Promo - December 2007 - (Page 16)

Outback Steak House will have high-flying signage on a blimp to denote its title sponsorship of the New Year’s Day game in Tampa Bay in addition to field logos at the Outback Bowl. Richard Te desco EXPERIENTIAL College Bowl Sprawl Sponsors kick off 41 post-season games frenzy The college bowl scene, once a few games dominating New Year’s Day television, has evolved into a protracted branding bonanza kicking off before Christmas. A flurry of sponsored contests emerged a decade ago, apparently to satisfy collegiate football fans’ seemingly illimitable appetite for post-season pigskin action. It’s become a big-money annual industry to prod TV ratings and push marketing agendas. The major Bowl Championship Series games still garner the greatest attention, and their corporate sponsors make an effort to differentiate them from the roster of 41 post-season collegiate contests that now exist. The various opponents won’t be known until Dec. 3. In its 12th year as title sponsor of the Cotton Bowl, AT&T is adding a new media element to keep fans focused on whoever is playing. During the game, viewers will be invited to predict each play, either by text messaging or at www.ATTblueroom. com. They’ll accumulate points in the process, with a grandprize winner and secondary winners getting AT&T service perks—yet to be determined—as rewards. Fox sportscasters will plug the contest during the game, and it will also be promoted on the AT&T Blue Room sports portal. AT&T sees the play-by-play ploy as a potential “cornerstone of the Cotton Bowl” in succeeding years, says Deborah Carranza, AT&T associate director of sponsorships and events. The telco will also host a 53-foot interactive footballthemed trailer highlighting AT&T products and services at the nearby state fairgrounds. The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be marked with its signature signage: the Allstate good hands logo and name in goalpost netting at both ends of the playing field. “You walk into the Superdome and there’s no missing who the title sponsor is: It’s Allstate everywhere,” says Pam Hollander, Allstate director of sponsorships and promotion. Allstate will have a presence at the Sugar Bowl Fan Fest for three days preceding the game, including a giant field goal net where fans can win foam fingers of their favorite teams if they can hit the mark. It will also have booths at the fan fest and the Fan Jam tailgate party on game day promoting Allstate services. Allstate’s good hands will also be appearing in goalpost netting at the final BCS National Championship game, where it is the title sponsor this season. (Both the Sugar Bowl and championship game are in New Orleans this year.) Two winners of Allstate’s season-long Are You in Good Seats? promotion on college campuses will win tickets to the BCS championship. That’s a staple feature of promotions for many of the bowl games each year. ESPN is running a Road to the Rose Bowl sweepstakes, offering two tickets to the New Year’s Day classic that has Citibank as presenting sponsor. The Outback Bowl, an event that wouldn’t exist if it 16 December 2007 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - December 2007

Promo - December 2007 Contents Editor's Note Urban Refuge Digital Directive Soft Soap Voice Lessons Jordan's Monster Deal College Bowl Sprawl Good Deeds Commentary Blue Christmas Q&A: Clutter Cutter Widgets? They're Easy The Agency Center Resource Center Secret Weapon Index of Advertisers

Promo - December 2007

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