Fusion

Celebration of Light Welcomes New Title Sponsor Honda

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:30:02 -0700

Vancouver’s skies will glow once again for the 22nd annual Celebration of Light igniting the skies of English Bay, July 28th, August 1st and August 4th. This year’s event will feature Brazil, Italy and Vietnam.

The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society is also pleased to announce that Honda has signed on as title sponsor of the event for the next three years.

“We are thrilled to support this event,” said Jerry Chenkin, Executive Vice President, Honda Canada “The event has been a part of Vancouver’s summer calendar for over twenty years now and we look forward to our long term partnership with the Celebration of Light Festival.”

Vietnam will kick off the festival Saturday, July 28th. Next up on August 1st will be Brazil. Italy will round off the competition on August 4th. The winning country will be announced Monday, August 6th.

In addition to Honda as Title Sponsor, Major Festival Sponsors include The Province of BC, The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, SHORE 104.3 FM and Concord Pacific Developments. Corporate partners include, Tourism Vancouver, Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR), Seaspan and Red Bull. Media partners for the event are The Vancouver Sun, and Global TV. The City of Vancouver also continues its significant support of this long standing civic event.

“The Celebration of Light continues to be one of Vancouver's most popular festivals and is a signature summer event for people from all across our region," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The event provides a huge boost to small businesses and our vibrant local economy, and it's exciting to see new sponsors like Honda Canada step up to support this spectacular Vancouver tradition.”

“The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society will work diligently again this year to deliver an event Vancouverites will be proud of,” said Hon. John D. Reynolds, chairman of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society. “We look forward to welcoming British Columbians, Canadians and visitors from around the globe to our beautiful city.”

The 2012 event will see the return of reserved bleacher seats in English Bay, Shorefest concert series in English Bay and Sunset Beach and the Red Bull Air Show. Organizers also plan to include cultural entertainment on each night, as well as online public voting and a new mobile phone application.

The 2012 Celebration of Light competition will begin promptly each night at 10:00pm over English Bay, rain or shine. Music simulcast can be heard on the SHORE 104.3 FM.

Please visit www.hondacelebrationoflight.com for up to date site maps and information

July 28 – Vietnam; Team Da Nang

August 1 – Brazil; Group Vision Show

August 4 – Italy; Pirotecnica Soldi

Score Marketing Inc. Open for Business

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:15:02 -0700

We're Open!

Okay, now time for a shameless plug for the new company...

Score Marketing Inc. is a Vancouver-based boutique agency specializing in sponsorship marketing - with primary focus on Canadian brands and properties.

The Score Marketing team has amassed a wealth of experience in the field, having worked with a range of clients - from local/regional businesses to some of Canada's largest and most respected brands.We have direct experience creating strategic and innovative partnership programs that range in size from local sport or arts/culture events to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

What we do for brands:

- Sponsorship marketing strategy, plans, and related B2C/B2B programs; sponsorship assessment and valuation; General sponsorship marketing consulting.

What we do for properties:

- Sponsorship sales and revenue-generation strategy; Sponsorship assessment and valuation; Sponsorship program and package development; General sponsorship marketing consulting; Sponsorship sales and brokerage services.

Thanks for putting up with this one. Please stay tuned for future (and substantially more impressive!) blogs, sponsorship news, and the occassional rant. Please be sure to follow Score Marketing Inc. on Twitter and LinkedIn.

You're awesome.

Score Marketing Inc. Open for Business

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:15:03 -0700

We're Open!

Okay, now time for a shameless plug for the new company...

Score Marketing Inc. is a Vancouver-based boutique agency specializing in sponsorship marketing - with primary focus on Canadian brands and properties.

What we do for brands:

- Sponsorship marketing strategy, plans, and related B2C/B2B programs; sponsorship assessment and valuation; General sponsorship marketing consulting.

What we do for properties:

You're awesome.

Score Marketing Inc.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:45:02 -0700

We're Open!

Score Marketing Inc. is a Vancouver-based boutique agency specializing in sponsorship marketing - with primary focus on Canadian brands and properties.

What we do for brands:

- Sponsorship marketing strategy, plans, and related B2C/B2B programs; sponsorship assessment and valuation; General sponsorship marketing consulting.

What we do for properties:

Please be sure to follow Score Marketing Inc. on Twitter and LinkedIn.

You're awesome.

BC Place signs ‘King of Beers’ as Official Sponsor

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:30:02 -0700

BC Place, along with its two main tenants - the BC Lions (CFL) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) - recently announced a significant joint sponsorship deal with one of Canada's most established beer brands, Budweiser. COSSETTE is proud to have played a key role in bringing these four high-profile partners together.

Budweiser is no stranger to sports marketing. A long-time supporter of the CFL, NFL, MLS, and various other high-profile sports properties such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Budweiser brings a true sports marketing pedigree to the mix and a promise to fully leverage its sponsorship position by interacting with stadium guests throughout the season - no matter what the game.

