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Tell us how you started SD.

In short? Great timing. I was working with another agency that sold in the associate Shell sponsorship programs with Joe Gibbs and Team Rahal. After a few years, the IndyCar program was doing very well and grew into a primary sponsorship for the 1996 season. At this point, Shell was done buying and realized they needed to heavily activate their investment to ensure ROI. Shell asked if I could work with Team Rahal to manage the activation and customer needs of our new primary sponsorship of Bryan Herta. Of course, I said yes! Sport Dimensions was officially born in November of 1995.

Topics: Culture

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Many factors make a sponsorship program successful. There are also at least 5 common pitfalls your team needs to look out for that can slow down your progress. One of the most under the radar factors that will sink a campaign before it even gets off the ground is a lack of internal communication.

Topics: Marketing Strategy

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For many years, rights holders and properties did not need to change their model to reflect a more dynamic marketplace. Things were simpler and were valued in a more precise way. Digital platforms have shaken that up dramatically for industries of all forms. Finally, we are starting to see sports look for new evolutions in the way they are presented and consumed. SportsBusiness Journal recently covered the changing sponsorship model of NASCAR and thought it deserved some extra analysis from the agency side.

Topics: Sports Business

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We travel a lot at SD to carry out our work. Our team is scheduled to cover over 120 projects around North America this year (with a couple in Europe also). So let’s say that we have taken this whole “flexible workspace” movement quite seriously. Since this is not exactly your typical 9-5, I thought it would be fun to lay out my EDC (essential daily carry) for working in sports marketing. Let's go!

Topics: Culture

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Sponsorship continues to prove itself beyond a logo on a jersey. In the last 10 years, the business side of sports has exploded for good reason. This expanded hunt for value in sponsorship has turned these brand and team relationships into full on B2B partnerships. Through these partnerships, some unique opportunities come up for brands looking to genuinely engage their customers at all ends of the budget spectrum.

Here are 3 great ways you can leverage sponsorship to activate genuine customer engagement:

Topics: Sports Business, Motorsports Marketing

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Our area of focus in the sports business world might come off pretty specific to most, and that's how we like it. We were poking around some wider trends in the sponsorship world and what we found was pretty remarkable. 2018 is expected to bring $24.2 billion worth of property investments in North America alone, with 70% of that directed at sports. The next bucket of sponsorship investment? 10% on entertainment properties such as the Academy Awards and Grammys. These figures point to the idea that an investment in sponsorship is rich with opportunities for brands to showcase their story authentically.  

What was also remarkable is that the entire article went on to share how much brands were investing in sponsorship properties, but didn't mention the most important aspect of the sponsorship equation - activation.

So with that, we decided to send out a little memo to the world about why we do what we do. 

Topics: Sponsorship Activation, Foundations

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No matter where your brand is investing marketing dollars, the value you get back is a priority. For different forms of marketing, there are different value equations. In motorsports marketing, the value equation involves four primary stakeholders: fans, sponsors, teams, and series. Each different channel will function differently, but they all need to work together to maintain a sustainable balance.

Topics: Sponsorship ROI

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…all of the time.

The explosion of digital platforms in the last ten years has been nothing short of remarkable. The access, reach and lowering of costs that social and digital marketing platforms have developed continue to introduce a host of opportunities for brands to engage their audiences.

Topics: Marketing Strategy

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The nearly $6 billion world of motorsports marketing is a challenging, rich and intensely exciting realm to operate in. Some of the largest brands in the world have built their presence from simple grassroots programs, to dynamic, multi-series dynasties. From the outside looking in, they make it look easy. But for marketing managers, executives, and those interested in working with motorsports sponsorship programs to market their business it can quickly become overwhelming without the right know-how and support in your corner.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing, Foundations

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Never before in history have you had more choice as a consumer or as a decision maker. Lower barriers to entry and greater access to large audiences have fueled an unprecedented expansion of options big and small.

In your personal life, that means choices like clothing brands, apps to use, sparkling water flavors, movies to see, songs to listen to, books to learn from…and just about every other corner of your passions.

Topics: Marketing Strategy, Sports Business

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