VOLume 28 Number 12 VOLUME DECEMBER 2013 The 28 SponsorshipReport

IN THIS ISSUE 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Game changer Games 2 ABC Life Literacy Canada 1 Social return on investment is a relatively new metric in Canada and a potentially Aimia 4 Air Canada Centre 8 powerful tool that may reshape the relationship between sponsors and causes. BMO 2 BMO Field 8 Social return on investment (SROI) is a tool Canada’s Luckiest Student 7 that sponsors and causes can use to calculate in hard Canadian Olympic Committee 6 dollars the true value they deliver to the communities Canadian Opera Company 4 they serve. It’s a well-established metric in Europe, Canadian Pacific Women’s Open 2 and it has now gained a toe-hold in Canada. Pe- Cityscape Development Corp. 5 nelope Rowe, CEO of the Community Sector Council CN 2 of Newfoundland and Labrador, calls it a potential Community Sector Council game-changer in the relationship between sponsors of Newfoundland and Labrador 1 and sponsored causes. Free the Children 6 With support from London’s new economic foun- Free the Children RBC Virtual dation, a global leader in SROI, the Community Sector Visa Debit Card 3 Council recently completed an extensive pilot study Globe and Mail 6 of SROI methodology across 13 different programs. Golf Canada 2 Rowe spoke about the project at last month’s Spon- Habitat for Humanity 6 sorship Toronto conference. Fundamentally, she says, Hockey Canada 6 “It has been enormously helpful to them Jaguar Land Rover 4 SROI is an analytical tool that weighs the value of all Leiweke, Tim 8 the outcomes of an initiative against the cost of the in- when they’re out talking to funders,” says Lowe’s Toronto Christmas vestment, and reduces it to a number or ratio. Behind Penelope Rowe. Market 5 that simple statement lies a great deal of rigorous Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment 8 analysis, and in that ratio lies a potential for misunder- and 74% said they would. Mercedes-Benz Canada 4 standing that SROI participants must guard against. Gillian Mason, President of ABC Life Literacy Can- Money Matters 1 It’s a game changer because it shines a light on ada, says that SROI or a tool like it was an inevitability. National Arts Centre Orchestra outcomes rather than outputs. Causes and their part- “Those who were investing their money in non-profit 4 ners have traditionally relied on easily-captured met- organizations or charitable organizations would in- Notes from Home 2 Ontario Place 8 rics that weigh outputs – total dollars raised, growth creasingly be trying to understand what the real dif- Pandora Jewellery 2 in website traffic, number of attendees, impressions. ference was that these organizations were making,” Panthera 6 SROI looks at outcomes – lives changed – and at- she says. Procter & Gamble 6 tempts to quantify the social impact of that change. Sometimes, SROI findings can reveal unexpected Proud Sponsor of Moms 6 “It really helps us think a little bit more completely connections and may alter the trajectory of an existing RBC 3 about investment, outcomes and values, and how relationship or provide a foundation for a new one. RBC Black History Month those three are connected,” says Rowe. Student Essay Competition 6 Brands sponsor programs with the hope of having Richmond Olympic Experience 2 SROI was not conceived as a tool to help shape specific impacts on selected communities or groups Samsung 2 or support relationships between causes and spon- of people. An SROI analysis can help direct a partner Siemens 6 sors. It was intended mainly to help organizations di- to the programs that will deliver the biggest bang. Simpact Strategy Group 1 rect their efforts to areas where they would have the Even properties are often surprised, says Rowe. Snowsports Canada 7 greatest social impact. The sponsorship impact has “There was a point fairly early on when the groups Sponsorship Toronto 1, 7 turned out to be an ancillary benefit. were just getting into the theory of change and doing Student Life Network 7 Anne Miller, SROI Team Lead at Simpact Strategy their research and speaking to their stakeholders Tiger Towels 6 Group, an agency that conducts SROI analysis, says Toronto Raptors 2 when they learned a whole lot of things about their TwentyTen Group 7 that the concept is starting to gain traction particu- programs that they didn’t even understand. It actu- World MasterCard Fashion larly within larger corporations. This year, Simpact ally caused several of them to deliver their programs Week 2 asked its corporate clients if they would be interested slightly differently.” in using SROI to measure the impact of programs, continued on page 3 > What’s happeNing

[FASHION] New bling sponsor for Fashion Week Pandora Jewellery was a new sponsor of World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto October 21 to October 26. Pandora partnered with international designer Caitlin Power, and local designer Stephan Caras, to accessorize their most influential looks for the upcoming season. Guests were also invited to stop by the Pandora Social Media Lounge to tweet or browse through selections of the Pandora jewellery line.

