Tonight's Word of Wisdom: “A fool with a plan can beat a genius without a plan.” – Warren Buffett
GEICO quietly returns as MLB corporate sponsor.
Terms and strategies are somewhat opaque, as insurers are notoriously tight-lipped on marketing issues. But the marketing assets are clear. During Tuesday night's Phillies vs. Reds broadcast on TBS, the GEICO logo appeared superimposed on the mound, and several GEICO ads tagged the insurance company as an MLB sponsor.
GEICO supported Ken Griffey Jr.'s television campaign last fall to win postseason rights. The short-term deal was signed after both sides failed to renew a five-year contract that expires after the 2022 season.
Octagon supported GEICO's MLB negotiations. The IPG-owned agency has been responsible for GEICO's sports marketing since the account transfer a year ago, following the transfer of its massive $1.3 billion media buying account to IPG agency Mediabrands. . The insurance company's previous longtime media and marketing shop, Horizon Media (incumbent for 29 years) and its former Scout Sports and Entertainment, are now folded under the Horizon Sports & Experience experiential shop.
These are turbulent times for GEICO marketing. Over the past year or so, the company has cut marketing staff and closed offices as natural disasters reduced profits. There has also been a change in marketing leadership, with the hiring of Damon Burrell from Estée Lauder as the insurance company's new CMO last April. In October, Kate Jarcht, also a former marketing executive at Estée Lauder, was appointed vice president of marketing and media.
Other new MLB sponsors for the 2024 season are New York Life and BuildSubmarines.com.
GEICO has selected Ken Griffey Jr. for a spot during the 2023 MLB postseason.
The American Cornhole League opens its 2024 professional season this weekend in Palm Beach, Fla., with expanded distribution through two new sponsors and a new media deal on ESPN channels. ACL's new corporate backers are his Backyard.com, an outdoor recreation products retailer, and Seagram's 7 Crown American Blended Whiskey, which has signed a four-year agreement.
Through the new rights agreement, Backyard.com will receive advertising units, brand integration, title sponsorship for the ACL Pro Tour, and will also sell ACL equipment. Backyard.com's parent company Beyond Inc. also owns online retail brands such as Overstock, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Zulily.
Seagrams sponsors individual ACL events and is currently a season-long sponsor. The distillery's 7 Crown brand will be featured in an advertising unit and brand name on the cornhole board, along with designation as the tour's official whiskey sponsor. The timeless 7&7 becomes the circuit's “official cocktail.”
Under the new television deal, ACL will air 90 hours a year on ESPN stations and 250 hours a year on the ESPN+ streaming service. ESPN's previous ACL contract included a 72-hour guarantee. The league will be broadcast for an additional 60 hours on CBS and the CBS Sports Network.
Founded in 2015, ACL claims 50 million people play cornhole in 25 countries. Like all sports that watch the Olympics from the outside, cornhole wants to achieve that level of support and visibility. ACL founder and commissioner Stacey Moore said: “Our goal is the 2032 Olympics, and we hope to have it in the Olympic Village as early as this summer.” “We're still in the early stages and growing in high school and college.” Moore also said two cornhole scholarships were recently awarded on National Signing Day at South Carolina-based Winthrop University. He also mentioned that.
Backyard.com signs 4-year agreement to sponsor American Cornhole League
Veteran licensing executive Jeff Rabinowitz has joined coin and collectibles licensee Highland Mint Co. as director of corporate and premium sales. Rabinowitz was with Fanatics for about 10 years, and before that he was with Monted Memories for 20 years. Rabinowitz will be based in Ft. Lauderdale.
Emily Sisson joins OneTeam Partners as SVP and Head of Sponsorship, Athlete and Partner Marketing. Sisson has been with Octagon for five years, most recently as SVP/Business Development. She was also on the PGA Tour with Sisson and Lagardere.
- SBJ's Ben Portnoy notes that the men's Final Four will feature a number of AT&T-sponsored events as fans flock to the Phoenix area, including AT&T Dream Court Station, this week.
- In its first intrastate sports marketing effort, the Chinese Plinx tire brand has been signed on as the USL's first official tire. This sponsorship covers his three top circuits in the USL, the Men's USL Championship, USL League 1, and his Women's USL Super League scheduled to begin in August.
