09/05/17: Mercedes-Benz holds court at US Open

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CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Tuesday September 5, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

With the thick of the US Open on full display in Flushing (and up 7% in viewership for the first four days on ESPN2), the annual round of the activation frenzy associated with the USTA staple includes Mercedes-Benz, which serves as an “Official Sponsor” and the “Official Vehicle” of the tournament. The luxury auto brand has been a supporter of tennis since 1996 and continues to actively support the game through a range of initiatives, including its continued commitment to the Laureus Foundation and its activities during Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day and through fan experiences on the grounds at the US Open, in addition to providing a fleet of luxury vehicles to transport players, special guests and other VIPs during the tournament and complimentary parking to all 2017 US Open attendees who arrive in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

Cynopsis Sports asked Monique Harrison, Department Head of Brand Experience Marketing at Mercedes Benz USA, about the long association, how its activation has evolved and what new elements fans are seeing this year.

Harrison on partnering with sports events: In line with our “Best or Nothing” mantra, Mercedes-Benz strives to be associated with the top sports, lifestyle and entertainment events throughout the country. For tennis, that’s the US Open without question. We are committed to delivering the most innovative, talked-about sponsorship experiences for consumers across all of our properties.

On elements to a successful partnership: Creativity, flexibility and the opportunity to engage with current and prospective customers in unique and interesting ways. While many of our goals like generating sales leads and cultural conversation around our activations stay the same, we understand that we have to accomplish those goals in different ways for different sports. Fans are incredibly smart and passionate. If we don’t talk (and listen!) to them in ways that are tailored to the activation at hand, they’ll see right through it. Our goal is to always be in-tune with what they want and deliver against it with interesting creative and best-in-class execution.

On the US Open: The US Open is a perfect fit for Mercedes-Benz because of the incredible amount of our customers who are diehard tennis fans. The US Open team has been outstanding partners and provided the flexibility for us to make an impact on-site, in broadcast and through high touch VIP hosting for our top customers. We’ve been specifically proud to offer Mercedes-Benz drivers complimentary parking at all general parking lots, where we park thousands of cars annually. It also gives us a platform to cheer on our longtime brand ambassador Roger Federer as he pursues a historic sixth US Open title!

On evolving activation: Each year, we’ve been able to add something new to our activation and that’s one of our favorite parts of this deal because we’re always surprising and delighting our customers and fans. Our VIP suite and Brand Center have evolved every year to offer new forms of entertainment and product education. This year, our vehicle displays feature some of our most popular vehicles including a GLC300 in Lunar Blue, an AMG C63 S Cabriolet in Diamond White and an S560 in Emerald Green. We’ll also have visibility throughout Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums to reach people tuning in on television. And as always, Mercedes-Benz is the official vehicle fleet used for all player and VIP transportation with more than 145 GLS450’s and 30 Sprinter Vans in use.

On this year’s plans: This year, our VIP guests will experience tennis like never before in the all new, expanded Mercedes-Benz Suite, which accommodates up to 60 guests. The new interior layout and décor feature elements that highlight the luxury and feel of our vehicles. Within the space, there is a bar, catering area and lounge. Additionally, there is also a Racket Wall Activation, which showcases the similarities of tennis rackets and Mercedes-Benz vehicles since the 1800’s.. This upgraded hospitality option allows our 30 area dealers from Long Island to Southern Connecticut to host their customers throughout two spectacular weeks of tennis.

In addition to our VIP hosting changes, 2017 marks an important upgrade for the brand, as we broke ground on a new Mercedes-Benz Brand Center. This brand center includes an interactive fan engagement area called “Ace Your Ride”, which allows consumers to build their own vehicle while hitting balls at their desired model, color , wheels and trim t. They simply hit the ball to the corresponding color, model, etc. that they want and can get a picture with their newly built vehicle to share on social media. It’s a lot of fun and we’re confident the execution will see a lot of foot traffic throughout the tournament.

ON THE AIR

Week one of the college football season saw ABC’s coverage of Florida State/Alabama drum up a record as the most-watched college football opening weekend game on record across all networks. The Saturday Night Football matchup set a new college football kickoff weekend total live audience viewership record with a total live audience of 12,560,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, ABC’s Sunday night telecast pitting West Virginia/Virginia Tech drew a 2.9 overnight rating while the network’s coverage of Michigan/Florida on Saturday earned a 5.0 overnight and Thursday’s MegaCast production of Ohio State/Indiana on ESPN delivered a total live audience of 5,428,000 viewers making the Big Ten clash ESPN’s most-watched opening weekend Thursday game on record.

The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is reportedly on pace to set a record for the most PPV buys. Showtime EVP Stephen Espinoza told USA TODAY Sports that current estimates have the bout in the “mid to high” four-million range for purchases in the USA and Canada with the PPV record currently standing at 4.6 million purchases, set by Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

In talent news, WWE’s SmackDown LIVE announcer JBL, aka John Layfield, announced that he would be stepping down from his role on the weekly series, and would be taking on a new role as a Beyond Sport Global Ambassador. Corey Graves will now take over the position and will now commentate for both the show and Raw, with Nigel McGuinness taking over Graves’ rile on 205 Live and WWE Main Event.

