The Sports Business Journal (subscription required) reports that Edge Shaving Gel will become a sponsor of the UFC starting in July. The sponsorship includes endorsement deals for five UFC fighters.
The Journal writes that financial terms were not announced. Edge is familiar with the UFC as it is a sponsor of The Ultimate Fighter although Spike TV controls sponsorships and advertising for the show. The signing will give the UFC visibility at national retail outlets where Edge products are sold. The sponsorship begins with an in store promotion featuring the UFC on Edge packaging and fighters on promotional items in the store. It will also include BJ Penn offering training tips in an online component of the promotion.
Payout Perspective:
The signing of Edge gets the UFC in front of a broader audience as it will be in many retail stores. It also is a product used by many young males so the sponsorship makes sense for both parties. The brand activation will help the UFC introduce itself to consumers by the online and in-store promos. BJ Penn is a good pick for one of the UFC faces for this sponsorship as he is a very popular figure in the UFC and has crossover appeal. The sponsorship is another sign that the UFC is establishing itself as a valuable sports property.
This article totally made me remember this hilarious commercial with Wanderlei Silva and Mark Coleman!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2N_z4gSoRU
Didn’t Edge have a limited sponsorship with the UFC dating back to last year. I remember reading an article on here or another site, in it, Edge and the UFC offered a month free of the UFC vault. If memory serves me right. I remember going out to buy the edge shaving gel and registering for the vault. I take it, edge was more than satisfied with the UFC and decided to take it to the next level.
This sponsorship will help make inroads with another very important demographic. Women. Women do a majority of the shopping for the family and if edge and the UFC are going to have fighters faces plastered on the edge shaving gel cans or pictures of the fighters in stores. This will help with exposure to women, women dont typically care to watch the UFC and maybe this exposure will generate some viewership based only on sex appeal. The folks at Zuffa are amazing at marketing and selling their product. This is a very interesting deal.
The UFC now has Edge Shave Gel, Anheuser-Busch, & Harley-Davidson as mainstream sponsors on board. The word is that the UFC will announce a big name auto sponsor soon. Best guess is Dodge right now, but we will see.