Setting the stage: Sponsorships help open the doors to business for insurers. (Industry Strategies).Insurers are sponsoring a variety of properties ranging from magician David Copperfield's current tour to local health and wellness fairs. Sponsorships' approach to marketing differs from that of advertising. Where as ads try to sell a product, sponsorships serve a more subtle purpose in warming potential customers' doorknobs by making them subconsciously sub·con·scious adj. Not wholly conscious; partially or imperfectly conscious: subconscious perceptions. n. The part of the mind below the level of conscious perception. Often used with the. associate an event with the sponsoring company. "Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages every day. When people are enjoying themselves at an event and see a company's name, it makes them more receptive to the company's message and to think maybe this wouldn't happen without their participation," said Bill Chipps, senior editor of the IEG IEG Implementing Electronic Government IEG Immediate Early Gene IEG Industries Electriques et Gazières (French: Gas and Electric Industries) IEG Institut für Europäische Geschichte Sponsorship Report. Insurers sponsor events to complement their advertising campaigns, reach local markets and build bridges to future employees and policyholders. Sports sponsorship remains the most popular property for funding by U.S. businesses, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. IEG. Of the $9.5 billion expected to be spent on corporate sponsorships this year, $6.4 billion will be spent on sports sponsorships. Spending on sponsorship outpaced advertising in 2001, according to IEG. While ad spending lagged--falling 4.1% last year--sponsorship grew 6.9%. This year, sponsorships are projected to grow 2.9% and advertising 2.4%. Generally, insurers aren't among the big spenders Noun 1. big spender - one who spends lavishly and ostentatiously on entertainment; "the last of the big spenders" high roller scattergood, spend-all, spendthrift, spender - someone who spends money prodigally in sponsorships--consumer-products giants such as Anheuser-Busch Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are among the leaders. Total spending on corporate sponsorships for the two corporate giants was between $195 million and $215 million last year. IEG lists only one insurer, John Hancock Financial Services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , as spending a significant amount for sponsorships. John Hancock, which sponsors the Olympics, Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. and the Boston Marathon Boston marathon famous 26-mile race held annually for long-distance runners. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Endurance , spends $35 million to $40 million on sponsorships annually. But when sponsorships are distinguished by category of business, insurers were among the top 10, according to IEG. Chipps attributes the increase in insurance company sponsorships to that sector's increased competition with financial-services companies. Overall, Chipps sees insurers using sponsorships as a way for agents to get out and shake hands in the local community to generate leads. IEG reports that insurers are allotting their sponsorship dollars to properties such as associations, arts festivals An arts festival or art fair is a festival that focuses on the visual arts, but which may also focus on other arts. Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions. , entertainment venues and sports teams. Branding Link Insurers also are sponsoring properties to help build their corporate brand. According to branding expert Larry McNaughton, branding is the sum of experiences, images and perceptions a company creates. The brand is experienced and handled in many ways by the corporation, through its business processes, the culture and active communications. Since sponsorships fall into the category of active communications, it's important to be careful in choosing properties to sponsor. "Insurers might want to think twice about sponsoring an event like a hot-air balloon race, where participants could get wrapped around a high-tension wire," said McNaughton, managing director, owner and chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of Corporate Branding Corporate branding is the practice of using a company's name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to leverage corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition. It is a type of family branding or umbrella brand. Partnership LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control . McNaughton also advises insurers to make sure the sponsorship makes sense relative to what the company represents. "Personal injury insurers shouldn't be sponsoring rodeos There are literally thousands of Rodeos held worldwide each year. Some of the more notable or significant are listed below. Brazil São Paulo
