Mark Rockefeller and Bob Reif Lead Joint Venture Offering New Solutions for Sponsorship Industry.
IEG SponsorDirect Announces New Online Sponsorship Marketplace
From: Business Wire Business Editors
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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2002
IEG, the premier sponsorship industry intelligence source, and IEG
a leading-edge Internet technology company focused on the sponsorship industry, announced today the introduction of their online sponsorship marketplace,
The $9.3 billion North American sponsorship industry, which outpaced spending in advertising by 11 in net percentage growth last year, according to IEG Sponsorship Report, now has a tool that will help marketing professionals improve the way sponsorships are sourced and managed.
Mark Rockefeller is President and CEO of IEG SponsorDirect, the new Web-based company that brings technology solutions to the sponsorship industry. As an IEG partner, the company will offer the industry's deepest database of sponsorship opportunities across the broadest range of categories at one destination.
"In this economy, sponsors, agencies and properties need to find the most efficient way to do more with less, including finding, managing and activating the right sponsorship opportunities," said Rockefeller. "We created IEG SponsorDirect to empower marketing professionals, to help them save time, reduce costs and increase their sponsorship ROI."
Here's how it works: - Sponsors and agencies go through a simple registration process to access the
most comprehensive sponsorship database of North American sponsorship
opportunities and can use the site three different ways:
- Browsing property categories in the database
- Searching for properties using select keywords or advanced search criteria
- Utilizing IEG SponsorDirect's proprietary search engine, SD AutoMatch(TM)
- Properties, or agencies representing properties, post detailed Sponsorship Opportunity Listings, which provide key information sponsors need to screen and select sponsorships
- Properties can list information for free or purchase features and
enhancements to make their listings more prominent SD AutoMatch filters the entire IEG SponsorDirect database for opportunities that meet detailed criteria specified by sponsors in Sponsor Criteria Filters. The technology runs sponsorship listings through a sophisticated proprietary matching algorithm that analyzes and matches data provided by buyers with those provided by sellers.
Properties pay IEG SponsorDirect a finder's fee based upon the total dollar value of transactions facilitated by the service.
IEG Sponsorship Report projects that sponsorship spending by North American companies will reach $9.57 billion this year. Major marketers, like the world's largest advertiser Unilever, are taking a closer look at sponsorship opportunities. "We believe there is a clear opportunity to accelerate our brands' growth by using sponsorship more widely," said Unilever VP/Brand Communications Michael Brockbank.
While sports is estimated to represent 67 of total sponsorship spending this year, community-based marketing focusing on fairs, festivals, schools and local teams, as well as non-sports national opportunities such as cause and the arts, have been taking center stage. Sponsorship spending on the arts and causes alone are projected to grow 72 and 55 respectively from five years ago.
Through the IEG SponsorDirect marketplace, sponsors and agencies can access the industry's most comprehensive database of sponsorship listings to find the best opportunities for their brands, from grassroots festivals to national sports and entertainment platforms. Properties can enhance their sales efforts and reach new potential sponsors that they could not reach before. All users will be able to identify and manage opportunities that meet their sponsorship needs in a secure and confidential environment.
"Sponsorship remains the most recession-proof of all marketing media, and marketers are increasingly turning to grassroots opportunities to connect with consumers and build brand loyalty," said IEG founder and IEG SponsorDirect Board Member, Lesa Ukman. "IEG SponsorDirect uses the speed and power of the Internet to help sponsors and properties find each other more efficiently and effectively. That's the bottom line for today's sponsorship professionals."
IEG SponsorDirect is the new, Web-based sponsorship solutions company uniquely integrating technology and people, that directly empowers marketing professionals to find, manage and activate the right sponsorships the right way. Sponsorship buyers can go to www.iegsponsordirect.com to access the most comprehensive database of thousands of sponsorship opportunities in North America and sponsorship sellers are able to post their offerings in front of the most likely sponsors in a secure and confidential environment.
IEG, Inc., is the leading sponsorship industry research and independent valuation firm. Founded in 1982, IEG tracks and analyzes sponsorship of sports, arts, music, causes and events in the U.S. and around the world. The firm offers services that include event marketing publications, sponsorship intelligence and valuation. IEG publishes IEG Sponsorship Report, the international biweekly newsletter on sponsorship; and the IEG Sponsorship Sourcebook, the definitive guide to sponsors, properties and agencies, as well as other industry publications and sources.