LAST WEEK TODAY: AIM FOR EXCITEMENT

Missing sponsorship news?

Check out the blog every Monday for a weekly roundup of the past week's most exciting and industry-altering news. These stories cover September 17-23, 2018.

Memorable sponsorship and experiential marketing campaigns include emotion. If you want someone to remember your event, your partnership, or your campaign, they need to feel something while they engage. For example, now that we've written this blog post, we're hungry and craving cheese - and we weren't even at Castello's events! Also, there's a strange urge to go to Scotland. Find out why below.

1. Events news was all the rage last week in multiple segments of the entertainment industry. And TBH, we're excited about all of them.
   • The LPGA Tour is pushing for mixed events with the men's tour. Also exciting is the possibility female golfers will soon receive prize money on par with the men. LPGA head Mike Whan has grown the tour's revenue by 88% in the past six years while pushing for increased prize money for players (the pool, while still behind the PGA, grew $5.8 million in 2016).
   • Meanwhile, over in the NCAA, Arizona State University is aiming to make Sun Devil Stadium a 24/7/365 venue. Well, maybe not 24 hours a day, but certainly the team is aiming to operate events at the venue all 365 days of the year. And it seems they're going about it the right way - these aren't all going to be blockbuster events, but community and university-based opportunities for involvement in things like yoga, concerts, movies and more.
   • Scotland is aiming to do the same thing, but for the entire country. Just past hosting the first combined sport European Championships (check out our blogs on the event here and here), Visit Scotland has more marketable events upcoming with the Solheim Cup, the 2020 Uefa EUROs, and a potential Fifa bid (Say what?!?!)
2. We know you know there are multiple ways to succeed at social and digital media - you have to figure out what's best for your brand. Check out what works for Glamour UK.
3. Esports is continuing its rise. Riot Games, coming off an investigative story done on a sexist culture, has taken steps to turn about to make and implement changes. And the brand has succeeded to a point that major sponsor Mastercard has been convinced Riot property League of Legends will be a worthwhile partner.
4.  Successful sponsorships and experiential marketing campaigns don't need to include food, but let me tell you, it doesn't hurt. See a couple of quick examples below:
   • First of all, who doesn't like cheese? Second of all, who doesn't like cheese and beer? There's basically a whole state dedicated to these two products (oh hey, Wisconsin!). So Castello decided to make a winning formula with Dogfish Head, traveling around to food and jazz festivals in New York with specially selected beer and cheese pairings at the Castello Biergarten. Jealous.
   • Closer to home, last week's #SponsorSpotlight Taco Bell brought back its successful 'Steal a Game, Steal a Taco' promotion during the NBA Finals. Like the Castello activation, this one also includes cheese in the form of a Doritos Locos Taco for all of America after a road team steals a game from a home team.
5. Best activation so far in the NFL? Most would say Bud Light's beer fridge with the Cleveland Browns, but moms may say this one from the Chicago Bears' stadium instead:

COOL: The @ChicagoBears have teamed up with @advocatehealth to bring a branded @MAMAVA breastfeeding pod to Soldier Field. pic.twitter.com/wXpiMEfQOh

— Front Office Sports (@frntofficesport) September 17, 2018

Did we miss any? Tweet @be_tandem - we hate being behind the times just as much as you do.

Look out next Monday for the usual round-up on sponsorship news.