AlbertaMaking a Connection Supplemental insurer Aflac is using its new sponsorship initiative featuring an international entertainer to touch its local roots. Aflac is the exclusive presenting sponsor of magician David Copperfield's "Portal" 2002 USA Tour. Copperfield and Aflac said ducks and an interest in helping children brought the two together. The magical connection began when Aflac's Corporate Communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. Executive Vice President Kathelen Spencer attended one of Copperfield shows and was amused a·muse tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es 1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion. 2. to see the illusionist using a white Pekin duck
A Pekin duck is a breed of domesticated duck used primarily for egg and meat production. Bred from the Mallard in China, nine ducks were imported to the United States in 1873. , similar to the duck featured in Aflac's advertisements, in his act. After meticulously building its corporate advertising campaign step by step since 1991 and enjoying incredible success with its 3-year-old duck campaign, Aflac was looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a new opportunity to expand its branding efforts. The insurer's commercials featuring the "Aflac"-quacking duck accelerated company name recognition to a 90% awareness level and helped to boost sales 29% last year. After being approached by Copperf ield, Aflac decided that sponsoring the magician's tour would be a good complement to its extremely successful television advertising campaign. Local Ties Spencer said the Copperfield sponsorship is totally aligned with Aflac's main demographic--families with children. "Our products are marketed at the work site to families with children. That fits the demographic of David Copperfield's audience, too. The overall goal in sponsorship is to help our company, to reinforce and build the brand locally through the association of another well-known brand: David Copperfield “Copperfield” redirects here. For other uses, see Copperfield (disambiguation). David Copperfield may refer to:
Sponsorship of a nationally known performer also helps Aflac reach out to its salespeople. "The tour goes to local markets and provides opportunities for salespeople to interact on a local basis with attendees. This way, there is an additional connection for people to make with Aflac," Spencer said. Aflac salespeople have hospitality opportunities at Copperfield's tour stops, where they can entertain and recruit potential members of the sales force. "We leave it up to each area on how they want to handle it. It gives us a local tie-in," Spencer said. During part of Copperfield's act, "Aflac" is actually quacked offstage, and the company's name appears on tickets as well as signs for the event. Copperfield's "Project Magic" charity offers another tie-in with Aflac. Project Magic, a rehabilitative re·ha·bil·i·tate tr.v. re·ha·bil·i·tat·ed, re·ha·bil·i·tat·ing, re·ha·bil·i·tates 1. To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy and education. 2. program used in more than 1,000 hospitals in 30 countries, helps children and adults regain manual dexterity and builds confidence and self-esteem as they learn sleight of hand sleight of hand n. pl. sleights of hand 1. A trick or set of tricks performed by a juggler or magician so quickly and deftly that the manner of execution cannot be observed; legerdemain. 2. . Aflac also has a connection with children's health Children's Health Definition Children's health encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children from infancy through adolescence. care through its Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders blood disorders, n.pl hematologic dyscrasias that affect the component cells and plasma elements of the blood. They are generally divided into two broad groups: those in which an increase in bulk occurs (e.g. Service at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. As part of its sponsorship, Aflac is involved in the publication of the program's handbook, which is distributed to hospitals worldwide and provides guidelines to medical professionals on how to use the Project Magic program. Pure Marketing Like Aflac, auto insurer Progressive Corp. has used sponsorships to strengthen its brand. Besides being the fourth-largest private-passenger auto insurer in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Progressive also sells the most motorcycle coverage. To support its motorcycle coverage program, Progressive sponsors several premier motorcycle events, including Laconia Motorcycle Week Laconia Motorcycle Week is a motorcycle rally held in June annually. It is held in Laconia, New Hampshire. Attendance is estimated between 100,000 and 400,000. The rally has its origin in the Loudon Classic motorcycle race started in 1923 and the Gypsy Tour, where many , the Americade Motorcycle Rally A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. A rally can range from the mild corporate-sponsored Honda Hoot to the infamous Hollister riot. