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Sunglass brand Maui Jim has renewed its title sponsorship of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational college basketball tournament in a multiyear deal with owner and operator KemperLesnik. Maui Jim last year held the entitlement for the first time, taking over from longtime sponsor Electronic Arts. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Maui Jim VP/Global Brand Marketing Jay Black said it represents the brand’s most significant sports marketing investment. The brand handled negotiations with KemperLesnik in-house. Black stressed that the company’s roots on the island make for a natural fit with the event, which is played each November just a mile from Maui Jim’s regional office and original headquarters. “It’s able to take our marketing message from our home of Maui to basketball fans all across the country. Our partnership with ESPN really helps us to take that message from our home.” Black also touted as a plus the demographic that the event appeals to, which he described as highly educated alumni who are likely to fall into the brand’s “functional-elegant” psychographic. KemperLesnik Exec VP Tom Valdiserri described the event as a “high-end tournament” based on the travel aspect. Black added the audience changes every year along with the teams in the field, but noted the brand stays out of the team-selection process.
HANG LOOSE: All 12 games in the eight-team tournament are televised on the ESPN family of networks, including six in primetime. Maui Jim as part of the deal receives commercial units during those games, as well as additional exposure via courtside signage and the center-court logo. In addition, the grand prize of ESPN’s annual NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge will continue to be a trip to the next season’s Maui Invitational. One new aspect of the deal beginning with this year’s event is that attendees who purchase KemperLesnik travel packages through the participating schools -- mainly boosters -- will receive a personal Maui Jim sunglass fitting and receive their own pair complete with an Invitational-branded case. Valdiserri declined to disclose the number of packages sold thus far for this year’s event. Additional activation includes on-campus surfboard presentations during football games at the participating schools leading up to the tournament, as well as several ancillary events in Maui around the tournament.