"There is tremendous enthusiasm for sports right across the province, and it's very exciting for Budweiser to be able to tap into that. Budweiser is strongly committed to BC. We're excited to be able to leverage that commitment and the popularity of our brand in this province with these teams and this incredible venue." said Blaine Kulak, Western Canadian Customer Marketing Manager, Labatt Breweries of Canada.

The newly renovated BC Place will be a spectacular venue for fans to come and take in a fast paced, no holds barred sporting event. Budweiser's partnership has some truly unique and experience enhancing elements to it. One of the most exciting is the creation of a "Bud Zone" that has a lower bowl seating component as well as a stadium concourse section, this will allow fans to not only watch the action in one of the hottest tickets in Vancouver but also to interact with sport specific engagements during each game or match.

"With the new atmosphere that will be created by the new retractable roof at BC Place, and a host of new events that can now be booked by BC Place for the first time, we know the new BC Place will be British Columbia's hub of downtown excitement for football, soccer, consumer shows, concerts, and our many other community events." said Howard Crosley, General Manager of BC Place. "Like BC Place, Budweiser, the Lions, and the Whitecaps all share a common interest in enhancing the guest experience, and this agreement will ensure that we do just that."

Click the respective links for more information about BC Place, BC Lions, Whitecaps FC, and Budweiser.

To follow me on Twitter Garnet Nelson

Cause Marketing for the Holidays

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:00:05 -0700

Cause Marketing for the Holidays

During the 2009 holiday shopping season many brands benefitted from being associated with non-profit organizations. Moving towards the 2010 holiday season, the momentum of cause marketing continues to increase setting a stage for many brands to showcase their social responsibility. So what can we expect?

Consumer engagement has always been a key element of cause marketing - people want to get involved. Campaigns are now often doing more than just allowing consumers to 'like' a facebook group or 'retweet' a comment, providing them with more complex engagement opportunities to ensure an authentic consumer experience. The more you can involve and activate the 'people' component, the better.

Traditional consumer activation tactics are being supplemented by more contemporary new media tools to enrich the consumer experience. Location-based applications (ex. foursquare, etc.) and scanning technology (ex. QR codes, etc.) are becoming more prevalent since they can provide a more interactive and informative cause shopping experience.

To stand out in the cluttered marketplace, brands are moving towards bigger thinking. Instead of delivering promotions and campaigns for one week, month or year, many companies will be looking to develop campaigns with a bigger splash andlonger term affinity.

Although certain tactics can help brands stand out in the crowd, it's hard to not get lost in the clutter of the holiday season. A well executed cause marketing campaign that follows these guidelines will have a better chance of resonating with consumers during this busy time.

Start Early: Cause marketing promotions can require more time to plan than traditional campaigns as non-traditional business partners (non-profits) and additional layers of internal and external approvals are involved.

Tell Your Story: A cause related campaign is not only an opportunity to drive sales and achieve objectives; it is also a great opportunity to tell a story about your corporate values.

Be Authentic: Being successful in the cause-marketing space demands being highly authentic in every aspect of the program (partnerships, financial contribution, and communications).

Support Your Online Initiatives: With more consumers using the Internet to make their charitable donations and retail purchases a solid online presence is very important. Although an online presence is key, it is should also be supported through complimentary marketing channels.

We all know that the holiday season taps into people's emotions, and feelings of giving back. Utilizing a strategic cause marketing campaign is an excellent way for brands to resonate with consumers during the 'season of giving', creating a win-win-win for the Cause, the consumer, and the brand.

Visit www.smartersponsorships.com for more information on FUSION, and join our LinkedIn group Sponsorship in Canada http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3224652.

Cause Marketing for the Holidays

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:15:04 -0700

Cause Marketing for the Holidays

Start Early: Cause marketing promotions can require more time to plan than traditional campaigns as non-traditional business partners (non-profits) and additional layers of internal and external approvals are involved.

Tell Your Story: A cause related campaign is not only an opportunity to drive sales and achieve objectives; it is also a great opportunity to tell a story about your corporate values.

Be Authentic: Being successful in the cause-marketing space demands being highly authentic in every aspect of the program (partnerships, financial contribution, and communications).

Support Your Online Initiatives: With more consumers using the Internet to make their charitable donations and retail purchases a solid online presence is very important. Although an online presence is key, it is should also be supported through complimentary marketing channels.

Visit www.smartersponsorships.com for more information on FUSION, and join our LinkedIn group Sponsorship in Canada http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3224652.

What’s a Sponsor Logo on an NHL Practice Jersey Worth?

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:45:02 -0700

The NHL has relaxed its rules around commercial advertising on team practice jerseys. The Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks have both acted quickly, recently announcing Rona and Giordano's Pizzeria, respectively.

So what's it worth to a sponsor? It depends.

Sponsors have different brand and awareness strategies, so a logo impression on a practice jersey might be worth more to one sponsor than another.

