UPS Expand Sponsorship of US College Sports

The company said the deals with college sports marketing and branding firm IMG College, advice along with sports conferences Big Ten and Pac-12, cure will help it build growth in the business-to-business sector as well as accessing college sports fans across a country where college sports are arguably more popular than national professional sports.

The US has 172 million college sports fans including 29 million who earn more than $100,000 a year, according to Information Management Group (IMG).

Market research suggests college sports fans are more likely to be college-educated business professionals, spending on average $5,000 a year on shipping.

Ron Rogowski, UPS vice president for sponsorships and events, said the partnerships would provide a “compelling communications platform” to get the UPS logistics message across to everyone from small business owners to championship coaches.

He said: “Through these new alliances, UPS secures one of the largest sponsorship profiles in Division I college sports, opening the door for exciting B to B growth opportunities with the conferences and individual schools along with an unprecedented range of marketing, advertising, branding and hospitality assets.”

The deal with IMG College will provide sponsorship opportunities including logo rights with 68 IMG university partners, to reach sports fans at 250 college venues.

UPS also gains exclusive marketing and promotional rights to all shipping, freight and logistics related to the schools’ athletic programmes – and becomes official logistics, package delivery and retail business service provider for the various on-campus sports activities.

Ben Sutton, President of IMG College, said: “UPS’s sponsorship confirms the strong value of the college fan base and our new platform where the footprint is national and the sponsorships live locally. We believe this is the largest non-network TV sponsorship in the history of college sports, reaching fans coast to coast.”