MasterCard has completed a three-year sponsorship agreement that makes the credit card company the official payment system of the LPGA.
"MasterCard is one of a handful of key global brands that carries the cachet and equity that we like to be associated with," said LPGA director of marketing Eric Albrecht. "I think from a partnership and branding perspective this is a significant program. ... From a dollars-and-cents perspective, it's a large program, as well."
The agreement was noted in this column in March after it was mentioned in the LPGA's media guide. At that time, neither side wanted to comment because program details were still being worked out. The deal began as a domestic agreement but has since evolved to include global marketing initiatives, which made the contract negotiations longer than expected, Albrecht said.
As part of the agreement, MasterCard will conduct corporate hospitality programs and on-site consumer prize drawings at select events, sponsor co-branded promotions on lpga.com and mastercard.com, and create contests that offer MasterCard holders worldwide the opportunity to win trips to premier LPGA Tour events.
The company also will be a sponsor of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional division, which will give the company a grassroots marketing platform, Albrecht said.
To further its LPGA association, MasterCard, which has had an endorsement contract with Dottie Pepper since 2002, added a second LPGA Tour player, Emilee Klein, to its marketing efforts. Klein will don the MasterCard logo and be used in the company's promotional and appearance programs.
While the deal is not scheduled to be announced until today, MasterCard has been activating on the sponsorship via some on-site presence at LPGA Tour events and through television ads during select LPGA telecasts.
Albrecht wouldn't reveal financial details of the agreement. No one from MasterCard could be reached for comment by press time.
GOLFER GULBIS GETS HER OWN CALENDAR: LPGA Tour player Natalie Gulbis, through a multiyear licensing
 |
| Natalie Gulbis joins Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias as subjects for calendar manufacturer John F. Turner. |
deal with
John F. Turner and Co., will be featured in a calendar and poster that will be available in stores such as
Barnes & Noble,
Borders and
Waldenbooks.
The 16-month calendar will feature Gulbis in golf attire and casual clothing and will be available early next month. The poster will debut after the calendar.
John F. Turner, a leading manufacturer of calendars featuring athletes and celebrities, has licenses with the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, MLS and WUSA. The company has created calendars for Anna Kournikova, Enrique Iglesias and Pamela Anderson. Gulbis is represented by Chris Murray at Imani Sports.
FIRMS FOCUS ON DIVERSITY HIRING: Women's Sports Services, a career development and recruitment company for women in sports, has partnered with the Black Women in Sports Foundation and Minority Executive Search Inc. to focus on diversity hiring.
Women's Sports Services, which operates online career center womensportsjobs.com, will provide its employer partners access to the Black Women In Sports Foundation's talent pool and Minority Executive Search's resources.
The two groups in return will gain access to Women's Sports Services, job listings, résumé support, career development seminars and networking opportunities.
Contact Jennifer Lee at jlee@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
