I'm going to jump straight into words of wisdom tonight.
“It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.” –Japanese philosopher Miyamoto Musashi.
Earlier this year, I wrote that if WWE and UFC were to merge under TKO Holdings, the relatively dissimilar natures of these two would become more similar, at least when it comes to sponsorship.
Now let's dive into the first transaction to illustrate the concept.
WWE has signed a deal with Sazerac Brands' Wheatley Vodka, in what appears to be its first spirits sponsorship. Under the agreement, Wheatley will be the “official vodka of WrestleMania XL,” which will be held at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field during the first weekend in April. The deal includes WrestleMania, WWE's biggest attraction, as well as several other events on the wrestling circuit.
In the past, WWE typically did not designate long-term “official sponsors” as most brands sought contracts for specific terms. That is changing under TKO. This new deal includes his brand integration for live events on both nights of WrestleMania XL, his participation in the show kicking off the event, social/digital media execution, and sweepstakes promotions.
Wheatley will also be involved in a yet-to-be-titled six-part content series on WWE social/digital channels in which WrestleMania headliner Cody “The American Nightmare” Rhodes interviews other WWE stars. He also plans to serve as a sponsor. A Wheatley brand tour bus also appears in the series.
bar stocking
WWE has had various beer brands and alcoholic beverage sponsorships, but Mike's Hard Lemonade will be returning as a sponsor of WrestleMania. But this is the circuit's first spirits deal.
As detailed earlier this week, the UFC, which is connected at the navel, has a bar full of spirit sponsors when it signed a new sponsorship deal with 19 Crimes.
Grant Norris-Jones, vice president and head of global partnerships at TKO, said: “Our current strategy at TKO is to explore new categories and sign larger and broader deals.” . “We are working hard to find an official beer partner. [for WWE]. ”
In October, the UFC signed its largest sponsorship deal in history with Bud Light. “Now we're exposing more assets and leveraging more platforms. … If you want to have his CBD partner like the UFC [Love Hemp],can. Our risk tolerance will be the same. And we helped prove that they are not dangerous. ”
tag team effort
Soon, the first transaction across two facilities will take place (you can't call it a TKO, can you?). “If you want to be competitive with the NBA, NFL and NHL, you have to customize it to specific partners,” Norris-Jones said. [for a combined UFC/WWE package] They exist, but for the first one you need to go to market with the right statements to optimize. ”
Dozens of joint pitches have already been made. Will Victory Alchemy be entitled to UFC 300 (scheduled for April 13) in conjunction with WrestleMania XL (April 6-7), perhaps part of the biggest event ever for either facility? Proof of concept is still needed, but it's certainly something Endeavor's debt-laden owners dream of.
Endeavor acquired a controlling stake in the UFC for $4 billion in 2016 and combined the two assets after acquiring WWE last April in a deal that valued WWE at $9.3 billion.
Matt Wikstrom joins Legends as SVP/Global Partnerships. He will continue to be based in Salt Lake City and report to Chris Hibbs, President of Legend's Global Partnerships.
Wikstrom has been with Ironman Group since 2019, most recently serving as chief partnerships officer (Ironman is owned by SBJ's parent company Advance). Wikström also held sales positions with Van Wagner and Wasserman.
Anyone who has known Dan Mannix well over his years in the agency world knows that he had women in positions of responsibility at his company long before it reached its current level of fashion. There will be. Now, Mannix's Underdog & Company has stepped away from another agency headed by a woman.
B. Partners has been operating in a bit of a stealth mode since last August, but has grown to an eight-woman team and has been at various locations including the Clippers' Intuit Dome, SoFi Stadium, LAFC, Athletes Unlimited, and Oak View Group. properties. B. Partners is led by EMI Strategies co-founder Ariana Rae Diverio and former CSM senior director Laura Miranda.
Key agency competencies include specializations in sales strategy, third-party sales, and outdoor media development and sales for venue owners. A recent bulletin board arrangement recommended that Ally Financial become his official USGA bank.
That's a lot of expertise, but it also advises that B. Partners' mission includes “emphasizing the importance of women's perspectives as a key element in optimizing business outcomes.”
In business terms, it's no different than finding change under a couch cushion. Usually it's a big sofa. “Overall, I would say we are focused on identifying and generating new commercial revenue,” Miranda explained.
“We help people navigate restrictions. [OOH] It's a media space where they can generate revenue that they never thought of,” added Diverio (while holding her two-week-old baby). “Outdoors and sponsorship don't always mix well, but we can help you navigate that,” Mannix said. “Numbers and revenue are important, of course, but bringing diverse perspectives to your commercial strategy is important. , which we believe has the potential to be disruptive in itself.”
- FanDuel TV's “Up and Adams” show will be broadcast live from Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium today to begin promoting a new sponsorship of the NFL's Panthers that the sportsbook announced this week. SBJ's Bill King reports.
- Ally Financial is sponsoring the new jersey patch for the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in a multi-year deal. The deal will see Ally simultaneously purchasing spots during the 2024 WNBA national broadcast, SBJ's Tom Friend reported.
- NWSL club Gotham FC has signed a deal to make New Jersey-based RWJ Barnabas Health the team's official medical provider, SBJ's Alex Silverman reports. A spokesperson for the reigning NWSL champions said the multi-year deal is worth 26 percent more per year than the club's previous health care deal with Hackensack Meridian Health.
