Sponsors Prepping Activations For Sunday's N.Y. Marathon
By Brian Helfrich, Staff Writer
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The 39th N.Y. Marathon will be run on Sunday morning, and many of the races' official corporate partners are preparing ways to activate around the event. This year's marathon, operated once again by N.Y. Road Runners (NYRR), is operating under an ad campaign titled, "Marathon Sunday: What Does it Take?" Title sponsor ING is back for its sixth consecutive year as the race's lead partner, while the event also boasts four new sponsors for a total of 28, up from 25 for the '07 race. NYRR ahead of this year's marathon hosted its first ever Partnership Forum, where it challenged their sponsors to work together to activate and leverage the power of the event. Principal sponsorships which are reserved for six sponsors include comprehensive involvement with the NYRR, consisting of ad and PR campaigns; course signage, presence at the finish line; entitlement to other events around the marathon; marketing rights; hospitality; bottom of the home page logo visibility on the Web site from time of application launches through the marathon and inclusion in the marathon's out-of-home ad campaign, which includes bus coverage and subway platform signage and electronic billboards. Signature sponsorships are mid-level and not included in the marathon ad campaign, but do receive branding opportunities, course signage, hospitality and a signature element. Supporting sponsorships include marketing rights and on-site marketing or sampling activities.
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SPONSOR
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CATEGORY
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SINCE
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TITLE SPONSOR
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|
ING
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Financial Services
|
'03
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PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
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|
Asics
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Athletic Footwear & Apparel
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'99
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| Continental Airlines |
Airlines |
'94
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| Foot Locker |
Athletic Retailer |
'00
|
| N.Y. Times |
Newspaper |
'97
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| Timex |
Timing |
'08
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| The Rudin Family |
Real Estate |
'70
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SIGNATURE SPONSORS
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| Andalucía |
Official Tourism |
'07
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| Avis |
Rental Car |
'03
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| Barilla |
Pasta |
'04
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| Coors Light |
Beer |
'05
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| Dunkin' Donuts |
Breakfast & Coffee Retailer |
'06
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| Food Emporium |
Gourmet Specialty Store |
'08
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| Garmin |
GPS Navigation |
'07
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| Gatorade |
Isotonic Beverage |
'97
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| Memorial Sloan Kettering |
Pediatric Center/Hospital |
'04
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| Poland Spring |
Water |
'95
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| PowerBar/PowerGel |
Energy Bars/Gel |
'95
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| Road Runner High Speed Online |
High Speed Internet Connection |
'00
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| Runner's World |
Running Publication |
'70
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| Tiffany & Co. |
Awards |
'82
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| Toyota |
Vehicle |
'07
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SUPPORTING SPONSORS
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| Budget Truck |
Truck Rental |
'07
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| Emerald Nuts |
Snack Food |
'08
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| NY Apple Association |
Apple |
'97
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| UPS |
Baggage |
'97
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| Widex |
Digital Hearing Aide Technology |
'08
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| Zicam |
Homeopathic Allergy |
'07
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FORE RUNNER: Toyota, in support of its Signature Sponsorship, unveiled the "Pick & Drive" promotion for this year's race, which offers fans the chance to win a '08 Toyota Prius for correctly picking the top three men and women finishers in Sunday's marathon. Toyota launched a Web site, pickanddrive.com, which includes runner biographies, seen as the first step in turning road racing into a fantasy sport. NYRR said the promotion was created to "connect the casual fan and professional athletes." Voting on the winners closes Saturday night at 11:59pm ET.
BUDDY SYSTEM: Keeping in line with the marathon's partnership initiative, new sponsor Food Emporium has offered various products for eight other race sponsors throughout the grocery chain's N.Y. stores. Also, Continental during the race will hand out between 18,000-20,000 "Go Cards," which feature scratch-off prizes from fellow sponsors ING, Garmin, Timex and Asics.
NOTES: Asics, in support of its marathon sponsorship, launched the "Tell Your Heart Story" contest, an online promotion allowing runners to share their stories about the N.Y. Marathon. The top stories will be edited into a TV spot, set to premiere on WNBC-TV's coverage of Sunday's race from 9:00am-2:00pm ET. Asics also released a N.Y. Marathon-themed running shoe, which includes the race's course map printed on the insole of each pair....Poland Spring will host a Hydration Zone at the marathon's 17-mile mark on First Ave. in Manhattan, a two-block stretch designed to simulate the feel of a forest....Coors Light, as the official beer of the event, will host 95 bar parties on race day throughout N.Y.'s five boroughs, plus Westchester and Nassau counties.
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