Businesses form winning team with sports

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For businesses trying the build top-of-mind awareness, sporting events are one of their top resources.|ret||ret||tab|

Consistently putting a company's name in front of rabid sports fans ranging up to 9,000 people for some local events puts businesses in a positive light as a supporter of the team.|ret||ret||tab|

"Anybody who is advertising or doing sponsorships whether it's baseball or at the fairgrounds or a golf tournament are not really doing it for a call to action," said Todd Rahr, vice president of baseball operations with the Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks. "They are doing it more along the lines of building their image and so that people know who they are when there is a call to action |ret||ret||tab|

"That's kind of the people we go after those interested in image, and building their customer base without a call to action. The mom-and-pop operations out there, they're not necessarily as image-oriented as some of the other companies are."|ret||ret||tab|

Many of the Ducks' biggest local sponsors either have corporate ties or are large companies Pepsi, Sara Lee, Xerox Document Solutions, Carol Jones Realtors, Hiland Dairy, St. John's, CoxHealth, Wendy's and Price Cutter head the list.|ret||ret||tab|

The packages that include billboards on the outfield fence range from $5,000 to $25,000, Rahr said. "Almost every one of those are companies that we've had since our first or second year."|ret||ret||tab|

Getting the name out|ret||ret||tab|

There are many sporting events and teams that businesses have to select from. The Springfield area has the Ducks, the Buy.com golf tournament, junior hockey, several auto racing tracks, five colleges with numerous sports teams, a multitude of high school and youth teams, and a variety of regional and national tournaments. |ret||ret||tab|

"I think every business should put back to the community," said Greg Tigges, owner of Xerox Document Solutions. "You do want your name and product recognition. Do I want a quick sale? For a Xerox product, that probably isn't going to happen |ret||ret||tab|

"What I try to do is see what's hot and what holds the interest of the community. Right now, (Southwest Missouri State University) has had successful women's and men's programs in basketball, and the football is on the upside. The Ducks, basically, are the only non-college event you can go to in a 200-mile radius."|ret||ret||tab|

Sports fans are known for their team loyalty, and sponsors hope that spills over to their supporting businesses, too.|ret||ret||tab|

Thompson Pontiac GMC Cadillac is a long-time supporter of athletics, said co-owner Lynn Thompson. The dealership provides about 30 cars as the official automobile dealership for the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Buy.com golf tour, Thompson said. The dealership also has close ties to SMSU and the other universities in Springfield.|ret||ret||tab|

"We feel like it (comes back to us)," Thompson said. "The demographics of sporting events is usually a little higher, and I believe they're very loyal people. People get used to seeing Thompson Pontiac. It's good networking, too."|ret||ret||tab|

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Attractive targets|ret||ret||tab|

With so many teams trying to get their part of the sponsorship pie, it is an ongoing challenge to pull in business sponsorships. |ret||ret||tab|

"People want to be associated with a winner and it's a lot easier to sell a winning program," said Brad Eldridge, executive director of the Springfield Sports Commission. "That's where it's a challenge to sell sports sponsorships, because of the reality that not every year you can have a winner But if you do the other things well, even in a down year, you can still have that fan or sponsor loyalty. (Loyalty is built) through great customer service and taking care of your fans and sponsors."|ret||ret||tab|

Eldridge's job is to bring sporting events of all shapes and sizes to Springfield. And that means sponsors, too.|ret||ret||tab|

"You design (sports sponsorships) around the atmosphere of the event or the program," Eldridge said. "If it's an event or special event, you design the promotion around the atmosphere of the event, the affordability or family value of an event, and just the fun of the event. And don't focus on winning or losing. The first time you finish in second place, people are going to say You're not good enough.' |ret||ret||tab|

" It's tougher to sell a losing team or losing program; it's a challenge. Because the fans do relate, on the surface, to winning or losing, and that's what the media focuses on But if you can look at the other aspects like affordability, fun, atmosphere, those types of things can spell success or doom for your event or your program."|ret||ret||tab|

Large-scale sponsorships|ret||ret||tab|

Some companies reach beyond the local market for sports sponsorships. O'Reilly Automotive sponsors many national and regional events, including NASCAR, Busch series and NHRA drag racing.|ret||ret||tab|

Becky Fincher, advertising manager with O'Reilly Automotive, said the company doesn't have any hard data on how much sponsorships help business.|ret||ret||tab|

"Do we have a general feeling that we get something from it? Yes, we do," Fincher said. "I know a good example is that we just (opened stores in) some new states. One of the things they say is, We're so glad you're coming to our state. We know you've been associated with motor sports and we're glad to have you here.'"|ret||ret||tab|

With so many opportunities, O'Reilly is careful in its choices.|ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of that is the promotions department. (The department) evaluates the whole process the number of attendants, what kind of media affiliations either through them or what we can bring to the table," Fincher said. "There's a lot of different things that we look at to justify whether or not this is an event that's important to our clientele."|ret||ret||tab|

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Group sales|ret||ret||tab|

Another portion of sponsorships falls under group sales. Businesses often work together with sporting events to create group packages.|ret||ret||tab|

"Group sales are a huge part of our business," said Rahr. "There's a number of businesses and organizations that can take part in that. There are companies who do company picnics. And you have companies who do client-schmoozing type of events. It's really all over the board when you talk about group sales and whoever takes advantage of that. Typically, anybody who can put a group of 20 together can benefit from that."|ret||ret||tab|

The Ducks announce the groups over the loudspeaker and put the groups' names on the digital message center.|ret||ret||tab|

"We'll try to involve their people in the on-field contests if we can do that. Maybe even throw out the first pitch or sing the national anthem," Rahr said. "We've had gymnastic groups perform on the field. So it is a way for them to promote themselves."|ret||ret||tab|

The benefits of sports sponsorships have not been lost on Tigges.|ret||ret||tab|

"We've been with the Ducks since the beginning and they've been very professional, very helpful," Tigges said. "They're a good business partner. When you look at what they offer, it's not like watching the Cardinals, but it's an enjoyable thing. What it gives back, is by getting season's tickets, we can give those out to customers, use it for business and also enjoy the sport."|ret||ret||tab|

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