Having secured more than $30M in college athletics sponsorships in the past year, ISE Properties Exec VPs & co-Heads Owen Shull and Scott Malaga joined SBJ’s Andrew Levin to discuss some recent deals, to break down the benefits and difficulties of selling during the pandemic and to offer their expectations for when and how the collegiate marketplace will normalize. Here are three takeaways from the latest "SBJ Unpacks" podcast.
On the benefits of selling long-term naming-rights deals:
Shull: I don’t want to say they’re pandemic-proof, because nothing is that. But they’re still progressing forward, mainly, because they’re long, long-term deals -- they’re 10-, 12- and 15-year deals -- and they’re with brands that have a significant presence in that market. ... The pandemic will go away at some point, and if we’ve got a 12-year deal ... at least 11 of those years won’t be affected.
On brands' eagerness/nervousness to spend during the pandemic:
Shull: Some brands see this as an opportunity to take market share if they’ve done well or they’re projecting they will do well coming out of this. So, this is an opportunity to really put their flag in the ground at the universities that they want to associate with. ... It's kind of like the housing market. I was telling someone the other day: Right now, there are not as many people that are out looking to buy houses during the pandemic, but those that are are serious.
On ISE Properties’ strategy to normalize selling post-pandemic:
Malaga: Traveling is opening up a little bit. ... As people get more and more comfortable with this, there are going to be more and more opportunities to do face-to-face. Quite frankly, face-to-face is the best way to do it. Owen and I sell better when you’re face-to-face. We’ll continue, obviously, with the Zoom calls, but I think as much as we can, we’re going to try and get out there and meet face-to-face.
