IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide, has signed UPS for a new sponsorship deal into a national marketing platform in college sports. It includes intellectual property rights for universities coast to coast, media opportunities, and local marketing activation.
UPS will have a national footprint with local reach via sponsorship opportunities with IMG university partners nationwide. UPS will receive logo rights to nearly 70 colleges, game-day activation at over 250 college venues, high-impact media across TV, radio and digital channels, and customized integrated marketing platforms aligned to UPS business objectives.
The buy gives UPS access to college sports fans in 51 of the 56 Nielsen-metered U.S. markets and multi-tiered marketing relationships with many of the nation’s elite college football and basketball universities. Under the agreement, at 68 schools, UPS will become the official logistics, package-delivery and retail shipping services company in all forms of sponsor recognition related to the schools, including on-campus, in-stadium, licensing, and broadcast, print and web outlets.
Overall, there are 172 million college sports fans in the U.S., including 29 million who earn $100,000 or more annually; both figures are the highest of any sports fan base. There are also 77 million female fans of college sports.
IMG’s consolidation of collegiate media rights provides advertising and branding opportunities within nearly 5,000 hours of college sports television programming and more than 28,000 hours of radio programming produced annually. The agreement with UPS includes radio and TV advertising during IMG broadcasts of football and men’s basketball coaches shows as well as in the play-by-play radio coverage; stadium and area signage; and ads in game-day publications and on the school’s official athletic web sites.
IMG College is a multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company in America representing more than 200 of the nation’s top collegiate properties including the NCAA and its 88 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country.
