AQUARIUS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN THE WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Friday, March 12, 2010

Tying your brand to a professional sports team can uncork opportunities

Washington Business Journal - by Timothy Burn Associate Editor

Go to any local pro sports game, and you will see them everywhere, even if you are trying to tune in to the play. Flashing on the Jumbotron. Scrolling swiftly and digitally around the mezzanine level. Emblazoned on the chests of each player. Stamped onto whatever plastic thing might be in your hand as you leave the stadium or arena.

Companies like Verizon, Geico  and Volkswagen have spent big bucks on sponsorship marketing arrangements with local teams, including the Redskins, the Capitals and D.C. United.

Marc Bluestein believes a well-conceived sports marketing plan could accomplish most of the marketing, public relations and philanthropic goals companies have. And while your company might not have a Budweiser budget and a penchant for clopping Clydesdales, sports sponsorships could help put your brand in a positive light with crowds of people open to spending money.

When people think of “AAA MidAtlantic,” for example, it is usually in times of distress. The regional car club was eager to let consumers know that AAA isn’t just about ill-timed flat tires and keys locked in cars. The organization wanted to project a more positive image, one associated more with the fun stuff of travel — deals, discounts and roadside distractions.

Bluestein, the CEO of Aquarius Sports and Entertainment, based in the Howard County community of Fulton, Md., pitched AAA on the notion of tying its brand to the Redskins.
But he wasn’t thinking about a few print ads here and a smattering of “brought to you by” announcements echoing from FedEx Field loudspeakers. Rather, Bluestein sold AAA on the idea of sponsoring the Redskins’ pre-game hospitality tent.

At the start of last season, about 4,000 season ticket holders and AAA members arriving hours early for home games entered the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone tent, where they enjoyed complimentary food and drink, met former players, played interactive games and watched pre-game TV coverage.

The pre-game party is part of a $2 million, five-year co-branding campaign Bluestein is conducting with AAA and the Redskins. The campaign will also include AAA’s sponsorship of the Redskins’ draft day event at FedEx Field this spring. The AAA deal brought Aquarius its first major client.

Businesses should think of sports marketing well beyond squarish display ads, Bluestein says. “It really is whatever we can think of that will help promote a company.”

Apart from being associated with a professional sports team, sponsors can use game-day and pre- or post-game functions to build databases of potential customers.

At the AAA hospitality tent, for example, the drivers club asks visitors to fill out a short form of basic information — including e-mail — to get a free piece of merchandise. AAA can use that ever-growing list to alert consumers about products and services on its Web site.

Bluestein also helps companies position themselves as preferred providers of sports teams.

One of his clients, Modern Business Associates, a human resources company based in Tampa, Fla., wants to become the sole provider of payroll processing and other HR functions for pro teams. Bluestein says he is in talks with two local teams, which he would not name.

Beyond being able to call itself the official payroll provider of “insert team name here,” Modern Business Associates would gain opportunities to promote its services to deep-pocketed sports fans who attend team functions or have luxury suites.

Open your mind
Marc Bluestein says the possibilities in sports marketing are limited only by creativity. He offers a few tips on things to consider in a sports marketing campaign:

• Know the audience you are trying to reach. It is important to examine the demographics of your target audience and also the demographics of the fans of a particular sport. “Are you looking to reach high-net-worth individuals? We have found that the NHL and the Capitals have the highest-income fans,” says Bluestein.

• Determine how your target audience consumes information. Is it through radio, television or even signs? The goal is to have your brand become a part of their everyday life.

• Do you have a philanthropic agenda? Sports organizations have multiple community relations initiatives. If you can tie your company’s philanthropy to a team, the amount of free press and relationship-building is tremendous.

• Determine your networking objectives. Partnering with a sports team can give your executives the chance to network with team officials, other sponsors and anyone associated with the team in a fun setting far removed from a boardroom or office.

• Is your product or service something that can be demonstrated? Though powerful and expensive, television and radio advertisements do not allow customers to touch a product. Professional games or other team functions can provide a setting for consumers to touch and experience your product.

• Bluestein’s take-away: Sports is the one thing that can bring different types of people together to network and conduct business in a relaxed setting.

Aquarius Sports and Entertainment

• What it does: Provides clients with sponsorship consulting and activation, sponsorship sales representation, corporate hospitality and event and promotional marketing
  
• CEO: Marc Bluestein
  
• Headquarters: Fulton, Md.
  
• Employees: Five
  
• Revenue:
  2008: $1.2 million
  2009: $4 million
  2010: $7 million (projected)