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. and the American Motorcyclists Association's Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship Series. Miriam Deitcher, motorcycle marketing manager for Progressive, said the sponsorships have spurred the growth of that line of business. Progressive currently insures more than 1 million motorcycles. A major advantage to sponsoring events like Laconia, which is billed as the nation's oldest-running motorcycle rally, and Americade, the world's largest touring rally, is the exposure to hundreds of thousands of potential sales. By sponsoring both events, Progressive gets its name in front of nearly a half-million potential policyholders. Progressive recently expanded its sponsorship role by getting involved with the American Motorcycle Association's Flat Track Motorcycle Racing motorcycle racing Sport of running motorcycles on tracks, closed circuits, or natural terrain. The main types are (1) road racing, conducted on a course made up wholly or partly of public roads; (2) trials, conducted both on and off the highway; (3) speedway racing, Series. The series' national championship, akin to NASCAR's Winston Cup, has motorcyclists racing on a quarter-mile or 1-mile oval dirt track at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The series, which was established in the 1950s, was without a title sponsor for a few years until Progressive stepped forward in 2000. "As the No. 1 insurer of motorcycles, we listened to the needs of our policyholders and filled a viod for sponsorship so the series could continue," Deitcher said. Being the title sponsor of the series' 21 races, Progressive's name appears on every press release and report about the race, as well as on each bike's number plate. Announcements are made about Progressive during the race, and sometimes, agents attend and distribute brochures. In addition to the thousands of enthusiasts who attend the races, eight of the events are broadcast on the Speed Channel cable network, where about 4 million viewers see Progressive's name at the beginning and end of the show as well as during four 30-second commercials. Reaching Out Locally Regional health maintenance organization Capital District Physicians' Health Plan says it is involved in hundreds of sponsorships that help establish community roots. "Sponsoring shows that you are a part of the community. Where some health plans have come and gone, we're showing we're here and involved," said Tim Riley Tim Riley is a Northwest media personality from Portland, Oregon. He was a newsman at Hot Talk 1080 KOTK and is a regular member of the Rick Emerson Show. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, Riley got involved with a local radio station and began a career that took him to California. , vice president of the plan's corporate communications. The 356,000-member HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, , which provides health care in 24 counties throughout central New York Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities: Cayuga County – Auburn Cortland County – Cortland Madison County – Oneida state, reviews about 1,000 sponsorship requests annually and gets involved in about half of them, Riley said. The health plan budgets about $500,000 to $600,000 a year for what it describes as a blend of sponsorships. The lineup includes health fairs, State Police anti-violence programs, support of local historical societies and community theaters and after-prom parties. "We look for things related to families' health and wellness and for organizations that mirror our values while building our brand," Riley said. In April, Capital District HMO cosponsored a health and wellness fair with a local television station and the YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. in Albany, N.Y. The insurer promoted camping safety, staffing a Camp Good Health booth that provided information about safe cooking and boating. Visitors saw the insurer's name on the booth and on handouts, such as whistles and Band-Aid holders. "It can't be a hard sell at these events; you have to be informative," Riley said. Gauging the success of the sponsorships is mostly anecdotal, with people mentioning they met someone from Capital District Physicians' Health Plan at a particular event, said Dan Colacino, executive vice president of marketing. But the health plan recently witnessed strong evidence of the fruits of its sponsorship. Capital District sponsors a segment on a Binghamton, N.Y., television station's local weather report that features children's drawings. Colacino was pleased to see that a second-grader had included the company's logo in a drawing. "There is a lot of power in that level of awareness," he said. Long-Term Goals Long-term goals Financial goals expected to be accomplished in five years or longer. Guardian Life and State Farm have long-term goals to their sponsorship plans. Certainly, State Farm, the nation's largest property/casualty insurer, sponsors many big-name events, such as the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating U.S. Figure Skating (USFS), officially called the United States Figure Skating Association or USFSA, is the national sport governing body for figure skating in the United States. Championships and the State Farm Bayou Classic The State Farm Bayou Classic is the annual college football game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. , a football event. But its latest commitment as the presenting sponsor for the 14th Annual National Youth Service