[SPORTS] BMO is back Toronto Raptors fans will be enjoying BMO’s Power of Blue program again now that the bank has returned to the team, signing a multi-year deal. Credit: Iwona Erskine-Kellie via Wikimedia Commons The Toronto Raptors were recently announced as hosts of the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, and though this partnership will not afford BMO any rights at that NBA-owned event, it will allow BMO to ride the wave of excitement New Olympic museum will follow leading up to it. Olympic sponsorship rules . . . BMO will also benefit from a new NBA rule being tested this year, allowing a measure on on-court branding. BMO is now camera-visible on-court dur- somewhat ing home games, in front of the home and visiting team benches. No matter what the circumstance, whenever the words “Olym- BMO is not a stranger to the sport. It also sponsors the Milwaukee Bucks pic” and “sponsorship” find themselves in the same neighbourhood, and the Chicago Bulls, both home teams in markets where BMO’s US sub- things get interesting. That’s what Jordan Thorsteinson, Manager of sidiary, BMO Harris Bank, has a strong presence. Corporate Partnerships for the City of Richmond, discovered as he began putting together sponsorship proposals for the Richmond [SPORTS] Olympic Experience. CP sponsorship follows in CN’s footsteps The Richmond Olympic Experience will be North America’s first Olympic museum. Housed in the Richmond Olympic Oval, the most CP is the new sponsor of Golf Canada’s Canadian Women’s Open. CP CEO spectacular of the 2010 Olympic venues, it will retell the story of Hunter Harrison announced that the tournament will be rebranded the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and will include a charitable component the 2010 Winter Olympics and allow visitors, through a variety of that will see each tournament raise money for a local charity. The purse for interactive exhibits, to experience some of the thrills of the Olympic the tournament will jump to US$2.25 million, fourth-highest on the tour. Games. The budgeted cost of the Richmond Olympic Experience The first Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will tee off in at the London Hunt is $5.7 million, and with the city kicking in only $575,000, it will be Club the week of August 18, 2014. heavily reliant on sponsorship. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it should. In October 2005, the same “We’re roughly looking for eight to 10 community partners,” Hunter Harrison, then CEO of rival CN, announced title sponsorship of the Thorsteinson says. Canadian Women’s Open. The titling included a commitment to a chari- The Richmond Olympic Experience will be part of a family of table effort that would support a cause in the tournament’s host communi- 22 official IOC Olympic Museums and, as such, must yield to IOC ties, and a substantial hike in the tournament’s purse. And the venue for the sponsorship rules. Fortunately, those rules are not as onerous as for inaugural tournament in 2006? The London Hunt Club. Olympic Games themselves and so far do not appear to have held back the sponsorship sales effort which, Thorsteinson says, is barely [OLYMPICS] underway. “We have to approach all existing Olympic partners with this op- Samsung rallies behind Sochi team portunity,” says Thorsteinson. They get first refusal in their category, Samsung hopes that Canadians will turn to its online clearinghouse for and an exclusive window to come to a decision. If they turn it down, Olympic information once the 2014 Sochi Winter Games get underway. Thorsteinson is free to approach competitors. The Olympic partner has opened an online digital hub, www.samsung.com/ Within the venue, Thorsteinson has a free hand. This is markedly bringithome, that it hopes will become the meeting place for Canadians different from Olympic Games, which must be clean venues. Not looking for content on Canadian athletes during the Sochi Games. the Richmond Olympic Experience. Sponsors may brand or name The hub will be part of Samsung’s Notes from Home activation, which will experiences, exhibits and spaces. leverage five Samsung-sponsored athletes known as Team Samsung and a national tour that will encourage Canadians to send notes of support The Richmond Olympic Experience will occupy a small percent- to Canada’s winter Olympians. Another program, Samsung Mobilers, will age of the total footprint of the Oval – 1,300 square metres of a recruit select Canadians to travel to Sochi and share their Olympic Games 47,000 square metre building. The Oval already has a small suite of experience while they cheer on Canada’s athletes. partners and Thorsteinson can’t rule out the possibility of conflicts between Oval partners and Olympic Experience partners. When,

