Appliance Zone & NFL Stadium Sponsorship????

I found an interesting sponsorship story here about an Appliance Zone at an NFL stadium, which illustrates the desire of brands to break through the clutter of advertising and reach consumers in new, effective ways.

"We think we've kind of taken it to a new level," says Pete Ward, svp of the Indianapolis Colts football team, in a New York Times piece by Stephanie Clifford (12/11/08). Pete is talking about the many sponsorship deals bringing millions to the Colts and making possible its new (Lucas Oil) stadium. Many of these sponsorships are garden-variety. They've got a law firm sponsoring club lounges to the west, and a health-care provider taking care of the lounges to the east. A telecommunications company sponsors one entrance while a bank sponsors the other.


But in a bit of a twist, an Indianapolis-based appliance retailer, Hhgregg, has built out a 26,000 square foot store in a stadium hallway. David Abrutyn of IMG Worldwide explains: "In today's world of a very crowded advertising marketplace, it's very important for facilities to provide the brands and companies they're associating with a lot more than just signs and tickets." So, David doesn't see anything wrong with an appliance store in a football stadium, other than it might be irrelevant to fans.

"Are people going to a stadium to buy a washer and dryer? Probably not, but you're reaching an audience," David says. It's really not all that different from Chevy parking cars in the stadium's northeast corner. Or AirTran Airways installing airplane seats in the stadium's food court. Hhgregg's Jeff Pearson says so far nobody has complained. "It's trying to showcase these appliances in a way that relates to football," he says, adding, "I think the reception's been very positive." No complaint from the Colts, either. Such deals will pay for all but about $100 million of the stadium's $719 million in construction costs.



This is an example of what my company does for retail properties – bring brands to the common areas where the foot traffic exists and quality interactions are more possible. This drives new revenue streams for property owners and more effective promotions for brands.

The thing is, this venue, a sports stadium, is not as appropriate or effective as a shopping destination. With a sports venue, they are reaching the wrong audience and the brand play is ancillary to the desired experience (watching the game).

At a shopping destination, people (mostly women who control the majority of domestic spending) are more inclined to spend, are open to brand messages and wouldn’t look at it is an intrusion or inauthentic.


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