SI.com, GM Team Up For Integrated Content Sponsorship Deal

GM To Sponsor Peter King’s Work On SI.com

SI.com and GM have reached a one-season marketing deal in which GM Certified Used Vehicles will be the “exclusive sponsor of all of NFL writer Peter King’s work on the Web site,” according to Eric Fisher of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources indicated that the deal “reaches the high six figures and makes GM one of SI.com’s top 10 corporate sponsors.” While King “previously drew exclusive sponsorship deals for his popular ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’ column,” the GM deal “combines King’s editorial work and video appearances on the site, a Peter King Challenge contest in which fans can test their ability to pick winners of NFL games against King, and a similar prognostication contest open only to GM dealers.” SI.com President Gordon McLeod said that the integrated sponsorship package is a “bellwether deal that will be replicated for other high-profile” SI writers such as Tom Verducci and Paul Zimmerman (SBJ, 9/12 issue).

READ ALL OVER: In a separate piece, SBJ’s Fisher writes under the header, “SI’s ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’ Grows Into An Unlikely Must-Read.” King said of the popularity of his column: “I’m still surprised at the bigness of all of this. It’s just sort of a lot of top-of—the-head stuff, something that just started as an idea to inject a little more opinion and a little more of my life and travels as an NFL writer on the road.” Jets VP/Sales & Marketing Lee Stacey: “It’s simply a must read” (SBJ, 9/12 issue).