2 the sponsorship report DECEMBER 2013 after the close of the 2010 Olympics, partners were sought for the SROI Olympic Oval legacy program, COC partners were also given first > Continued from page 1 refusal, but they declined the offer. As a result, the current telco Simpact recently concluded an SROI analysis of ABC Life Literacy partner for the Richmond Olympic Oval is TELUS, not Bell, and the Canada’s TD-sponsored Money Matters program. It hasn’t led to any banking partner is Scotiabank, not RBC. tweaks or changes, but it has confirmed what TD felt in its gut about Though the property has not yet formally been taken to market, its working-hours volunteer program and has uncovered an unex- Thorsteinson confirms that he has a significant letter of understand- pected benefit that the program is delivering back to the bank. If ing, valued at just over $1.1 million, from one corporate partner. the volunteer activity was related to the employee’s job, the analysis Contract negotiations are nearing completion, and he hopes to found that the new skills the employee gained through the volun- identify that partner mid-December as part of the public kick-off of teer activity returned a quantifiable value back to the bank. the sponsorship sales process. n SROI analysis ends with a number that many will find compelling, but the process itself may uncover findings that are just as valuable, if not more so, to sponsors and properties. The process demands RBC leverages its Free the Children that properties look deeply into the impact of what they do. The objective may be to arrive at a value for that impact, but the process partnership to introduce a new uncovers the stories that illustrate that impact and that are the beat- financial product to the youth ing heart of powerful communication programs. Though SROI can be an extremely valuable and revealing exercise, market Rowe cautions against sponsors adopting it widely and demanding it of their sponsored properties. It’s difficult, time-consuming and With rampant reports of low financial literacy among youth costly. For a job skills training program, for instance, a conventional and dire warnings about the unsustainable debt levels of Canadian metric would count the number of people trained. A more sophis- households, the last thing the country needs is a credit card aimed ticated metric might look at the number of people who used the at kids, right? Not necessarily, says RBC, which is leveraging its part- new skills to find employment. An SROI analysis would quantify the nership with Free the Children to market a new credit card-like debit total economic benefits felt by program participants, their families card aimed specifically at youth. RBC says the new card has all the and others touched as a consequence. For a participant who was safeguards needed to keep spending in check while building a foun- diverted from social assistance to employment, the impact will be dation for sound personal financial management. felt not only by the participant but by his or her family, maybe by the Vanja Gorazi, Senior Manager, Electronic Payments at RBC makes new employer, and not just immediately but over time. Some out- no attempt at all to hide how proud he is of the new product. About comes are easily quantifiable, but for those that are not SROI relies the only thing wrong with it is its name. Free The Children RBC Vir- on proxies, or similar outcomes that have been quantified, to arrive tual Visa Debit Card doesn’t trip easily off the tongue. However, once at a value. It’s a rigorous and demanding process, says Rowe. you get past the cumbersome handle, you discover a product that And nerve-wracking. That’s what the 13 organizations that em- meets the needs of three stakeholder groups: RBC, Free the Chil- barked on the pilot study with Rowe in 2011 thought of the SROI dren and a youth market starved for appropriate financial services process when it got underway, she says. “Our pilot required that products. most of the organizations do the work themselves, internally, rather The card will draw young customers (14 years and up) to RBC. than hire in consultants. What I have heard since is that, much to You can’t get the card without opening an RBC account. That’s be- their surprise, it has been enormously helpful to them when they’re cause it’s a Visa in name only. The back-end processing of trans- out talking to funders.” actions uses Visa’s network, but the card only looks and feels like It’s also a case of short-term pain yielding long-term gain. Sim- a credit card. It is, in fact, a debit card, explains Gorazi, and that pact Strategy Group’s Anne Miller says that final step of an SROI has allowed RBC to build in safeguards that will protect users from process is embedding it into the program. That way, the next SROI themselves. Users can’t spend any more money than they have in analysis of the program will be much simpler, and you will have a their RBC account. baseline metric to compare against. The product addresses a demonstrated need in the youth mar- SROI is not a magic bullet, Rowe cautions. The ratio that the pro- ket, Gorazi explains. Young people do, or would like to do, a great cess spits out at the end should never be held up as the definitive deal of online shopping, but they need a credit card to do so. But measure of a program’s worth. The cause sector is already saddled with little or no credit history, conventional credit cards are either with metrics (for instance, the expense ratio) that are used a crude inaccessible to them or carry burdensome costs. The Free the Chil- benchmarks of effectiveness. It does not need another. dren card is aimed at them. It can be used only for non face-to-face It’s a young metric, and Gillian Mason expects growing pains. transactions – online or by phone. “There could be some bumps along the way, but I think if we do this “That’s why we wanted to put the ‘virtual’ in there – to make sure well, as I think it has been, ultimately we’ll get to a very good place that clients know that it’s for online transactions only,” says Gorazi. in terms of comparability.” Gorazi calls it “not only a spending mechanism, but a teaching For sponsors, whose needs balance social impact and opportuni- mechanism.” The card allows users to impose daily spending limits– ties that support their commercial objectives, the SROI ratio should another tool that RBC hopes will build habits of financial discipline be one of several factors that influence an investment decision. What at an early age. For that must-have big ticket purchase, users may SROI will do is make the decision better for all concerned. n continued on page 4 > >

