In the boom years of sports spending, teams and broadcast officials held many big spending categories away from the.wholesom. image of sport. While millions came in from beer, and prior to the pressure from government in the United States and elsewhere, big tobacco grabbed every position available, other industries with solid cash reserves and the ability to come up with unique marketing platforms were left off the air and out of the many arenas. Condoms, hard liquor, even feminine hygene products were taboo for the sports world. One well-documented battle even had the WTA Tour walking away from a multi-year deal with Tampax as a title sponsor because of the stigma and bad publicity it may bring, while liquor brands found ways to activate and engage fans offsite.
So we move ahead to toda.s challenged times. While the ROI for many brands in the sports and entertainment space remains very high and very rewarding, budgets have been slashed and dollars need to be stretched more effectively and creatively..For some brands, work in social media and direct engagement of fans has replaced corporate entertainment and television. For others, local buys may work better than national buys. All are understandable, but what is someone on the sell side to d.? The answer is simple. Fish where those who are biting for exposure are swimming. The resul.? The Los Angeles Lakers taking on 1800 Tequila for promotions and partnership. Diageo finding its Captain Morgan brand both in traditional and non traditional ways in various sports properties. And this week Jim Beam reveals a multi-level partnership with ESPN.
Is it an issue for fans and team.? The money is needed, the promotions are fun and well done and they follow all government guidelines. Does Captain Morgan pla. it to the role of Joe Camel, looking to entice young people to sample hard liquo.? Maybe. But the hard liquor brands bring fun activation to adult sports and are certainly being watched closely for impropriety. So if liquor is in, and Cialis and Viagra dominate the airwaves of events, can condoms be that far behin. Big pharna behind safe sex campaigns and big dollars that go with it. Maybe its still a bit too taboo with a mixed audience, but if traditional brands continue to cut back, anythin.s possible. By the way all those categories, as well as some tobacco, still remain prominently in play in many parts of the Western World, which is always a good litmus test for what can be offered next in promotions and broadcast here in the States.
It will always be left to the court of public opinion much less than the basketball court to see what is acceptable and what is not. The professional sports team brands are still carefully guarded and very well protected by those who manage each logo. The legality, liability and scrutiny placed on the opening of a new category, usually as a trickle as opposed to a rush, involves months and levels of examination, and is never done in a vacuum. However there are doors which have opened in recent years on the brand side which many thought would never be available, and finding ways to keep those doors open, and even push the limit on others, will continue to require balance, tact, creativity, and a good amount of dollars invested by those brands.
The comparison of Captain Morgan to Joe Camel is incredibly appropriate and fitting — although I think kids have been sampling liquor well before the Captain started assembling his crew.
Alcohol is simply seen as acceptable and can be priced to points where profits are maximized because the effects of consumption are fairly well understood. The business side of it is also neatly organized, making it easy to put the pieces together to get the product in front of consumers in settings conducive to consumption.
I still think condoms and ED pills are still a bit taboo for teams to bring in to the stadium, although their visibility on TV and in media advertising will surely continue to grow. Besides, I don’t think teams are going to be able to vend those products, leaving the ultimate tie-in unattainable. But could you imagine a vendor walking up and down the aisles hawking a Viagra-Trojan combo pack for $15?