Sweet As Syrup: IHOP Signs As Sponsor Of Globetrotters' '09 Tour
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large
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IHOP Will Offer Discounted Globetrotters'
Tickets At Restaurant's 2,100 Locations |
International House of Pancakes has signed on as the fourth domestic sponsor of the Harlem Globetrotters' '09 "Spinning the Globe" world tour. IHOP joins Campbell Soup, Spalding and America's Best, a 400-location eyewear and contact lens retailer, as sponsors of the tour, which includes 240 games in 200 markets and tipped off December 26 in Pittsburgh. IHOP will offer discounts on tickets at its 2,100 locations, be integrated into the show promotionally, offer in-restaurant benefits to ticket stub holders from the games and get player visits at restaurants. The deal is for one year, plus an option. Terms were not released, but other Globetrotters deals run in the mid- to high-six figures annually, and include team and player rights, tickets and hospitality and inclusion in pre-event promotion. The Globetrotters, who like to bill themselves as "the winningest team in the history of professional sports," have been trying to update an 82-year-old brand. Since bringing on former WWE and FSN marketer Kurt Schneider as CEO in May '07, the Globetrotters have returned to TV with a handful of appearances on MyNetworkTV, hired WongDoody and William Morris as advisers and restored the Washington Generals as the nightly opponent after a 12-year absence. Peter LaPointe, the former NFL sales exec, is currently Globetrotters Senior VP/Partnership Marketing & Sales and he is seeking six sponsors, targeting the beverage, insurance, health care, home safety, real estate and telecom categories.
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