Last week, I reviewed all 384 (it seems) college bowl games and their title sponsors and costs in an attempt to answer the questions “Do bowl sponsorships really work?” This week, we look at a few of the best and worst sponsorship values.
Both of these lists are open to speculation and are just my opinion, so feel free to weigh in below in the comments with your thoughts.
Best Value
5. AT&T Cotton Bowl – $3,000,000
The Cotton Bowl gets BCS-type ratings at 20% of the cost. Even with that $3M price tag, it’s a great deal.
4. Belk Bowl – $400,000
This makes the list strictly for the price tag. It’s a great value and typically features a couple of high-caliber teams. Last season, it drew the 16th best TV rating among the bowl games.
3. Beef O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl – $375,000
This would be higher on the list if the viewership were better. Viewership last season was just under 2M viewers. But for the price, it’s still a great deal.
2. Little Caesars Bowl – $500,000
A recognizable brand, longevity of sponsorship, and a cheap cost of sponsorship? How is this not a brilliant sponsorship for Little Caesars?
1. Holiday Bowl – $500,000
Low cost. Historic game. Elite Pac-12 & Big 12 matchup. Great ratings. No threat of bad weather. Add it all up and this is the best bowl sponsorship value on the market.
Worst Value
5. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – $750,000
This one makes the list because of the long name and relatively high price tag for a local sponsor. Again, I live in town and don’t know a thing about Franklin American Mortgage. How about spending that money locally on ads for people who might use your service instead of on a national audience who likely won’t?
4. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – $2,000,000
I love the idea of BWW sponsoring a bowl. I just don’t like the price that comes with it—especially when one of their main competitors is sponsoring another game for 20% of the cost.
3. New Era Pinstripe Bowl – $2,000,000
The price tag is mainly because it’s in New York, but it’s hard to justify $2M for this sponsorship most years. However, with Notre Dame in it this year, they will probably benefit greatly from more mainstream interest.
2. BCS Bowls (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange) – $16,000,000-$17,500,000
The two biggest factors here are the enormous price tags and the fact that the bowls are so historic in name, we tend to gloss over who is the actual sponsor of the game.
1. BBVA Compass Bowl – $2,000,000
I still can’t get over the cost here. The game is played at LEGION FIELD!!! Have any of you been to Legion Field recently??? BBVA is plopping down $2M for a game at Legion Field with two mediocre teams. Someone got fleeced.