UPS agrees record US college sports sponsorship deal

UPS has expanded its sponsorship of college sports in the United States with three new multi-year agreements that include the largest non-network TV college sports sponsorship ever. The company said the deals with college sports marketing and branding firm IMG College, along with sports conferences Big Ten and Pac-12, 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 172m college sports fans including 29m who earn more than $100,000 a year, according to 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.”

Marketing rights

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.

UPS said the deal also extends to The UPS Store spreading sponsorship at a local level.

“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,” said Ben Sutton, President of IMG College. “We believe this is the largest non-network TV sponsorship in the history of college sports, reaching fans coast to coast.”

UPS said its agreements with the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences offer similar marketing rights, including exclusivity for UPS and The UPS Store. The Big Ten conference includes 12 universities generally in the Midwest though spreading from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. The Pac-12 conference includes 12 universities in the western US.

Rogowski said: “This expansion allows UPS to extend its college sports presence to the full collegiate landscape – on campus, through alumni associations, and the athletic programs appealing to the 172 million college sports fans across the country.”

Last year, UPS announced sponsorships with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the organiser of the college sports divisions system, and the Southeastern Conference, the sports conference for 15 universities in southeastern states, becoming official logistics partner for both.