DECEMBER 2013 the sponsorship report 3 RBC Free the Children card > Continued from page 3 NACO tour of China hits all the right exceed their self-imposed limit by first making a call to RBC. notes for Aimia The card delivers an incidental benefit to parents and caregivers, The National Arts Centre Orchestra’s October 4 to 21 tour says Gorazi. They will no longer feel pressured to surrender their of China was big news in that country, and that’s good news for card to their children for online purchases and will be relieved of the Aimia, the tour’s lead sponsor. Aimia is best known in this country as risk that sometimes accompanies those transactions. the parent of the Aeroplan rewards program, but it is also a global RBC won’t be making any money off Free the Children card trans- leader in the management of loyalty programs with a new product, actions. In fact, each transaction will cost them. The card carries no China Rewards, in the Chinese marketplace. fees and charges no interest. Cardholders will have zero liability for “We are a global company based in Canada,” explains Krista Paw- fraudulent use of their card. RBC has even waived transaction costs ley.” Our consumer-facing brand in Canada is Aeroplan, but we also for card users and will be donating a portion of each transaction to have huge operations that are not just Aeroplan.” Because of that, Free the Children. the Aimia brand has become increasingly visible as a sponsor, for in- RBC is promoting the card through its own channels, with mes- stance taking over from Aeroplan this year as sponsor of the Grange saging relevant to youth and to parents. Free the Children is offering Prize and renaming it the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize. a big assist with dedicated webpage as well as blog postings and It’s likely that Canadian consumers have a low awareness of social media outreach. n Aimia, and it’s equally likely that it doesn’t matter. In Canada, Aero- plan is the consumer-facing brand that matters to Aimia. However, it’s very important that owners of proprietary loyalty programs and A new ride to the opera their suppliers know who Aimia is. When Aimia sponsors, the main market is business-to business. VIPs at this year’s Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage, the When Aeroplan sponsors, it is mainly business to consumer. In China, company’s annual fundraising gala, rolled up in Mercedes, whether Aimia spoke to both. or not that was their habitual ride. The chauffeur service to and from “Where we thought there was a great alignment between Aimia the Four Seasons Centre was Mercedes-Benz Canada’s first signifi- and the NACO tour was that this was really about promoting Cana- cant activation of its rights as the new official automotive sponsor of dian excellence on a global stage,” says Pawley. “As a global leader the Canadian Opera Company (COC). Mercedes Benz takes over the based in Canada, we thought this was a wonderful synergy.” category from Jaguar Land Rover. The contract is for two years. There was also synergy with Aimia’s sponsorship objectives. It The COC’s demographic is what you would expect: older, edu- targets its sponsorships at three areas – arts, education and de- cated, empty-nesters with high net worth. The partnership would velopment – and the NACO tour hit two of them squarely on the seem to be a natural for a luxury car brand, but Mercedes is a rel- head, as the tour was as much about education, with various master atively unfamiliar face in arts and culture sponsorship in Canada. classes and workshops, as it was performance. Though it is also a partner of World MasterCard Fashion Week, it Two pre-tour events in Canada, well-attended by corporate lead- is most often encountered in sports, tennis and motorsport for in- ers and policy-makers, met Aimia’s domestic B2B objectives, but the stance. real business took place in China, where the launch of China Rewards Mercedes was the major (platinum) sponsor of the Centre Stage was a big story. It is the first large scale coalition program in that gala on November 26 in Toronto, hosted by Rufus Wainwright. The country, explains Pawley. China Rewards allows members to collect gala offers valet parking, and valets were decked out in Mercedes Benz livery. Rights also include vehicle displays, of course. Two vehicles are stationed inside the Four Seasons Centre, and one is outside the Kicking back for the holidays venue, facing busy University Avenue. Additional vehicles were placed inside the venue for the Centre Stage gala. n That’s what we plan on doing. Reflecting on a very busy, very productive 2013 capped by a successful ,if exhausting, Spon- sorship Week in November. Casting our minds forward to 2014. And taking a bit more time to enjoy the company of friends and family. So we’ll be a bit distracted for the next 30 days or so. We’ll still be here to take your calls and answer your emails, though perhaps not as efficiently as you’re accustomed to. You may find us in unusually good spirits, though we like to believe that good spirits are the norm. As a result, your January issue, inaugurating Volume 29 of The Sponsorship Report, will cross your desk or show up in your inbox a bit later than usual, probably closer to the middle of the month. We wish you the very best of this holiday season and look forward to reconnecting with you in 2014.

