ESPN has sold 15 official sponsorships around the College Football Playoff, up from the 12 that it had in previous years for the BCS championship.
The 15th and final official sponsor to sign a multiyear deal is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which will be an official sponsor for the College Football Playoff, an official sponsor of “College GameDay” and a sponsor of ESPN college football.
Financial terms were not released.
“The headline for us is that there’s a new high-water mark,” said Rob Temple, ESPN senior vice president of sports
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Taco Bell is sponsoring the Live Más Student Section at the games and is using social media posts to decide who will win a seat in the section.
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management.
Temple would not say how many ad spots are left for ESPN’s on-air inventory around the College Football Playoff. But he said the 15 official sponsors will have a big on-air presence around the games.
“They all have significant positions,” he said. “You’ll notice as the games unfold that the officials make up a
{podcast}
SBJ Podcast:
College writer Michael Smith and Assistant Managing Editor Tom Stinson discuss Dr Pepper's hold on the college football postseason as well as Geico's move to sponsor the floor-apron space at college basketball courts.
lot of the real estate.”
The list of sponsors (see below) is a mix of returning companies and new ones. Companies like AT&T (presenting sponsor of the national championship game), Dr Pepper (presenting sponsor of the national championship trophy) and Allstate (Sugar Bowl) were longtime supporters of the BCS, who now have positions in the College Football Playoff.
Others, like Capital One (Orange Bowl title sponsor), Chick-fil-A (Peach Bowl title sponsor) and Goodyear (Cotton Bowl Classic title sponsor) have increased their spending around college football’s postseason.
The auto category will be well-represented, taking up three official positions, with GM sponsoring the ESPN halftime show, Ford sponsoring its postgame show, and Nissan sponsoring the Heisman House.
“We saw great activity overall from the category,” Temple said.
Taco Bell picked up a unique deal, sponsoring the Live Más Student Section at the games.
“That was an idea that came from one of our production folks,” Temple said. “We partnered with the CFP on that, and Taco Bell has been a great champion of it.”
ESPN’s selling process around the College Football Playoff was more complicated than during the BCS era, which generally moved in four-year deals. This year, ESPN moved forward with a new structure, which included a new logo, new brand marks and a new trophy.
“Whatever you’re going to see this year is bigger than what we’ve seen before from an activation and promotion standpoint,” Temple said. “And whatever you’ll see this year won’t be as big as next year.”
That’s because the sponsors signed multiyear deals, leaving ESPN to be more concerned about developing marketing and activation plans rather than selling so much inventory.
Meet the sponsors
The following are sponsors of either the bowls affiliated with the College Football Playoff or official sponsors of the College Football Playoff itself.
Allstate
Headquarters: Northbrook, Ill.
College properties: NCAA, Big Ten, SEC; more than 80 colleges through Good Hands field goal net program; 13 bowl games, including title sponsor of Allstate Sugar Bowl; American Football Coaches Association; National Association of Basketball Coaches; naming rights to Allstate Arena, home to DePaul University men’s basketball
Note: The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be a semifinal venue in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024.
AT&T
Headquarters: Dallas
College properties: NCAA, ACC, Pac-12, SEC, College Football Hall of Fame; more than 50 colleges; Capital One Orange, Chick-fil-A Peach, Duck Commander Independence, and TaxSlayer bowl games; naming rights to AT&T Stadium, home of Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Dallas Cowboys; naming rights to Jones AT&T Stadium, home to Texas Tech football; National Association of Basketball Coaches; Women’s Basketball Coaches Association; presenting sponsorship of Naismith Memorial College Player of the Year Award
Buick
Headquarters: Detroit
College properties: NCAA, athletic programs at Tennessee, BYU and Oklahoma; National Association of Basketball Coaches; Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
Note: GM has rights to the halftime studio shows for all College Football Playoff games.
Capital One
Headquarters: McLean, Va.
College properties: NCAA, 13 colleges; title sponsor of Capital One Orange Bowl; Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl; naming rights at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, home to University of Maryland football; Capital One Bowl Week on ESPN; National Association of Basketball Coaches; Women’s Basketball Coaches Association; College Sports Information Directors of America
Note: The Capital One Orange Bowl will be a semifinal venue in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Chick-Fil-A
Headquarters: Atlanta
College properties: AdvoCare V100 Texas, Allstate Sugar and Belk bowl games; title sponsor of Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl; Senior Bowl; Chick-fil-A College Kickoff; College Football Hall of Fame; more than two dozen colleges
Note: The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be a semifinal game in 2017, 2020, 2023 and 2026.
DirecTV
Headquarters: El Segundo, Calif.
College properties: Sponsor for College Football Playoff’s Inside the Drive Mobile Studio; University of Florida; title sponsor of DirecTV Wooden Legacy college basketball tournament
Dr Pepper
Headquarters: Plano, Texas
College properties: Big 12, Big Ten, SEC; Baylor University; College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, official CFP soft drink; title sponsor of Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship; Pac-12 football championship; Allstate Sugar, Capital One Orange, Goodyear Cotton, San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas bowl games
Ford
Headquarters: Dearborn, Mich.
College properties: Sponsor of postgame shows for College Football Playoffs; 38 colleges; AutoZone Liberty, Duck Commander Independence, New Era Pinstripe and Quick Lane bowl games; naming rights to Ford Field, home to Quick Lane Bowl and Detroit Lions; naming rights to Ford Center, home to ECHL Evansville Icemen and University of Evansville men’s basketball
Gatorade
Headquarters: Chicago
College properties: College Football Playoff sideline rights/coolers; Outback and TaxSlayer bowl games; ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mountain West, SEC; approximately 18 colleges
Goodyear
Headquarters: Akron, Ohio
College properties: Title sponsor of Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Note: The Cotton Bowl will be a semifinal venue in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Nissan
Headquarters (U.S): Franklin, Tenn.
College properties: NCAA, Heisman House and showcase positions for College Football Playoff, approximately seven colleges; Heisman Trophy Trust; Allstate Sugar Bowl
Note: Nissan’s Infiniti brand is an official NCAA corporate partner.
Northwestern Mutual
Headquarters: Milwaukee
College properties: NCAA, approximately 10 colleges; presenting sponsor of “First Four” college basketball tournament games; title sponsor of Rose Bowl Game; National Association of Basketball Coaches; Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
Note: The Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual will be a semifinal venue in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024.
Reese’s
Headquarters: Hershey, Pa.
College properties: Official sponsor of the College Football Playoff; ESPN College GameDay Built by the Home Depot; NCAA; National Association of Basketball Coaches; Women’s Basketball Coaches Association; four colleges
Taco Bell
Headquarters: Irvine, Calif.
College properties: Approximately 10 colleges; Allstate Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
Note: In 2014, Taco Bell signed a multiyear deal with ESPN and the College Football Playoff to create a CFP student section, offering up to 3,000 seats.
Vizio
Headquarters: Irvine, Calif.
College properties: Title sponsor of Vizio Fiesta Bowl
Note: The Fiesta Bowl will be a semifinal venue in 2017, 2020, 2023 and 2026.
Source: SportsBusiness Journal research