To that end, it's difficult to know exactly what each deal will be worth financially, because we don't know all the other elements in play (for example, we don't know if having a logo on the practice jersey also means that the sponsor is provided with an opportunity to access and leverage players while they're wearing the jersey - for interviews, and non-competition broadcast content, etc.). We also don't know if there is a team-guaranteed impression count based on television or digital broadcast of practices and player interviews. And let's not forget print and non-vide coverage online.

But what we do know is that non-competition content is becoming increasingly important with sports fans. They're hungry for it. The online medium is changing the way fans can interact with players, teams, and brands. Now, things like behind the scenes videos, player profiling, non-game interviews have all mainstream thanks to the internet - most teams have their own digital 'channels' and social media engines.

Digital is also (obviously) revolutionizing the way sponsors can promote their brand association with the property amongst its target audience, but thoughts on this will have to wait for a future blog.

From a property perspective, it creates a win-win: the team can raise the profile of one of their sponsors while adding incremental revenue to their bottom line, and the sponsor benefits from some additional logo exposure.

Logo placement on practice jerseys will not be the right strategic fit for every sponsor, but for the right one, it would provide an additional exposure opportunity - one that links the brand directly with the team and players.

As a sports fan, a brand strategist, and a sponsorship consultant, I don't have a problem with sponsor logos on NHL practice jerseys. As long as the NHL is strong enough to monitor and know when to draw the line in order to avoid over-commercialization.

Read the article by Ian Walker from the Vancouver Sun here www.vancouversun.com/sports/Canucks+look+sponsors+advertising+practice+uniforms/3691137/story.htm

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/OlympicGuy

A division of Cossette West, FUSION Sponsorship + Events is one of Canada's leading sponsorship authorities. Our team of professionals has amassed a wealth of experience in the field, having worked with a range of clients - from local/regional businesses to some of Canada's largest and most respected brands.

www.smartersponsorships.com

What’s a Sponsor Logo on an NHL Practice Jersey Worth?

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:15:04 -0700

So what's it worth to a sponsor? It depends.

Sponsors have different brand and awareness strategies, so a logo impression on a practice jersey might be worth more to one sponsor than another.

Read the article by Ian Walker from the Vancouver Sun here www.vancouversun.com/sports/Canucks+look+sponsors+advertising+practice+uniforms/3691137/story.htm

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/OlympicGuy

www.smartersponsorships.com

FUSION Sponsorship + Events bring brands and ‘the new BC Place’ together

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:15:01 -0700

For Immediate Release

October 5, 2010

FUSION Sponsorship + Events bring brands and 'the new BC Place' together

New-look stadium presents potential corporate partners with exciting opportunities

VANCOUVER, October 5, 2010 - After a thorough review, BC Place a division of BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), the Crown Corporation that manages BC Place, has named FUSION Sponsorship +Events (FUSION) as the official sponsorship and advertising sales agency for BC Place. British Columbia's magnetic new home for large-scale events is set to change the sports and entertainment landscape in the province - and FUSION will be responsible for presenting local, national, and global brands with opportunities to be a part of the new stadium experience.

"We are very excited to be working with BC Place to create innovative in-stadium marketing opportunities for brands," Garnet Nelson, Managing Partner, FUSION added, "The new BC Place presents limitless opportunity for marketers. From integrated digital activations to inspiring non-traditional creative extensions and fan connections, anything is possible. "

While BC Place gets revitalized, both inside and out, workers are building the largest blank canvas the province has seen since the stadium was originally constructed in 1982. That's how FUSION thinks - and that way of thinking will be reflected in their targeted approach to brand managers, creative directors, and media buyers across North America.

"FUSION presented a smart and creative plan, and we are encouraged by the direction our partnership is headed," Graham Ramsay, Director of BC Place's Business Development division said. "We know FUSION is the right local partner to help us, and our corporate partners, achieve positive business results while creating an amazing and interactive guest experience for those that visit BC Place".

The five year agreement between BC Place and FUSION is effective immediately, and the agency has already had strong interest from leading North American brands.

Vancouver-based FUSION is one of Canada's leading sponsorship authorities. The company, a division of Canada's largest communications agency, Cossette Inc., flew under the banner Altius Sport Marketing until April 2010. The group helped negotiate and activate for some of the most public-facing VANOC sponsors during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, including Bell, General Mills, Canada Post, and 3M Canada. For more information about FUSION please visit www.smartersponsorships.com.

BC Place is the largest sports, exhibition and entertainment venue of its kind in British Columbia, hosting the province's most notable events, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Upon re-opening in 2011, BC Place will be the new home for the Vancouver MLS franchise; will continue to be home to the BC Lions Football Club, the 2011 Grey Cup and many other exhibitions, community and entertainment events. For more information on the transformation of BC Place, visit www.bcplace.com.

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To schedule an interview with Garnet Nelson, Managing Partner of FUSION Sponsorship + Events, please contact garnet.nelson@cossette.com