The Marketing Arm Launches New Sponsorship Evaluation Index

DALLAS, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marketing Arm, a next-generation promotion agency that topped Promo magazine's "Most Creative" list in 2010, today unveiled the industry's first independent index to quantify consumer perceptions of nearly 1,000 sports properties, including leagues, teams, venues, and events.

According to Dan Belmont, The Marketing Arm's president and CMO, the Sports Property Index (SPI) removes subjectivity from sponsorship choices.

"Historically, our industry has relied heavily on speculation and assumptions when making  sponsorship decisions," said Belmont.  "The SPI replaces hunches and guesstimates with valid and reliable data.  Because it was created from the brand's perspective, it presents marketers with apple-to-apple property comparisons on factors that are most relevant to sponsors and serves as a baseline analysis for measuring the value of a sponsorship to a brand."

Designed to strategically identify properties that will enhance brand messaging initiatives, the SPI relies on nine key indicators to determine a property's sponsorship success potential and, ultimately, return on a sponsor's business objectives:  Appeal, Avidity, Awareness, Breakthrough, Endorsement, Excitement, Influence, Trendsetter, and Trust.

"These are the brand-centric sponsorship attributes chosen by brands and agencies as the key drivers determining a property's ability to influence brand affinity and consumer purchase intent," said Belmont.

The SPI features three primary metrics: An SPI score, which is the average of eight key attributes; a "Passion Score," a metric that provides a quick read on a property's potential to connect with consumers; and Effective Reach, which determines the most viable coverage that a property can reasonably expect to attain.

"From our perspective, the SPI helps us in two ways," said Todd Fischer, manager of National Sponsorships at State Farm Insurance, a subscriber to the index.  "First, it strengthens our ability to strategically evaluate our extensive portfolio of sports properties.  And, second, it provides us with a  better understanding of where new, strategic opportunities may exist."

Updated quarterly, the SPI's comprehensive online database features advanced search and filter functionality, allowing subscribers to cross-tab data by demographic (gender, age, HHI, and ethnicity), attribute (Avidity, trust,  etc.), and category (league, team, venue, and major sporting event), as well as providing comparison and trending capability.  

"The index allows us to assign an actual score to the properties in our North American portfolio," said Angie Tipton, manager for corporate sponsorships at HP, an SPI subscriber.  "As we work to balance our sponsorship activities across key global markets, the SPI becomes highly beneficial."

The science behind the SPI is robust.  The Marketing Arm began by validating and weighting the issues that are most important to corporate stakeholders who are responsible for on-going sponsorship.  

Next, the agency statistically grouped those findings into the resulting nine attributes.  Each property was then evaluated by up to 1,000 US or Canadian consumers to form the initial baseline.  Cumulative results from each quarterly survey will be added to the SPI database.  Beginning in 2012, the SPI will revert to a rolling average methodology to keep consumer perceptions of properties current and accurate.

"Brand marketers now have a systematic approach for quantifying sponsorships," said Belmont.  "Sponsors can leverage the SPI to make better decisions through deeper insights and plan their marketing spend more strategically."

About The Marketing Arm

The Marketing Arm (www.themarketingarm.com) is a next-generation promotion agency that harnesses the power of emotion to make brands more engaging.  The agency provides best-in-class consulting that spans nine emotional platforms within entertainment, sports, multicultural, and cause marketing.

With a focus on sophisticated planning across all promotional channels, The Marketing Arm develops comprehensive integrated marketing programs for more than 100 blue-chip brands.  Among its 22 capabilities are wireless marketing, shopper marketing, content creation, sponsorship consulting, consumer and corporate events, and digital word of mouth and social media.

The agency topped Promo magazine's list of the most creative agencies for 2010 and over the last four years its client work has won more than 75 major industry awards and honors, including a Cannes Gold Lion, the Promotion Marketing Association's Gold Reggie Award, and a Gold Effie Award.  In 2011, The Marketing Arm was honored by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal as the "Best in Sports Event Marketing."

Named by Workplace Dynamics as one of the top places to work, The Marketing Arm has a distinctive culture that touches a 400-person corporate staff in its offices in Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Chicago, and Charlotte. Founded in 1993, the agency is part of Omnicom Group Inc.

About Omnicom Group Inc.

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

CONTACT:
Chris Anderson
The Marketing Arm
+1-214-259-3200
[email protected]

SOURCE The Marketing Arm