In February, it cost $7 million to air a 30-second ad during the United States 'Super Bowl'. The cost of making these ads can be millions more and many ads are aired just once and not seen again. Crazy right? Well, maybe. The event had an enormous audience of well over 100 million viewers. It also had a spectacular half...

'In December 2015, star NBA basketball player LeBron James signed a rumoured $500 million lifetime deal with Nike, the world's largest sneaker seller. Paying half a billion dollars to a person in the home stretch of his career for endorsement of your products seems crazy, right? Well no, actually. While time will tell, it is almost certainly a good deal...

Last month we discussed 'why' social media and sport are a winning mix.This month we suggest 'how' to use sport and social media effectively. Three definite 'dos' in any social media campaign are: 1. Creativity 2. A clear message 3. Timing Creativity is important because if your branded content is sufficiently engaging, people will share with their friends. Nirvana is...

Not sure whether social media is relevant to your business success? Ask Barack Obama who raised more money for his Presidential campaign than his competitors by using social media. Ask Proctor and Gamble who invigorated their 'Old Spice' brand by engaging with their customers in real time or even ask an Islamic state supporter why they constantly use Twitter. Think...

"Mobile is not the future, it is the now. Meet your customers in the environment of their choice, not where it is convenient to you." Cyndie Shaffstall, Author, Public Speaker, Entrepreneur. 'Mobile' now transcends practically everything and the trend will only continue to grow. Businesses must ensure they have an impressive presence in the mobile space.In essence, mobile marketing is...

Ever since the Global Financial Crisis the discretionary spend of businesses both large and small has come under increasing scrutiny. Justifying sponsorship for sporting teams or individuals, let alone attempting to quantify the expected return on investment, has become increasingly problematic. At some point almost all business leaders will have sponsored an employee, or employee's children, in any manner of...

Barack Obama has said that rising levels of income inequality are "the defining challenge of our time". While he may not have specifically been referring to income inequality between men and women, the glass ceiling is a major contributor to income inequality. Despite sex discrimination legislation, the glass ceiling remains a real issue in many businesses and in many professions...

A study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), commissioned by the Cricket World Cup Organising Committee, Cricket Australia and Cricket New Zealand, reports that the recent Cricket World Cup generated more than $1.1 billion in direct spending ($25 million in the ACT), created the equivalent of 8,320 full time jobs (250 in the ACT), and a total of 2 million bed nights across...

The relationship between business and sport is entrenched from the highest levels (eg the Toyota AFL Premiership; the Emirates Melbourne Cup; the VB Ashes Series) through to small businesses sponsoring local junior teams. Business sponsorship is crucial to modern sport. At the same time, an association with sport is an ideal means for businesses to increase brand recognition. Businesses use...