4 the sponsorship report DECEMBER 2013 currency at a wide range of retailers and then convert those rewards into other rewards using points.com, which is also a China Rewards partner. The program is also partnered with China UnionPay Mer- chant Services, which “is like having Visa or MasterCard locked in as your partner,” says Pawley. The NACO performed at the China Rewards launch, but the bulk of the activation occurred out of the public eye. Business in China is very relationship based, says Pawley. The NACO tour provided opportunities for Aimia to deliver unique hospitality experiences to business leaders in some of the most elegant halls in China’s business capitals. The tour coincided with an state visit to China by Governor General David Johnston, who spoke to VIPs at a reception prior to the closing concert in Shanghai. The tour appears to have forged a deeper relationship not only between Aimia and China’s business community, but between the Credit: Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market NACO and China’s arts community. China’s National Centre for Per- forming Arts Orchestra will tour Canada in 2014. n “About 60 days before we opened the market, Lowe’s Canada told us they had only so much left in their sponsorship budget for the year, but they were willing to back the concept if the remaining funds were enough to take the title sponsorship for that year,” says X-mas marks the spot: Lowe’s Rosenblatt. “We decided that a bird in the hand was good enough Toronto Christmas Market for the opener.” Lowe’s has maintained title sponsorship ever since. Additional transforms historic Distillery sponsors were easier to sell on the concept in subsequent years, says Rosenblatt, simply because they could attend the event them- District selves or view event video footage. European Christmas Markets are a tradition that dates back Rosenblatt notes that the ambience of the event provides some- centuries, as area artisans transported their wares to village squares thing of challenge to sponsor activation. in the weeks leading up to the big day. The Lowe’s Toronto Christ- “This isn’t about a large corporate footprint,” he says. “Big vinyl mas Market in the Distillery District has built up considerable mo- banners would suck the energy out of the Christmas Market. It’s mentum in establishing that tradition in the city’s downtown as it about lower-key activations that are creative and clever and work heads into its fourth season from November 29 to December 15. with the brands to engage their customer base.” It’s not the first time someone’s tried to transplant this Old World Visitors entering the Distillery through its front gates, for ex- tradition to Toronto. Similar events were staged in Nathan Phillips ample, are alerted to the title sponsor’s contribution by the Lowe’s Square in 2000 and 2001 and at the St. Lawrence Market in 2003 name, spelled out in old-fashioned incandescent Christmas lights. with partners that included the Canadian German Chamber of In- Firepits and heaters available at Lowe’s are used in various events. dustry and Commerce. The small sales cabins used by vendors are identified by modest Why didn’t the earlier attempts to establish the event take root? signs as constructed from material donated by Lowe’s. “I think it was the choice of location,” says Matthew Rosenblatt, Natrel has also signed on as a premium sponsor as “the official Executive Producer of Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market and partner, milk of Santa,” supporting the presence of St. Nick throughout the Cityscape Development Corp., an owner and developer of the Dis- event. tillery District. “Those spaces are wide open and don’t convey the Many of the sponsors supply value in kind and support from atmosphere of a European town square. The Distillery District has employees who help to organize activities. Coca Cola operates a much more of a feeling of old Europe.” vintage photo booth activated by a $1 donation to the Toronto Star The market is staged by the Distillery District as a free event, and Santa Claus Fund. American Express sponsors the AMEX Warming its costs are budgeted at between $750,000 and $1 million. Lounge for visitors. “Between the hard and the soft costs, we knew we had to involve A significant advantage for beer garden and hospitality lounge other sponsors,” says Rosenblatt. “However, the biggest challenge sponsors at the Distillery is that the premises are licensed on week- in our first year was to communicate what a Christmas market was ends, entitling guests to imbibe mulled wines on the grounds. to potential sponsors. If you present sponsors with a jazz concert, Rosenblatt says the event now attracts about 250,000 visitors and a food festival or an art festival, those terms create a very clear pic- offers 140 events over 17 days. However, sponsorship revenue has ture of the benefits being offered. A Christmas market is a multi- not yet reached a level where it covers all of the event’s costs. dimensional experience that can’t easily be conveyed, except by “The Distillery has backstopped the event financially,” he says. experiencing it.” While that’s weighed against a spike in Distillery traffic during Rosenblatt went out to sponsors with images of European Christ- frigid December, increasing outside sponsorship remains one of the mas markets super-imposed onto images of the Distillery to con- event’s goals. vince them that the concept would mesh with the locale to recreate “We are not sponsorship salespeople and it’s very hard for us the historic experience. to make it through the corporate firewall between us and sponsor-

