The NFL’s Grateful for the Global Recession

I normally don’t comment on sports in this blog. Too many other people do that already. But, I saw an interesting observation that was made by the commissioner of American Football the other day. Because of the recession, huddled masses of Americans with nothing else to do, are connecting with the sport in front of their televisions.

"People want to feel part of a group, feel like they're connected, and right now during these difficult times, they can turn on free television and watch the greatest entertainment that's out there," Roger Goodell observed.

Admittedly, he said the next challenge is to get people to come back to stadiums because they’re at home experience is just so darn good, and FREE! Ok – he didn’t say THAT, but he might as well have. Not to mention that food and beverage, parking fees and just about everything else about the stadium experience has become so overpriced, a weeks pay is in order for a family of four to go to the stadium. Why WOULD anyone go to the stadium and experience what they can experience at home…free!?

I like Mr. Goodell. Seems like a down to earth guy, coming up from the ranks of nothing short of janitor to head one of the biggest sports leagues on our planet. But, his quote has me a little perplexed and intrigued. Why would you admit your product’s no longer affordable live and better on TV?

Perhaps his observation would open the door for cool, new activation from NFL sponsors to go beyond the games television rights and actually engage fans at stadiums. Create real experiences that are must haves that result in an all day affair reserved for attendees. This would give people a reason to head back to the stadiums and justify those ridiculous prices. By creating greater value for the “fan experience” and a reason for fans to WANT to go back to the stadium, might just be what gets NFL fans out of their living rooms and back to their top left corner, Row ZZZ seat.

My friend reminds me that he can see the game a whole lot better in front of a 50” flat screen – so why spend the money to go to the game. Perhaps sponsors can give fans a reason to chuck the flat screen and embrace the experience that occurs outside the gridlines.

Just trying to help, Mr. Goodell.

Furthering the industry - time to act!

I haven’t been keeping up with my social media presence lately. Well, it’s been almost a year. I considered it a study of weighing the use of time to engage in social media versus reconnect with the world by more tactile efforts – talking to people, shaking hands and more importantly, listening to people.

I’ve been keeping “in touch” with the news, colleagues on the move and the trends of our industry. Honestly, without the likes of Dan Beeman, Kris Mathis, Kim Skildum-Reid, Brent Barootes and even Lesa Ukman, there would be little to no cohesive news about the sponsorship industry at all.

Most of the conversation within the sponsorship industry hasn’t changed much in the past year. People are still looking for sponsors, looking for advice on how to obtain sponsors, discussing evaluations, valuation and return on investment/ engagement/ opportunity.

Are these topics enough to advance the sponsorship industry further? In the world of CMO’s and CFO’s, PR and Ad Agencies, discussions swirl around the power of social media platforms, the next social media darling, measuring social media and the new possibilities from interactive TV. Outside of an occasional big sports deal or music tour or two, barely a whimper is heard about the strengths associated with sponsorship marketing .

Local sponsorships like fairs and festivals tend to make up the majority of sponsorship deals and have an even greater impact on shaping the industry since they connect with infinitely more people. Most sponsorship sales professionals have difficulty relating to billion dollar deals between major sports leagues and Fortune 100 companies. While those deals provide somewhat of a blueprint for activating local programs, they don’t speak to creating great ideas around local sponsorship endeavors.

The people I mentioned in this blog understand and have been instrumental in inspiring many others, including me. As professionals in this fledgling industry, we need to be more proactive, learn from one another, band together in protecting and inspiring others about the benefits of sponsorship marketing. Not just in social media space, but in face-to-face conversations about the challenges facing our industry.

As my firm embarks on a new venture – I open the door to create time to work on recruiting colleagues in other markets to set up roundtable discussions, networking opportunities to connect sponsor professionals with one another. Through this effort, perhaps we can begin to build the framework of an association.

I look for your thoughts and interest in participating.