Promo - January 2009 - (Page 25)

Events Continued from page 23 CEG’s Ruderfer. “People are being very sure to be careful that there isn’t waste.” In terms of types of events, the Promo survey results showed that trade shows were used as venues by 50.8% of agencies and their clients. General entertainment events were used by 37.4% of those responding, with sports events at 23% and music events at 18.4%. Retails events ranked just behind entertainment at 36.3%. Ambush marketing was employed by more than 21% of the companies surveyed, and more than 23% indicated they had been the victims of ambush marketing ploys (when one brand deliberately invades a competitive brand’s event or sponsorship). Sampling and data collection were the most popular activities used in combination with events, with 53.4% of respondents reporting using them. Sweepstakes, games or contests were used by 50%. Coupon distribution ranked close behind at 47.2%, with local advertising at 39.3% and radio tie-ins at 34.8%. Pro-social campaigns play a vital role as event drivers, providing prime examples of initiatives in which brands cement relationships with local communities. “In any campaign, if you’re focused in a clear, honest manner on an experience for customers, there’s nothing better to create a long-term relationship with customers,” Ruderfer observes. CEG helped develop the NFL Network’s “Keep Gym in School” program. That program provided an average of $55,000 in grants for physical education facilities or instructors in four middle schools in New Orleans, Phoenix, Wichita, KS, and Washington, D.C. As part of an ongoing partnership with Cox Communications and local pro teams, the NFL Network brought out local stars in each case to speak to students about the importance of physical education and staying in school. Players—including Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, Saints running back Deuce McAllister and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner—related their personal stories about their routes to careers in the NFL. “Making that real for the kids in terms of their own experiences, that’s pretty meaningful,” says Kim Williams, NFL Network chief operating officer. “It’s much more of a mentor kind of relationship than a corporate program. When we walk away, there’s a lasting legacy, and it’s not just the refurbishments that we made.” The program, under the auspices of the NFL’s “Play 60” fitness initiative, will give fans the chance to nominate one more school for a $10,000 grant this season. The program continues indefinitely, with the NFL Network planning to extend grants to more schools each succeeding season. Despite the general anxiety about market conditions, Velocity Sports is seeing continuing demand in event development. “The experiential side seems to be exploding,” says Michael Reisman, Velocity principal. “You can get immediate feedback from a customer you’re interacting with.” Digital extensions of live sponsored events are particularly effective, according to Reisman. He cites local concert sponsorships Velocity has executed for AT&T Wireless with performers such Rhianna and Jay-Z. Beyond the local promotions that bring audiences into arenas, AT&T Wireless customers can later gain access to live concert footage online, including backstage interviews. “The trend we see with clients today focuses around deeply engaged brand experiences,” says Bill Glenn, senior vice president of The Marketing Arm. “We find clients looking for opportunities where they can have time with the consumer and measure that performance.” One program that The Marketing Arm implemented in San Antonio’s AT&T Center enables people attending the arena to use their mobile handsets to respond to messages posted on the arena scoreboard during basketball games by the Spurs and the WNBA Silver Spurs, during the San Antonio Livestock Exposition rodeo, and at other events. During the Spurs’ games, fans can get information about the team, participate in interactive activities in the arena, and take advantage of special offers from AT&T. Glenn calls it a “highly successful, highly measurable” mobile marketing ploy that gives clients the kind of concrete results they want these days. ambush marketing was employed by about 21% of the companies surveyed. “I think client expectations have increased across the board,” he says, both in terms of creating distinctive event promotions and producing tangible returns. “If you’re not measuring, you’re going to walk away from programs and have a hard time proving them the second time around.” As for what they’re measuring to determine success, Promo’s survey found that 72% of respondents measure results by sales volume, while 44.7% cited intent to purchase as a prime metric. About 32% of the sample said they look at the amount of engagement time and alteration of brand preference. Whatever the metric that’s applied, it is clear that event marketing has become a mainstay in most marketing plans, and is likely to maintain that position as companies rely more heavily on direct interaction with consumers to deliver their messages. As CEG’s Ruderfer puts it: “Over the last several years, event/experiential is a more important, more reliable part of the mix, and people will be more reluctant to cut there than P they would have been in the past.” l 25 Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / January 2009 http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - January 2009

Promo - January 2009 Contents Editor's Note Casual Games Dr. P and the Roses Outside the Cup Geek�Chic Expresa Tu Hispanidad Jump Start Commentary The Show Must Go On Fed Up Q&A: Smart Food Agency Center Resource Center Gray Goes Green Index of Advertisers

Promo - January 2009

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