DECEMBER 2013 the sponsorship report 5 ship decision-makers at the banks and cell phone companies,” says What’s happening Rosenblatt. “We’d love to talk to those people. However, even with [OLYMPICS] our limited skills at a sales pitch, the sponsors we’ve signed up have recognized the asset value of the event.” Extra: Globe renews as Olympic partner Rosenblatt says, however, that he’s ready to approach next year’s The Globe and Mail has renewed as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Christmas market with some fine-tuning to sponsor approach and Official National News Media Partner through the 2016 Rio de Janeiro no regrets. Olympics. The Globe has also signed on as national news media partner “Very few developers in the world have created a small town like of the Canadian national en’s and women’s bobsleigh and skeleton teams, the Distillery,” he says. “The Christmas Market is another interesting and presenting sponsor of the Canadian women’s CAN 1 bobsleigh team. challenge that keeps life exciting.” n These commitments will see prominent Globe and Mail branding on team suits and the women’s CAN 1 bobsleigh, among other benefits. Sponsorship does not give the paper any exclusive editorial access, but it does afford the opportunity to produce official guides and similar products. P&G will offer a special thanks to More importantly, the halo effect of official status may serve to attract ad- ditional advertising, particularly from Olympic partners, many of whom will Canada’s hockey moms now encounter Globe executives in Olympic-related business and hospital- How well will Procter & Gamble’s Proud Sponsor of Moms cam- ity settings. paign play out on a smaller stage, with a national sports organiza- Newspaper advertising invariably rises during and around Olympic tion rather than the biggest sporting spectacle in the universe as its Games. platform? Canadians are about to find out, though Ashleigh Gough, Assistant Brand Manager for the Thank You Mom program naturally [CAUSES] expects it will play out quite well. Tiger Towels pounce on Panthera A great deal has already been said about the campaign. One interesting measure of the importance that P&G places on it is that Royale is promoting its new Tiger Towels product in part through a part- it now has its own brand management team within the company. nership with Panthera, an international organization that works in partner- Proud Sponsor of Moms was engineered for the Olympics and ship with Save the Tiger Fund to conserve the world’s remaining 3,200 wild is ideally suited for that event. It leverages two powerful emotional tigers. Tigers are an endangered species, and Royale will donate $40,000 to the fund as well as provide ongoing support to raise awareness and in- touchpoints – the spectacle of Olympic competition and the natural crease fundraising efforts throughout 2014. This includes online and social human affection for mom – to tell a powerful series of stories themed media support, retail point of sale material and community events. around “thanking mom.” Procter & Gamble is now betting that what worked so well for the Olympics will also work with Hockey Canada. P&G has signed a two-year partnership with the organization. [CAUSES] This is the first time P&G will activate its Proud Sponsor of Moms RBC brings Me to We to Black History Month campaign in Canada with a non-Olympic property and it is also a RBC is leveraging two sponsored properties – Free the Children and Black first for the program in Canada with a national sports organization. History Month – to offer youth a chance at a unique experience. If you’re a proud sponsor of moms in Canada, you’re by default The 2014 RBC Black History Month Student Essay Competition asks stu- a proud sponsor of hockey moms, says Gough. It’s an important dents entering a Canadian university or college in the 2014-15 academic space that P&G felt it had to occupy, she says. There are rich syner- year to learn about and share their thoughts on how black Canadians have gies linking the sport, moms and P&G products that could easily be helped to define Canada’s diverse heritage and identity through their exploited. After all, how many moms naturally reach for a bottle of achievements and contributions to the broader society. Febreeze after sticking their nose into a stale hockey bag? An independent panel will select the top essays, and the best among them What Hockey Canada lacks, however, is a spectacle of near- will earn a Me to We Ghana trip with Free the Children as well as scholar- Olympic proportions. None of Hockey Canada’s proprietary events ships of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500. Essays should be 750 words or less, – the National Women’s Under-18 Championship, the World Sledge and must be submitted by December 16, 2013. Winners will be celebrated Hockey Challenge, the World Junior A Challenge, the World Un- during Black History Month in February 2014. der-17 Hockey Challenge, the TELUS Cup, the Esso Cup, the RBC Contact: Mark Hamill, RBC, 416-974-3900, Mark.Hamill@rbc. Cup – come close, even in hockey-mad Canada. com. Gough isn’t worried. “When you think of hockey and hockey moms, a lot of it isn’t big splashy events. A lot of it is in the rinks [CAUSES] and in the arenas, getting kids to practice.” This program will thank Siemens employees pitch in for Habitat hockey moms through a variety channels, such as on-pack, sam- pling, with retail displays (Gough says there is plenty of retail sup- For the second year in a row, Siemens employees from across the country port behind the plan), in print, on television. “You’re going to see us contributed sweat equity to Habitat for Humanity home builds. In October, everywhere,” she promises. more than 160 Siemens employees from nine locations spent a day build- The campaign launches on January 6, 2014 with a television ing houses as part of an ongoing partnership between Siemens Canada and Habitat for Humanity In total, volunteers dedicated more than 1,200 spot. hours of work at 13 construction sites across Canada. Corporately, Siemens Hockey Canada will deliver iconic imagery. Think of Team Canada added another $43,000 to the Habitat for Humanity Canada kitty. jerseys, for instance. It will also give P&G access to its 700,000 mem-

