Obviously, Toyota is not the only company that sees sports as a
powerful way to reach and influence current and potential
customers. Sports and business are so enmeshed it's hard to believe
golfers like Tiger Woods and tennis stars like Serena Williams ever
played in shirts without corporate logos. We only vaguely remember
when the Orange Bowl was just that, instead of the FedEx Orange
Bowl, or when the L.A. Lakers played in the Forum instead of
Staples Center, or the Seattle Mariners' diamond wasn't set in
Safeco Field. In all, more than $6 billion was spent on athletic
sponsorships of varying types in 2003, according to the consultancy
A.T. Kearney. And each year, that number grows by about nine
percent.
Kathleen Joyce, the editorial director of Promo magazine, a
Connecticut-based publication that covers the promotional
marketing industry, believes companies are simply trying to tap
into a driving force in American culture. "The cult of celebrity is
so powerful, whether you're talking about Hollywood personalities,
political personalities, or sports personalities, that brands are
trying to borrow whatever equity they can from these people to make
themselves relevant to the audiences that follow those
celebrities," she says. "For brands, it boils down to what enhances
your relationship to the consumer and what brings you new
consumers."
Joyce points to NASCAR as one of the most compelling examples of
why companies look to be associated with sports. Its devoted fans,
she says, make corporate sponsors salivate - and write big checks.
"If you can find a way to transfer or borrow some of the loyalty
fans feel toward NASCAR and its drivers," she says, "if you can
attach some of that to your own brand, there's a very significant
financial value to that."
Not Exactly A Slam Dunk