When it was announced BattleFrog would title sponsor last week's Fiesta Bowl it "barely registered on the business radar," as the company which organizes and runs outdoor fitness events and obstacle races "wasn’t even in existence" at the start of '13, according to Cammy Clark of the MIAMI HERALD. BattleFrog principals are "betting that this title sponsorship not only will help their brand compete with some of the leaders in the relatively new obstacle race industry," including Spartan Race, Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder, but it also will "help the brand leap into the national consciousness." After Ohio State scored the the game's opening touchdown against Notre Dame in Friday's game, the first commercial featured BattleFrog’s obstacle races, "showing kids and adults competing." The commercial "ended with the company’s slogan: Battling is Believing." During the first round of commercials, BattleFrog had a commercial spot in which CEO Ramiro Ortiz "delivered what is known as the 'company message.'" BattleFrog also "benefited from the mastery of ESPN’s production that highlights its sponsors throughout its pregame show and the game." Neither BattleFrog nor ESPN "would say how much BattleFrog paid for its one-year deal," but industry experts say ESPN "had a 'fire sale' this year with the Fiesta Bowl title sponsorship." Last year's Boise State-Arizona Fiesta Bowl drew only 7.4 million viewers. The price tag for BattleFrog's title sponsorship "was probably in" the $3-5M range. Ortiz said, "We literally put the deal together over Thanksgiving weekend. This is a benefit of being a private company with shareholders that look at the long term. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often. Because we didn’t have to go through six committees, we could make a quick conference call and get it done" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 1/3).
