In California, Larry Bohannan writes "there was never any question about the long-term viability" of the PGA Tour event in Palm Springs. It was "more a matter of getting a sponsor who was comfortable with playing in the desert and what the local tournament offered in terms of client hospitality opportunities." When previous title sponsor Humana signed its deal in '11, "big changes came to the tournament, its format, its name and even the number of days the event was played." Tournament Dir Bob Marra said that with CareerBuilder coming on as title sponsor, the tourney is "quite content" that those previous changes "had improved the tournament so much that no other significant changes are needed" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 5/12).
HOT STREAK: In Minneapolis, Nick Halter reports NASL club Minnesota United FC has "added a dozen new sponsorships this season." Season-ticket sales "have been hot" since the team announced it was selected for MLS expansion. Sponsors are now "following suit, even if agreements can’t extend into a potential MLS upgrade." Minnesota United VP/Business Development Andrea Yoch said that sponsors "will get right of first refusal if and when the team moves into MLS" (MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/8 issue).
EYES & EARS: FAST COMPANY's Chuck Salter profiles Nike VP/Global Brand Creative & Experience Greg Hoffman as part of the magazine's "Most Creative People 2015," noting Hoffman "leads a global team that's responsible for how [consumers] see and experience the Nike brand in ads, store designs, and promotions." Hoffman said of Nike's marketing around the '14 FIFA World Cup despite not being an official sponsor, "We spent a year creating 'The Last Game.' We wanted one big moment where Nike takes the stage, but then we wanted to sustain that heat throughout the month. So we set up a command center in Portland with more than 120 people producing videos in real time every day. We made over 100 short films. ... We had a team writing a storyline (based on that day’s) action, we had an athlete in a motion-capture suit, we mapped the animation out, and the piece would drop on ESPN that night" (FAST COMPANY, 6/'15 issue).