6 the sponsorship report DECEMBER 2013 bers, each of whom is or has a mom who has earned a word or two bling evidence that they can deliver the rich consumer engagement of thanks for her intimate connection to the game. that sponsors demand. Together, the seven sports own a wealth of The Hockey Canada partnership also gives P&G a platform to credible information and insight for the recreational snow sports activate Proud Sponsor of Moms between Olympic Games. enthusiast. Right now, there is no way for the consumer to access P&G plans also to draw upon its existing assets to leverage its that information. Early in the new year the seven NSOs will begin Hockey Canada partnership. P&G will also begin profiling Canadian making that information available under the banner Snowsports hockey players and their moms on www.pg.ca/moms. Included on Canada. First will be a website, but Cooper stresses this is only one the roster of P&G-sponsored athletes that have been enlisted to building block in a process intended to demonstrate to sponsors support the program are Olympic gold medallists Meghan Agosta- that snowsports together can meaningfully engage a critical mass Marciano and Tessa Bonhomme, NHL star John Tavares, and Greg of the consumer marketplace and add a new layer of credibility to Westlake, captain of Canada’s National Sledge Team. n a brand’s story. Right now, it’s unoccupied space, and potentially lucrative for sponsors. As Cooper notes, when the first snow falls, a lot of credit cards come out. [LOOKING BACK] “Our goal is that Snowsports [Canada] doesn’t take away one bit of the high-performance mandate that the seven sports have Snowsports are poised to tell their independently, but we become the soft landing for consumers who like to play in snow.” story; Student Life Network builds Last year, Canada’s Luckiest Student went home with more than $60,000 worth of swag. Canada’s Luckiest Student was one of several and wins with a virtuous circle contests on the Student Life Network, a Toronto-based youth mar- The pooled sponsorship offer that is being put forward by keting company that builds and manages private social networks for a consortium of snow sports has been enthusiastically received by universities and colleges. Student Life Network contests are mod- the corporate community. By that, Bill Cooper, Chief Operating Of- elled on a virtuous circle: the presence of students attracts sponsors ficer of theTwentyTen Group means that they have heartily patted that offer relevant contest prizing. Attractive contest prizing draws a him on the back and congratulated the seven participating National greater number of students into the network. Sports Organizations (NSOs) for their foresight and wisdom. But no The Canada’s Luckiest Student contest was into its soft launch one has yet cut them a cheque. last year when TSR spoke with President and CEO TJ Donnelly, and Twelve months ago TSR was among the first to report on a already had more than 40,000 entrants. bold move by seven NSOs representing snow sports in Canada to “We ended up with around 200,000 students,” Donnelly told TSR pool their assets and approach brands in selected non-conflicting when reached in late November, a figure well above initial expec- categories with a joint offer. It was their response to the drop-off tations. “It wasn’t just the number of students. It was the engage- in sponsorship support that followed the 2010 Olympics and the ment we received from the students,” referring to the conversations ever-present elephant in the room, hockey, which delivers numbers that took place on the sidelines, on Facebook and on Twitter, as against which no single snow sport could reasonably compete. well as the spike in traffic on prize sponsors’ websites and Facebook TwentyTen Group is now representing the consortium and ear- pages. ly-on introduced a reality check to the program. Though the pooled “Some of the brands started out with 400 Facebook fans, and offer can now deliver numbers that make it a viable alternative to then shot up to 30,000,” he says. hockey, “telling a lousy story to a larger audience that isn’t listening Whether this type of Facebook engagement is of any lasting value will not optimize sponsorship potential.” is something that can be debated. There is a school of thought that That last point was made by Cooper during his presentation deeply discounts the value of the “opportunistic” Facebook fan – the at last month’s Sponsorship Toronto conference, and it is not in- one who clicks “Like” simply for the privilege of gaining a benefit, tended to suggest that snow sports have a lousy story to tell. Rather, such as a contest entry. Donnelly has heard that before, and defers as Cooper explains it, it means that numbers are only part of the to the wisdom of his sponsors. answer. You still have to create the compelling narratives that will “A lot of companies out there just want their Facebook likes to draw together sponsors, consumers and snow sports. Individually, be high,” he says. The advantage that this contest brings is that it is the seven snow sports have been focussed on telling their stories pushing likes from a demo that the sponsor has targeted, and that of high performance success. As a consortium, they must shift to the content on the Facebook page that is being liked is relevant to storytelling that is relevant to the families that play in the snow on that audience. weekends. “We talk to our brand partners and we tell them, you can’t be Another challenge the consortium faces is the sheer novelty of posting stuff you’re selling all the time. You’ve got to keep the the concept. The catalogue of sponsorship marketing is full of tried students engaged. You’ve got to give things away every once in a and true approaches and programs. Introducing something new to while,” says Donnelly. the mix is always a tough sell. Of course, Canada’s Luckiest Student is back. It was launched in But that’s as it should be, says Cooper. “That’s the whole premise September and this year will run as a five-month program, allowing of a property like the seven sports securing our services. It wouldn’t Student Life Network to repeat the contest twice per year. make sense if were going to be easy street.” For a brief video showing last year’s contest winner award, visit TwentyTen Group is now building those storylines and assem- www.youtube.com/watch?v=en5vp-bQiOU. n

DECEMBER 2013 the sponsorship report 7 If he comes, he will build it MLSE’s Tim Leiweke has never met a piece of real estate that shouldn’t be developed, and he has big plans for Canada.

