FROM THE MEN'S FINAL FOUR IN INDIANAPOLIS
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George Mason’s unlikely run drew sponsor
attention to the Colonial Athletic Association. |
George Mason’s run to the Final Four could have lasting effects on business for the school and its conference, the
Colonial Athletic Association.
The CAA is talking with two large banking institutions about a deal that would designate an official bank for the conference, said Mark Donley, who handles corporate sponsorships for the conference on behalf of Nelligan Sports. He declined to identify those companies but said he hopes to have a deal in place by the end of May.
George Mason’s Final Four surge drew attention to the CAA, Donley said, especially the fact that CAA teams play in large markets including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York and Boston.
At George Mason, the school’s athletic department signed Coca-Cola, Sports Illustrated and Spec Seats as advertisers for GoMason.com, its official Web site, before the Final Four. Each of the deals will run for several weeks, while a deal with Puma signed after the Final Four appearance will run through September. The department has launched a team store on GoMason.com, as well.
Associate athletic director Andy Ruge said additional deals were being pursued for the school in the banking, wireless and satellite TV categories; a radio broadcast deal on one of two FM stations with stronger reaches in the Washington, D.C., area than the school’s current deal with WDCT-AM; and a deal for a local cable coach’s show. In addition, four companies have inquired about producing a season DVD, he said.
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John Mellencamp highlighted a free Sunday
concert from busy sponsor Coca-Cola. |
“The Final Four exposure is great,” said Ruge, who returned from Indianapolis to hundreds of e-mails and voice-mails in his Fairfax, Va., office after the Patriots’ semifinal loss to
Florida, many of those calls from potential sponsors. “You’ve got to follow up while it’s hot.”
PRODUCT AWARENESS: Coca-Cola had the strongest presence of the NCAA’s nine Corporate Champions and Corporate Partners at the Final Four, sponsoring in Monument Circle a free John Mellencamp concert on Sunday as part of CokeFest, a daylong concert series with free Coke products and giveaways, and another concert Saturday.
Coke and Coke-owned Dasani banners were draped throughout Monument Circle downtown, just blocks from the RCA Dome. During the games at night, company reps stood near the RCA Dome holding flashlights up to Coke signs.
Cingular, meanwhile, had the most popular attraction in Hoop City, the fan-interactive area set up in the Indiana Convention Center. Cingular’s branded area featured shooting competitions, new phone models and a knock-off Naismith Trophy on display, a charging station, interactive screens, a mock studio set and autograph sessions with coaches including Villanova’s Jay Wright and Washington’s Lorenzo Romar.
Cingular made use of a court that was shared by many of the NCAA’s sponsor companies during the weekend, as well.
“[Hoop City is] a great venue for us to demonstrate our products and services,” said Tim McGhee, Cingular’s director of national sponsorships, speaking after the event.
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Cingular made its mark at the Hoop City
interactive area in Indianapolis. |
Cingular’s Final Four activation was similar to its investment in big NASCAR events and its “American Idol” campaign, McGhee said. This was at least the third straight year the Atlanta-based company heavily activated around a Final Four, with plans for an even larger presence next year with the games being played in the company’s hometown.
SPEAKING OF ATLANTA...: A dozen Atlantans floated around Indianapolis on behalf of the Atlanta Local Organizing Committee, looking for tips and strategies to plan next year’s Final Four, which returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2002.
ALOC executive director Anna Slive published a small handbook for the group, outlining what they should pay attention to and assigning each member a specific element to examine in Indianapolis: Final Four logo signage, volunteers’ positioning, Hoop City and more.
Slive said hosting the 2007 Final Four will be “totally different than in 2002” because of the increase in the number of events and attractions around the games compared with when the Final Four was last in Atlanta.
After observing Indianapolis and meeting with NCAA and Indianapolis officials, Slive said the ALOC will consider variations on CokeFest, a basketball clinic and a youth event similar to Indianapolis’ Circle City Dribble, as well as tourism programs for Monday. The key, she said, is to plan events and themes unique to Atlanta.
“[The Final Four has] become a whole weekend,” Slive said. “Nobody just comes for the games. They come for the experience.”
IN THE CLUB: The NCAA was pleased with the debut effort of the Tournament Club corporate hospitality program that debuted this year, said Greg Shaheen, director of Division I basketball and championship strategies.
Chicago-based sports marketing firm rEvolution organized the program, with its centerpiece inside the Sagamore Ballroom on the second floor of the Indiana Convention Center. Before games both Saturday and Monday, rEvolution President John Rowady and others greeted several hundred people who enjoyed an open bar, food, local bands, and highlights and CBS’s pregame shows on large projection screens.
A small shop in the corner of the room sold team apparel. Many club customers also received tickets to the Naismith Awards and other private events.
Officials differed in their reports on how many club packages were sold, ranging from 500 to 1,000. The effort, however, proved an official hospitality program can be done well and has sufficient demand, Shaheen said, giving an early estimate of six figures in revenue the club generated for the NCAA.
“This first year was the learning curve year,” Shaheen said. “We’d assume that [revenue] to increase going forward.”
If the NCAA decides to go forward, that is. Shaheen said it will make a decision on renewing the Tournament Club in the coming months, adding that he is “more inclined to see us do it than not.”
Rowady hopes the NCAA leans that way. Shaheen praised rEvolution officials for staying in constant contact with the NCAA during the weekend and organizing a strong program.