We are getting close to a sellout for next week’s event and our lineup of A-grade instructors just keeps getting better. Go deep into the world of gaming influencers with ESL’s Fidan Gutaj and and Marius Faulhaber, along with heavyweight influencer Tweeday, who will take part in teaching the ABCs of esports to our attendees. They will join names from ESL, Twitch, Nielsen, the Esports Ad Bureau and Team Dignitas for a very special Cynopsis Esports Master Class on Sept. 15 in NYC. We will be behind the scenes of ESL One New York as the east coast’s biggest esports event prepares to rumble and you don’t want to miss. Space is extremely limited so register today!

The United Fight Alliance locked in a partnership with Shamrock FC to carry fights on UFA’s networks reaching over 100 million homes. The first two episodes, Shamrock 289 and Shamrock 290 will begin airing in September with Shamrock FC 289 debuting on Cox Sports Television on Sept. 13 at 11p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Harnessing the Power of the New Hispanic Demo

Thursday, October 12 @ 1:30 pm ET

In Cynopsis’ newest live online event, we’re examining the major shift in both what’s being watched and where with this demo that represents 18% of the country’s population. With buying power topping $1.5 trillion in 2017, it is critical for media industry players to craft programming that reaches this growing and influential group. Check out our expert panel here!

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Fifth Third Bank renewed its partnership with Roush Fenway Racing where the company will serve as primary sponsor on the #17 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford with driver Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in a multi-year deal, according to ESPN. Fifth Third Bank first teamed with Roush Fenway Racing in 2012, serving as a primary sponsor for the past six seasons.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

The Olympic Channel formalized a deal with beIN MEDIA GROUP that will see programming blocks leading to the launch of a 24/7 linear channel starting Nov. 1 across 24 MENA territories. Under the Olympic Channel brand, the partnership begins with a daily eight-hour programming block on beIN Sports’ free-to-air channel featuring an exclusive preview show.

Meanwhile, UFC announced a new digital partnership with combat sports network FITE TV to carry the global brand’s PPV events on its streaming platform to customers throughout the US. The partnership launches on Saturday and will see fans be able to stream via the network’s FITE app and through its website FITE.TV. “When we first launched FITE TV, our goal was to bring combat sports fans the very best events,” FITE Chief Executive Officer Kosta Jordanov explained. “The signing of this distribution deal with UFC has validated that goal and we look forward to building an amazing relationship with the sports industry leader.”

GoPowercat.com, the Kansas State team site, joined 247Sports’ network of college and pro team sites and its subscription recruiting information services after nearly twenty years with the Rivals network. 247Sports is part of CBS Sports Digital’s multi-platform offerings. “We are incredibly excited that GoPowercat, led by publisher Tim Fitzgerald and his talented staff, has joined the 247Sports and CBS Sports Digital family. Not only is Tim a proven publisher, his experience and history of dominance in the Kansas State market will serve as a great example for our network,” said Shannon Terry, founder and CEO of 247Sports. “Tim has built GoPowercat into the definitive market leader, with virtually no competitors. This is a significant addition to our network and opens the door for other opportunities to expand our already blanket coverage in college sports.”

ESPORTS

Online tournament platform Oomba announced that is was buying the chain of GameWorks arcade/restaurants where the company will look to evolve existing GameWorks locations into local esports venues. There are currently seven GameWorks locations still in operation. Oomba CEO Michael Williams told VentureBeat that the large arcade venues are ideal for not just esports but VR experiences and “game nights” as well. “We plan to transform GameWorks into the experiential anchor for triple-A locations all across America and beyond,” said Williams.

Esports platform PvPRO inked a deal with Sportradar to distribute audiovisual streams and data from all its upcoming competitions on an exclusive, worldwide basis. In addition, Sportradar will utilize its Fraud Detection System across PvPRO competitions.

Gillette continues to grow its esports investment, announcing plans to partner with TSM, marking the brand’s second team sponsorship

Dot Esports reports that ESL’s parent company Turtle Entertainment is suing Azubu, alleging a fraudulent breach of contract with potential penalties topping $1.5 million due to – according to the complaint – Azubu never paying for ther rights to stream ESL content.

THE MAIN EVENT

US Open Quarterfinals on ESPN starting at noon.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Who doesn’t love a good video?

The Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival & Conference | March 7, 2018

Honoring outstanding work in this emerging space, the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival will showcase fresh and surprising storytelling across platforms. We define short form video as content that runs from 5 seconds to 10 minutes. Content on any platform is eligible. Watch our sizzle reel + start your submissions (deadline is 10/20)!

Submit your videos here!

ON THIS DAY in 1972: Eleven Israeli Olympians and four terrorists are killed after the terrorists invaded the Olympic Village in Munich.

In the Know: Colorado’s mascot Ralphie was once kidnapped by what institution? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which two college football teams compete for the Rip Miller Trophy? Answer: Navy/Notre Dame. Kudos: Nate Hammond–Chautauqua Lake Central School District/NY; Mike May-PHIT America/Wellington; John Langermann-WINK-TV/WXCW-TV/Fort Myers; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Deerfield Beach; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine/Houston; Joe Lyons-SOS Global/Dallas; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank; Judie Henninger-Valentine Productions/Santa Monica

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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