Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Tough Mudder books a hotel brand

Endurance obstacle racing series signs Radisson to a 16-month deal

Endurance obstacle racing series Tough Mudder has signed a 16-month deal with Radisson Hotels, giving North American rights to the hotel chain through 2015.

A source familiar with the deal pegged it in the mid-to-high six figures.

The deal represents another step forward for Tough Mudder, which added supplement company Met-Rx, technology firm Garmin and Monster Energy to its self-titled “official badass” partnership category this year. The category also includes Wheaties, beer maker Dos Equis, the U.S. Army and Bic razors.

More than 700,000 participants tackled the Tough Mudder challenge last year.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

“It’s another well-known national brand that has seen value in our property and fan base,” said Dan Weinberg, vice president of partnerships at Tough Mudder. “We believe Radisson will add to the overall experience.”

Final inventory and activation details are still being ironed out, Weinberg said. He predicts Tough Mudder will steer its participants toward nearby Radisson hotels for pre-event breakfast meetings and post-event parties, and that Radisson will offer group rates to Tough Mudder participants.

Weinberg said Radisson will receive branding space in each event’s finish-line festival and advertising rights for the series’ marquee obstacle, “Everest,” a wooden quarterpipe structure that participants must climb.

“Everest gets a lot of digital impressions and Facebook shares,” Weinberg said.

Tough Mudder attracted more than 700,000 participants in 2013, and in 2014 the series is scheduled to hold 38 events in North America. The company has grown consistently since its founding in 2010.

The growth has placed Tough Mudder among the few endurance properties that garner attention from mainstream sponsors. Weinberg said the company is hoping to sign deals in the automobile, consumer electronics and insurance categories.

“We have ambitious plans,” he said.

Stephanie Lopato, brand manager for Radisson Americas, said the partnership represents a new marketing direction for the company. The Minneapolis-based company has no sports deals other than a local deal with the Minnesota Vikings, she said.

Lopato said Radisson hopes to use Tough Mudder to attract young, active customers. The company intends to promote its partnership on the hotel website, across social media and through in-hotel messaging.

“Heads in beds is a focus, but it is not the primary focus,” Lopato said. “We want to get Radisson in front of consumers who haven’t thought of us or stayed with us recently.”

Fred Dreier is a writer in Colorado.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/08/18/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Tough-Mudder.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/08/18/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Tough-Mudder.aspx

CLOSE