We all know in sports, timing is everything. So it makes great sense, especially in sports that use a clock to measure game length, that the timing category is of great value to both brands and properties, and in many cases, to athletes. Tennis and gold for example, usually have athletes with watch deals well before they have more traditional sports deals, like automotive. So in selling sport, one of the biggest assets on the check list is the time or watch category.
For the New York Giants, their watch partner has been Timex, and their partnership went to an even grander level when Timex became the initial partner of their training center. Placed on a major highway in view of Met Life Stadium, the Timex Performance Center was a bold statement for the Timex brand, with great signage both from the ground and for those millions flying into Newark Airport. It made sense, since after all; sport is all about making precision moves for big results. The brand had other pieces of the deal, including in stadium and media rights, and the partnership worked for all.
However all deals do run their course, and this week the Giants moved on to a new partner, one familiar to the consumer in some ways but not a consumer brand…for now. One that really positions the team as forward-thinking in terms of health and well-being not just for its players but for the community. And one that shows a great link between a local company whose tentacles extend out into healthcare across the nation and around the world.
The new naming rights partner is Quest Diagnostics, the biggest provider of diagnostic information services in the world with $7.4 billion in revenue last year. Quest is now the partner not just of the 20-acre facility. They will also will work with the team in an effort to expand its new sports diagnostic business. The goal for the two is to become the leader in developing tests related to sports. This could lead to new information on how performance is affected by variables such as diet and hydration, led not just by Quest, but with the teams’ medical and training staff, led Ronnie Barnes, the team’s senior vice president of medical services.
For Quest, a publicly traded but conservative company, the move is a bold one. They are not a commercial brand, so now one driving down Route 3 is going to run to a store and ask to buy Quest products, In many ways the consumer only knows the company when they have to take a medical procedure, and the doctor or health worker gives them a quest kit for some kind of test, so the relationship to consumer may even be an unpleasant one at first thought. There are benefits for Quest clients for sure, like hospitality and ticketing, and the association with an elite franchise like the Giants is a plus when discussing business with salespeople and doctors. Maybe that gets Quest some added sales and visibility in a crowded medical marketplace, but the real benefit, if done right, is not now, but in the future.
Teams are constantly looking for more ROI on their dollar investment in their players, and a living and breathing partnership with Quest in athlete care and development puts the brand at the forefront of a very hot topic going forward. Breakthroughs with elite athletes can also morph into the private sector in healthcare as well. There is also an education factor involved with the consumer on health and well being, so clinics and other programs that Quest can partner with using Giants current and former players and staff to talk health and wellness in the community also makes great sense, and can have ancillary benefits as well.
In the end, the move is certainly one to watch in the sports business space. More and more teams are looking for new and creative ways to grow sponsor base and take care of their athletes by being leaders in technology as well. The Jets not too far from the Giants in New Jersey, have Atlantic Healthcare as their training facility partner in a slightly different deal, but in a similar category.
Now what about the timing category? For the Giants, it will never go away, and will probably evolve into a partnership with a more traditional jeweler or watch or timing brand. Their power of association for the consumer, as well as their ability to be creative, is among the greatest in sport. Bringing in Quest is a move that is smart for now, and progressive toward the future, a new brand in sport whose timing could be perfect in the fast-paced world of healthcare.
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