Fox Sports VP/National Ad Sales Mike Petruzzi said that next month's FIFA Women’s World Cup "is 65%-70% sold out at this point and has already generated about three times the revenue it drew when it was on ESPN four years ago," according to Jon Lafayette of BROADCASTING & CABLE. Twenty advertisers "are on board, including big partnerships with Nationwide Insurance and Chrysler’s Fiat brand." Media buyers say that Fox "has done a good job selling the tournament." Media buyer Starcom Worldwide Senior VP & Dir Sam Sussman said, "It’s going to be a huge success this year. From a production standpoint, Fox knows how to put on a big event and they’ll promote it." Lafayette notes Nationwide, which "hadn’t been involved with soccer previously, will be the sponsor of Fox’s pregame coverage, a big deal because with soccer, there are very limited commercial breaks within the games." Usually, soccer broadcasters "have sponsors for the clock and scoreboard." FIFA rules "limit who can purchase those to 'official' sponsors, and Fox has not yet closed a deal with any of the FIFA official sponsors" -- adidas, Coca-Cola, Kia/Hyundai and Visa. Fox "worked out an interesting deal" producing food, travel and entertainment-oriented lifestyle content for Fiat that "looks at all the activities around Vancouver while the tournament is being held there." Petruzzi "wouldn’t say how much Nationwide or Fiat paid, but indicated that a good sized package during the World Cup costs in the mid-to high-seven figures" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 5/25 issue).
EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE: AD AGE's Ashley Rodriguez noted Visa starting this summer "plans to leverage more of its brand partners and sponsorships" like the NFL as it "gears up for key selling periods including back-to-school and holiday." Like last year, Visa "will ease into phase two of the marketing campaign for Visa Checkout, kicking off in the summer and ramping up in the fall and winter months with a mix of digital and TV." Visa's sponsorships "are also at the core of its marketing campaign." Its partnerships with the NFL and the FIFA Women's World Cup, which it will expand on this year, "will be at the center of the campaign." Next summer, Visa's long-time sponsorship of the Olympic Games "will also play a role." The '16 Summer Games "will mark the 30th anniversary of Visa's partnership with the Olympics and the company is already preparing for the big event." Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin said, "Be on the look out for a big presence from Visa in the Olympics" (ADAGE.com, 5/26).