Tim Leiweke never met a parcel of downtown land will both be hosted jointly by the Air Canada Centre he didn’t like well enough to build a “destination” on (ACC) and Montreal’s Bell Centre. it, and all of those destinations have sponsors’ names “We were just announced as the host for the first attached to them. Addressing the 21st Annual Na- time ever of the NBA All-Star Game in 2016,” he said. tional Conference of the Canadian Council for Pub- “We’re also bidding on the 2017 NHL All-Star Game lic-Private Partnerships in Toronto in November, the during our 100th anniversary for the Maple Leafs.” CEO of Maple Leaf Sports Leiweke is also gun- & Entertainment (MLSE) ning for the NHL draft, The outlined aggressive plans promising to refresh the SponsorshipReport to power up sports fran- ACC venue to ensure it Report chises, revamp sporting can continue to host major Registered Trademark facilities, and build new events “for the next 30 to The Sponsorship Report event venues. 40 years.” is published for Leiweke formerly He promised to im- corporate sponsors, sponsored groups and headed the Anschutz En- prove the fan experience intermediaries in sports, tertainment Group. There, for Toronto FC tickethold- arts and entertainment, he was instrumental in ers. That includes the con- and causes. developing three signa- struction of a roof for the Published monthly by ture Los Angeles proper- City of Toronto-owned Database Publishing Credit: Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships P.O. Box 378 ties: The Stub Hub Center BMO Field on MLSE’s tab Campbellford (formerly The Home Depot at an estimated cost of Ontario Canada K0L 1L0 Center) sports complex; the $2.5 billion-L.A. LIVE com- more than $100 million. Tel: 705-653-1112 plex; and Farmers Field, for which Farmers Insurance “If you’re a TFC season ticketholder, you got rained Fax: 705-653-1113 www.sponsorship.ca Group offered $700-million in exchange for naming on for 17 of the last 19 games,” he said. “We’re going Email: [email protected] rights to a yet-to-be built stadium with no tenants, to build that roof and we’re in talks with the City of but designed to lure the National Football League Toronto to pull that off.” Publisher/Editor: Mark Sabourin back to L.A. Leiweke says MLSE is also turning its attentions to Assistant Editor: “If you go back 30 or 40 years, the majority of pro- Ontario Place. Carol Robbins fessional sports venues in North America were built “It’s beautiful,” said Leiweke. “But I can’t quite un- Contributing Editors: by the public,” he said. “That has shifted now to where derstand that old waterpark—it’s closed. I ask why Glynne Jenkins Peter Kenter the private sector is taking on the majority of that they don’t do something with it and they tell me that Christine Krupa load as they should.” they’ve been studying that for five years, and have J.D. Taillon “Our company needs to get back to investing just struck a new commission that’s going to study Scott Williams Editorial Advisor: money and I will give credit to [MLSE chairman] Larry it again. We went to Live Nation and asked them to Judith Barker Tannenbaum and to Bell and to Rogers,” he said. imagine a point of destination that would become Founding Publisher: “They have given us the green light to think big in the greatest festival site for music and cultural events Kenneth Scott Toronto and the rest of Canada.” in North America. We’re committed to plowing ahead MLSE has been active in attracting major events and trying to see if there’s a public-private partner- SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year: $260 + GST or to its venues. Leiweke pointed to the 2015 and 2017 ship with the province that could work for that vi- HST payable in Canadian IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which sion.” n funds to Database Pub- lishing Registered charities: $225 + GST or HST US and overseas addresses: US $260 ISSN 1201-5326 GST # 89857 7416 © Copyright 2013 Database Publishing. The Sponsorship Report is a media partner of The Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada. No portion of this publica- For more information on the Council, visit the website at www.sponsorshipmarketing.ca, tion may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or phone 416-964-3805. or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without written consent from the copyright holder.

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