Day reflects Chairman Ed Rust Jr.'s belief that businesses should support education. National Youth Service Day is a prestigious national event co-chaired this year by President Bush and first lady Laura Bush and is promoted in national media, such as in Parade magazine and on the "Today Show." Kathy Havens, public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. manager for State Farm's Educational Excellence program, says the insurer is always looking to support activities that make a difference in learning and that help students become better community citizens. State Farm sees the learning that is promoted through National Youth Service Day, celebrated the weekend of April 26 through April 28, as both an educational approach that is a good fit for the insurer and a way for its army of agents to demonstrate commitment to the local community. "'Like a good neighbor' isn't just a slogan, but a culture for our company," Havens said. More than 3 million U.S. children participated in National Youth Service Day, performing volunteer tasks such as litter removal, reading to children in day-care centers day-care center: see day nursery. and painting murals in a school. Thousands of State Farm agents and employees acted as catalysts to support the day of volunteering by distributing tool kits and curriculum guides to local schools and organizations. In Orlando, Fla., a State Farm agency worked with Hands on Orlando, a volunteering organization. "Better education leads to better consumers and the kinds of employees we want to hire in the future. Through National Youth Service Day, we will be recognizing children who make a difference and celebrating future leaders Future Leaders is a UK schools-led charitable organisation that aims to widen the pool of talented leaders especially for urban challenging secondary schools. It was founded in March 2006 by Nat Wei, a former founder of Teach First. of this country," Havens said. Reaching Out to Women Recognizing the need to attract more women as employees and as customers, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (GLICOA) is a Fortune 1000 company founded in 1860 in New York, New York. It is the fourth largest mutual life insurance company in the United States of America. created its Women's Initiative in 1999. "We understood that women aren't as comfortable and as independent dealing with finances as men. So we wanted to create a program to promote financial literacy Financial literacy is the ability of individuals to make appropriate decisions in managing their personal finances. Raising levels of financial literacy is now a focus of government programmes in countries including[1] Australia, Japan, the United States and the UK. ," said Joyce Gordon, vice president of individual markets sales support for Guardian Life. The Women's Initiative has several components, including being a category sponsor of America's Junior Miss  The of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms".You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. event, hosting and sponsoring the national scholarship program "Girls Going Places." Considered the cornerstone of the Women's Initiative, Girls Going Places recognizes and nurtures entrepreneurship in young women ages 12 to 16 years old and awards a scholarship prize to the winner. Last year, after receiving more than 2,100 submissions, Guardian Life selected 16-year-old Karalynn Forrest to receive a $17,000 scholarship for her outstanding business accomplishments. Forrest founded and ran a three-week summer camp for children, while also conducting an online scrapbook A Macintosh disk file that holds frequently used text and graphics objects, such as a company letterhead. Contrast with "clipboard," which is reserved memory that holds data only for the current session. business. Guardian is seeing results from the Women's Initiative program. Gordon reports that 23% of the company's new hires are women, and policies sold to women increased 28% over the last two years. "One of our goals of sponsorship is to create financially aware women who maybe will work for Guardian or buy from us, because they know we care deeply," Gordon said.
Top 20 U.S. Sponsors
John Hancock Financial Services was the only insurance-related
organization to rank among the top spenders on sponsorships in 2001.
($ Millions)
2001 2000
Amount Company Rank Rank
$215-$220 Anheuser Busch Cos. 1 1
$190-$195 Philip Morris Cos. 2 2
PepsiCo Inc. 3 5
$165-$170 General Motors Corp. 4 3
$130-$135 The Coca-Cola Co. 5 4
$105-$110 DaimlerChrysler Corp. 6 7
Nike Inc. 7 6
$90-$95 Eastman Kodak Co. 8 8
$75-$80 Ford Motor Corp. 9 9
McDonald's Corp. 10 10
$65-70 Visa International 11 14
MasterCard International Inc. 12 13
$60-$65 AT&T Corp. 13 11
IBM Corp. 14 12
Motorola Inc. 15 16
$45-$50 Bank of America N.A. 16 20
Federal Express Corp. 17 22
$35-$40 John Hancock Financial Services 18 23
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. 19 17
DuPont Co. 20 19
Source: IEG Sponsorship Report
Properties Insurers Choose to Sponsor
Figures represent the percentage of properties in each category that
reported having at least one insurance organization as a sponsor in
2001.
