Illinois-based insurance brokerage Assurance yesterday announced a three-year deal for naming rights to the former executive club inside Wrigley Field. The mezzanine suite-level club, located on the third-base side, will be rebranded the “Assurance Club” and will be quite visible at the ballpark. There will be three major signs displayed on the front, side and rear of the suite, as well as directional notices throughout the ballpark. The club area, built in '10, went without a title sponsor last season. Assurance has partnered with the Cubs on the insurance side since '09 -- handling employee benefits -- but the deal marks its first marketing activation within the sports sphere. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As the company looks for continued growth outside of the Midwest, Assurance CMO Steven Handmaker said the new venture was appealing because the Cubs’ brand is not only identified locally, but also has a national reach. Assurance has used the suites for a number of years for entertainment purposes, and Handmaker hopes to provide a “unique experience” for prospective clients. He said with the Cubs being “well-positioned to attract a lot of attention” both in the community and through ballpark renovations, it gives Assurance an opportunity to “tell a deeper story beyond just the workplace.”
