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The economy may be driving attendance at Major League Baseball games down somewhat in 2009, but it hasn’t stopped teams from
making sponsorship deals (PDF).
Research from Westminster, Colo.-based Costigan & Associates indicates that MLB’s teams have 168 total “major sponsor” deals, including 18 naming rights agreements, with 88 companies encompassing 36 categories.
Interestingly, despite well-reported industry struggles nationally, the banking and financial services sector remains one of the strongest categories. Bank of America has five sponsorship deals. Wells Fargo has four and PNC Financial has three, according to the research.
Malt beverage powerhouse Anheuser-Busch is the most frequent major sponsor partner with 17 deals. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. continue to duke it out for soft drink deals, each netting 12 for the 2009 season.
Costigan & Associates is a sports and entertainment marketing firm that specializes in the evaluation of sponsorship and naming rights deals. Its founders, including principal Charles “Chuck” Costigan, came from The Bonham Group, an internationally-recognized firm that succumbed to economic issues early this year.
Costigan is a 10-year veteran of the sponsorship industry who has provided in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations to many blue-chip brands including the O2 Dome, IBM, the NFL, the NHL, JPMorgan Chase, and several individual teams, universities and organizations, according to a bio at the company Web site.
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