Property Type Percentage
Arts Festival 6
Arts 9
Association 37
Cause 6
Civic Festival 18
Entertainment Venue 20
Expo 24
Motorsports --
Music Festival 10
Permanent Attraction 6
Sports Team/League/Event 15
Sports Venue 15
Source: IEG Sponsorship Report
RELATED ARTICLE: A Magical Connection Internationally renowned magician/illusionist David Copperfield said Aflac's sponsorship of his current "Portal" 2002 tour adds credibility to his charity, Project Magic. Aflac is the exclusive sponsor of Copperfield's tour--the first corporate sponsor he has had--and is involved with the publication of the Project Magic handbook. Copperfield founded the charity in 1982 with the mission to strengthen dexterity and motor skills in disabled people. Copperfield believes that when disabled people gain a skill that able-bodied people don't possess, it helps to build motivation and self-esteem. Project Magic is used in more than 1,100 hospitals worldwide. More and more entertainers are aligning themselves with sponsors, as their productions become increasingly expensive to produce, said Bill Chipps, senior editor of IEG Sponsorship Report. Because the corporations underwrite most of the costs, the entertainer gets to retain more of the revenue, he said. Aflac's goal in the sponsorship arrangement is to promote its brand through another well-known brand--David Copperfield, said Kathelen Spencer, corporate communications vice president for Aflac. Copperfield, one of the 20 highest-paid entertainers in the world, performs about 500 shows a year. The illusionist is known for making the Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty great symbolic structure in New York harbor. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : America Statue of Liberty perhaps the most famous monument to independence. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : Freedom vanish before a television audience of more than 50 million viewers; walking through the Great Wall of China; and as the first illusionist to fly without using strings or camera tricks. In an interview with Best's Review, Copperfield explained why his act's duck and Aflac's duck are both used in the new tour and how Aflac has helped to further the work of Project Magic. Q. Why did you choose to accept Aflac as a sponsor for your current tour? I love the commercials, and I think they are a good, strong company. Q. What do you like about Aflac's commercials? Well, you know I have a duck, Webster, who appears in my show, who is a comedic character, and I think the Aflac duck has the same sensibility. I think they are kind of cosmic brothers, so it made perfect sense to get the two ducks together. Q. What is the advantage to having an insurance company as a sponsor of your tour? Aflac is supporting Project Magic; they are also very charity oriented. We're very fortunate, because when a company like Aflac gets behind something, you know that it gives it even more credibility. We have medical professionals working on the Project Magic program, and it's been accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. by the American Occupational Therapy Association. To have an internationally known insurance company backing us means a lot. Upcoming Events Sponsored by Insurers * America's Junior Miss National Finals, June 25-28, Mobile, Ala.; Guardian Life Insurance Co. * Art Across America Tour, June 20, Boston; Oct. 3, Washington, D.C.; Fireman's Fund * State Farm Classic (Ladies' Professional Golf Association event), Aug. 29-Sept. 1, Springfield, Ill.; State Farm Group * National Sobriety Checkpoint Week, week of Sept. 2; Nationwide Insurance and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization with more than 600 chapters nationwide. MADD seeks to find effective solutions to the problems of drunk driving and underage drinking, while also supporting those persons whose relatives and friends have been killed by drunk * Laconia Bike Week, June 8-16, Laconia, N.H., Progressive Corp. * Shakespeare in the Valley, July, East Meredith, N.Y.; American Lung Association The American Lung Association (ALA) is a non-profit organization that "fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health". Camp Superkids, August, Albany, N.Y.; Capital District Physicians' Health Plan * David Copperfield's "Portal" 2002 Tour, Aug. 22-Sept. 4, Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. ; Sept. 20-22, Houston; Aflac |
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