Gains Seen in Awards Show Sponsorships

CHICAGO: Brands will spend $139.2 million to sponsor televised awards shows this year, according to research from IEG, a 4.3 percent increase on last year’s tally.

The increase exceeds the projected 4.2 percent increase in entertainment spending, but is behind the 4.5 percent increase in overall North American sponsorship spending, IEG notes. The leading category is personal care. This year, the most active sponsor is L’Oréal, toppling Procter & Gamble. Twenty-seven percent of properties with a sponsor in the personal care category report a partnership with the French cosmetics giant. Behind L’Oréal are Mars and Time Warner with 23 percent and The Coca-Cola Co., Diageo and PepsiCo with 18 percent.

“While spending remains robust, the tendency among corporate marketers to view awards shows as pure-play media buys rather than integrated consumer engagement programs continues to hamper spending growth,” said William Chipps, IEG Sponsorship Report’s senior editor.