For Glory; City Believed To Be Front-runner For 2016 Olympics, But Money Issues Remain
Chicago Tribune, February 14, 2009
Chicago's 2016 Olympic plan is banking on nearly $1 billion more in revenue than any of its rivals and counting on International Olympic Committee voters to buy the idea that it can cover $1 billion in construction costs without any public funding or guarantees... More

Fashion Week Gets Homespun Sponsors; McDonald's, QVC Lured In For The Money
USA TODAY, February 13, 2009
While mass market brands like QVC and McDonald's don't have the cachet that's typical of New York's Fashion Week, they do have something that's even more critical this year: the cash... More

GroupM Unit: Motorsports Braces For Crash As Sponsors Hit The Brakes
MediaDailyNews , February 13, 2009
At a time when most forms of ad-supported media and other forms of marketing are expected to decline sharply due to the downturn in the general economy, a key segment of sports marketing - motorsports sponsorships - also is bracing for a crash, according to new estimates released Thursday by GroupM unit IEG Sponsorship Report... More

US Motorsports Corporate Spending Off In '09 - IEG
Reuters, February 12, 2009
CHICAGO - Motorsports, including NASCAR, will continue to feel the pinch of the U.S. recession this year as sponsorship spending in that sector by North American companies is expected to fall for the first time in nearly 25 years... More

Marketing: Sports Sponsorships A Hard Pitch
The Houston Chronicle, February 10, 2009
The recession may soon be heading to a sports stadium near you as economic struggles change the way signs and promotions are sold at Rockets, Astros and Texans games and other major events... More

Budget Shortfalls No Fun For State Fairs; Events Seen As Not 'Essential' In Tough Times
USA TODAY, February 10, 2009
State and county fairs, staples of family entertainment across the country for more than a century, are scrambling to find revenue sources as the economic crisis forces government budget cuts and raises the possibility some of them could close... More

Why The Mets Deal Is Right For Citi
Forbes, February 09, 2009
Citigroup and other financial service companies are sweating out a public relations disaster for spending on sports stadium naming rights while taking TARP money from the government... More

NASCAR Teams Racing To Find Sponsors
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), February 08, 2009
After years of trying to go as fast as possible, some NASCAR teams and drivers just hope to stay on the track this season... More

Phelps' Deals Not Quite Up In Smoke; Pot Pictures' Impact On Endorsements Still Hazy
The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 07, 2009
For Phelps, winner of 14 gold medals and erstwhile darling of corporate America, the pictures of him apparently puffing marijuana from a bong couldn't come at a worse time... More

Bank On The Six Nations
Aberdeen Press and Journal, February 04, 2009
Rugby is not alone in experiencing mixed economic fortunes. Were it an industry under a cross-sectional microscope, it could balance a modicum of success with tales of financial woe... More

L.A.'s 8 Tiny Celebrities; Nadya Suleman, Who Gave Birth To Octuplets, Hires Publicists To Handle Media Deluge
Los Angeles Times, February 03, 2009
Move over, Brangelina and your $14-million twins. There are some new babies in town... More

High Profile Sports Events Likely To Still Find Sponsors In Asia
Channel NewsAsia, February 03, 2009
SINGAPORE: The economic downturn is expected to result in a dip in corporate sports sponsorship. In the United States, the recent IEG Sponsorship Report projected annual growth in sponsorship will be 2.2 per cent this year. This is down significantly from the over 11 per cent increase in 2008... More

Mets, Citigroup Say NY Naming Rights Deal Still On
The Associated Press, February 03, 2009
Citigroup and the New York Mets said Tuesday that their $400 million naming rights deal for the team's new stadium is still on, despite a published report that Citi may be looking to back out... More

Sponsorship Sector to Grow Despite Economic Slowdown
Asia Sponsorship News, February 02, 2009
The Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the greatest sponsorship growth in 2009, according to research by US sponsorship information company IEG... More

Ryan's Hope
Crain's' Chicago Business, February 02, 2009
Patrick Ryan is facing the biggest sales pitch of his life... More

Chiefs Switching Supermarket Sponsorship Contract From Price Chopper To Hy-Vee
The Kansas City Star, January 31, 2009
Say so long to "Chiefs and Chopper." After nearly three decades, the homegrown Price Chopperchain will no longer be the Kansas City Chiefs' "official" grocery sponsor. Price Chopper said the Chiefs indicated that when the sponsorship contract ran out in March, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Food & Drugwould take over... More

Yankees' Talks With BofA Add To Scrutiny; Bank Seeks To Sponsor Team While Receiving Billions In Government Assistance
Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), January 28, 2009
Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. continues to negotiate a possible New York Yankees sponsorship amid increased scrutiny of spending by banks that have received government assistance... More

Sports Marketing Industry Feeling Pinch of Hard Times
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 27, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. -- Most Pittsburghers probably didn't notice when the Arena Football League decided in December to suspend its 2009 season for economic reasons. And when a nearly bankrupt General Motors pulled out after a long stint as a Pittsburgh Pirates sponsor, well, that made sense... More

Recession slams brakes on U.S. sponsorships - IEG
Reuters, January 26, 2009
CHICAGO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. recession will lead North American companies to slam the breaks on sponsorship spending in 2009, especially for sports, leading to the smallest growth rate since tracking firm IEG began studying such data... More

Sports Sponsorship Growth to Be Slowest in 7 Years, Report Says
Bloomberg, January 26, 2009
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Sports-sponsorship spending will have the slowest growth in seven years with companies cutting back because of the recession, according to IEG Sponsorship Report... More

Panasonic To Be A Sponsor At L.A. Live
LA Times, January 07, 2009
AEG, the company that owns and operates the budding entertainment hub L.A. Live, plans to announce today that it has secured Panasonic System Solutions Co. as a founding sponsor for the venue, despite the difficulties of attracting advertisers in the current economy... More

As Chick-fil-A Bowl Has Grown, So Has Restaurant Chain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 29, 2008
Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A’s chief marketing officer, was sitting in the stands almost 15 years ago as a fan watching what was then called the Peach Bowl... More