UFC Sponsors Picking Up Activation

Earlier in the week, MMAPayout.com discussed some of the activation that sponsors are planning around next month’s boxing super fight featuring Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley. Here’s a look at some of the things UFC sponsors are finally start to do involving the fight property.

Payout Perspective:

The UFC’s VP of Sponsorship, Mike Pine, has done a remarkable job since being hired to bring in some pretty high-level sponsors for the organization. Pine negotiated a deal with Harley Davidson in January 2008, which essentially gave the organization its first mainstream corporate endorsement. Not long after Pine reeled in Anheuser Busch and placed its Bud Light brand in the center of the octagon with a three year deal – Anheuser Busch was then and still is the leading sports sponsor and advertiser in the world. If those two weren’t enough, he’s also brought Tequila Cazadores, Edge Shave Gel, The US Marines, USA Today, and SI.com into the fold throughout his tenure.

But despite all of these deals, we’ve yet to really see any of these brands seriously activate around their sponsorship investments. Bud Light, a very creative brand, has been uncharacteristically quiet where activation is concerned; only using special UFC co-branded packaging aimed at the Hispanic demographic in select markets. The bulk of what was expected – at least in my mind – in the way of commercials, fighter endorsements, on-site promotions, off-site contests, and other means of associating with the UFC have yet to materialize. The same could be said of Harley Davidson,  Tequilla Cazadores, and Edge – all were pretty silent.

Silent until now, that is.

Bud Light has just launched a UFC promotion in conjunction with Facebook that requires one to join Bud Light’s Facebook page in order to become eligible for a trip for two to UFC 114 in Las Vegas. It’s a great way to integrate social media with activation on one of its many sports properties.

Harley Davidson recently unveiled its Ultimate UFC Weekend sweepstakes that packages round-trip tickets for four to UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin and the opportunity to meet Dana White and UFC Octagon girls. I was a little surprised that the grand prize in no way involves a Harley Davidson motorcycle, but the contest does offer five first prizes in the form of $400 gift cards from Harley Davidson. Regardless, the fact that Harley is finally starting to take activate around its sponsorship is a very good sign; this contest could be the start of more profound marketing in the future.

Edge Shave Gel is also jumping into the fray by producing co-branded UFC packaging that offers the consumer a free three-month subscription to the UFC Vault if they go online and submit the SPC number of their purchased gel container at UFC.com. There the consumer can also enter into a contest where the grand prizer winner will receive a trip for two to UFC 116 (along with benefits similar to the HD contest).

But what’s the point? Why even bother if you’re Bud Light or Harley or Edge? There are multiple reasons to activating around a sponsorship. These contests, in particular, offer the following advantages:

1. They help to increase brand awareness and attempt to influence some sort of reciprocity in the consumer (we support your sport, so support us).
2. The contests also offer each company (and the UFC) access to the consumer data of entrants that fill out the forms.
3. Not only does this give the UFC and its partners a better indication of who their customers are (think of the information users hand over by signing up on Bud Light’s FB page), but it also gives the partners an idea of whether the partnership is a good fit. The Harley Davidson contest is a perfect example: it asks entrants if they own a motorcycle or plan to buy one in the next year, which provides valuable feedback as to whether HD has invested (or invested enough) in reaching the right demographic.

I’m inclined to believe that the number of activation platforms around the UFC has only started to increase as the economy has recovered to the point where these companies once again have discretionary money to get creative and spend on activation. However, I also happen to think that UFC 116 plays a big part in their rationale; Brock Lesnar is the biggest draw in the sport and will garner these sponsors a host of additional exposure that they wouldn’t normally get at a regular UFC event.

So keep an eye on the UFC and its partners over the next few months. Please let us know if you see examples of activation in your areas.

Note: I focused primarily on HD and Edge, but it’s only fair to point out some of the cool things that Tequila Cazadores is doing online to activate around its UFC sponsorship. They’ve got UFC party tips, mobile swag, and other interactive content on its website.

The US Marines have also done well on the activation front; creating a sort of “Warriors” theme to their entire UFC activation platform that consists of commercials, on-site contests (like a pull-up showdown at select UFC events), and inviting UFC fighters to train at their academies.