For years the value of secondary media rights has been in question. Could the money be spent with traditional advertising and marketing…is it more of a vanity play…is there significant damage when a name changes to the team…does the next brand to take a title waste too much time in undoing the old name in the mind of the public…and for certain sponsor benefits, is there really great value in being on a backdrop and does it translate into sales or recognition etc etc.
However this week, two prominent auto brands will see the bump in their investment, one in a naming rights deal, the other in a sponsorship that brought a windfall of recognition at an unlikely time. The first is Mercedes, who took some heat in challenging times when it purchased the naming rights deal for the New Orleans Superdome. Many questioned the value of putting a brand on a building that was long established, especially an elite car brand in a geographic area that was more Ford and Chevy than German engineering. However as a whirlwind four months that saw the NFL, the Sugar Bowl, the BCS Championship and now the Final Four come in the building, the value of Mercedes on the famous ceiling of The Dome has probably helped justify the spend. For a world class brand, the value in the ancillary name recognition is not amongst the locals, it is amongst the nationals and international audience that will tune in for any one or all of the elite events the building has hosted, with another Super Bowl coming back at the end of the 2012 NFL season. This week, even with the pristine environment the NCAA puts together, many measurement groups see the value to Mercedes, the only consistent sponsor to penetrate that NCAA cover, to be well over $7 million. More than sponsoring local events, the Mercedes partnership worked because of the timing of such elite events into New Orleans this year and next, a value which resonates well beyond The Big Easy.
Then there is Toyota, a brand which has committed millions to sports and entertainment sponsorship, and has had a fruitful relationship with the New York Jets. One of those benefits is in the back wall signage for Jets press conferences during the season and around major events, and no event has been as major than the Tim Tebow press conference on Monday. With 300 plus media in attendance and over 50 cameras, the image of Tebow and his half hour plus presser was carried not just to sports fans, but live on news shows and on international platforms like the BBC. The result was a big and unexpected payoff in recognition for Toyota at a time of year where that signage is usually stored away in a closet awaiting April’s NFL draft picks to come in the building. It was a much added bonus to their partnership with the team, and showed the value of consistent branding and well placed, simple advertising in a partnership. Whether he succeeds or not, the value Tim Tebow brought to Toyota was pretty significant this week.
So while many will always wonder if naming rights and back wall branding have value, they can look to this week to see two auto brands driving off with successful, well thought out activations. Simple, clean effective and well justified for the spend.
